t in these practical jokes. He had won
these articles of Sir Asinus's clothing one after another; and now he
was about to commence with the remainder.

"Look! spadille, the ace!" he cried; "I have your neckcloth."

And his Excellency burst into a roar of laughter.

Sir Asinus slowly and sadly drew off his neckcloth, and deposited it
on the pile.

"Good!" cried his Excellency; "now for your short clothes!"

"No, no!" Sir Asinus remonstrated; "now, your Excellency!--mercy, your
Excellency! How would I look going through the town of Williamsburg
breechless?"

"You might go after night," suggested his Excellency, generously.

"No, no!"

"Well, well, I'll be liberal--my servant shall bring you a suit of
clothes from your apartment; of course these are mine."

A sudden thought struck Sir Asinus.

"I'll play your Excellency this ring against ten pistoles," he said;
"I lost sight of it."

"Done!" said his Excellency.

Sir Asinus won the game; and Fauquier, with the exemplary honesty of
the confirmed gambler, took ten pistoles from his purse and handed
them across the table.

"Nine pieces for my coat and the rest," said Sir Asinus persuasively;
"it is really impolite to be playing with your Excellency in such
deshabille as this."

"Willingly," said Fauquier, shaking with merriment.

And he pocketed the nine pistoles while Sir Asinus was making his
toilet at a Venetian mirror.

They then commenced playing again--Sir Asinus staking his pistole. He
won, and continued to win until night; when candles were brought, and
they commenced again.

By ten o'clock Sir Asinus had won fifteen thousand pistoles from the
Governor.

By midnight Fauquier, playing with the nerve of a great gambler, had
won them all back--laughing, careless, but not more careless than when
he lost.

At fifteen minutes past twelve he had won a bond for two hundred
pistoles from Sir Asinus; at sixteen minutes past twelve his
Excellency rose, and taking the cards up with both hands, threw them
out of the window.

Then rolling up the bond which Sir Asinus had executed a moment
before, he gracefully lit with it a pipe which he had just filled;
and, first telling a servant "to carry lights to the chamber next to
his own," said to Sir Asinus:

"My dear boy, I have done wrong to-night; but this is my master
passion. Cards have ruined me three distinct times; and if you play
you will inevitably follow my example and destroy your prospects. Take