He pulled out his purse and counted his money, of which he found he had
nearly a hundred guilders; whereby, Peter knew at once how much he
himself had in his pockets without being under the necessity of
reckoning.

But Ezekiel's luck had gone; exactly as he had been winning, hitherto,
he now lost steadily at every throw, cursing heartily the while. If he
threw a pair, Gambling-Peter followed with one, two pips higher. At
length he laid his last five guilders on the table, saying: "One more
throw, and if I lose, you can lend me some of your winnings, Peter, so
that we can continue, for every good sportsman ought to help another."

"As much as you like, even to a hundred guilders," said the
Dance-Emperor, rejoicing in his luck; whereupon Fat Ezekiel shook the
dice-box and threw "fifteen."

"Good," he cried, "now we shall see." Peter threw eighteen, and as he
looked he heard a harsh voice, not unknown to him, mutter in his ear:
"So, here we are at the end of it all!" He swung round. There, standing
directly behind him, towered the gigantic form of Dutch Michael.
Stricken with surprise and horror he let the money, which he had just
picked up from the table, slip through his fingers.

Fat Ezekiel apparently, had not noticed the demon, for he requested
Gambling-Peter to lend him ten guilders so that he could go on playing.
As one in a dream, Peter put his hand in his pocket--it was empty! He
tried another pocket--there was nothing in that, either. He took off
his coat and turned it upside down, shaking it--but not a single coin
showed itself. And now, for the first time he remembered his first
wish--to have always as much money in his pockets as Fat Ezekiel had in
his. But all had vanished like smoke.

[Illustration: "So! here we are at the end of it all."]

Meanwhile the landlord and Ezekiel sat staring at him in bewilderment,
as he searched himself all over in vain to find some money somewhere.
They refused to believe that he had none; and, at last, after they
themselves had felt in his pockets, they grew angry, vowing that
Gambling-Peter must be a magician who had transported all the money he
had won together with his own to his house. Peter defended himself as
best he could, but appearances were against him. Ezekiel vowed he would
spread the shameful story all over the Black Forest; and the landlord
declared he would go to town the first thing on the morrow, and
denounce Peter as a sorcerer, and he would see to