" put in Mlle. Blanche.

"What has that got to do with YOU?" retorted the old lady. "It is not
YOUR money that I am going to lose; it is my own. And where is that Mr.
Astley of yours?" she added to myself.

"He stayed behind in the Casino."

"What a pity! He is such a nice sort of man!"

Arriving home, and meeting the landlord on the staircase, the
Grandmother called him to her side, and boasted to him of her
winnings--thereafter doing the same to Theodosia, and conferring upon
her thirty gulden; after which she bid her serve luncheon. The meal
over, Theodosia and Martha broke into a joint flood of ecstasy.

"I was watching you all the time, Madame," quavered Martha, "and I
asked Potapitch what mistress was trying to do. And, my word! the heaps
and heaps of money that were lying upon the table! Never in my life
have I seen so much money. And there were gentlefolk around it, and
other gentlefolk sitting down. So, I asked Potapitch where all these
gentry had come from; for, thought I, maybe the Holy Mother of God will
help our mistress among them. Yes, I prayed for you, Madame, and my
heart died within me, so that I kept trembling and trembling. The Lord
be with her, I thought to myself; and in answer to my prayer He has now
sent you what He has done! Even yet I tremble--I tremble to think of it
all."

"Alexis Ivanovitch," said the old lady, "after luncheon,--that is to
say, about four o'clock--get ready to go out with me again. But in the
meanwhile, good-bye. Do not forget to call a doctor, for I must take
the waters. Now go and get rested a little."

I left the Grandmother's presence in a state of bewilderment.

Vainly I endeavoured to imagine what would become of our party, or what
turn the affair would next take. I could perceive that none of the
party had yet recovered their presence of mind--least of all the
General. The factor of the Grandmother's appearance in place of the
hourly expected telegram to announce her death (with, of course,
resultant legacies) had so upset the whole scheme of intentions and
projects that it was with a decided feeling of apprehension and growing
paralysis that the conspirators viewed any future performances of the
old lady at roulette. Yet this second factor was not quite so important
as the first, since, though the Grandmother had twice declared that she
did not intend to give the General any money, that declaration was not
a complete ground for the abandonment of hope. Certa