Peter Grey gave a loud laugh of triumph when he glanced at Harry’s disappointed angry countenance, and held out [200] ]his hand for the half-crown, saying, “Pay your debt of honour, Master Harry! It is rather fortunate I won, seeing that not one sixpence had I to have paid you with! not a penny to jingle on a mile-stone. You had more money than wit, and I had more wit than money, so we are well met. Did you not see that the grey horse had fallen lame? Good-bye, youngster! I shall tell all the giants and wild beasts to expect you another day!”

“Harry!” said Lady Rockville, looking gravely at his enraged countenance, “it is a foolish fish that is caught with every bait! I am quite relieved that you lost that money. This is an early lesson against gambling, and no one can ever be rich or happy who becomes fond of it. We were wrong to bring you here at all; and I now see you could easily be led into that dreadful vice, which has caused misery and ruin to thousands of young men. If you had possessed an estate, it would have been thrown away quite as foolishly as the poor half-crown, making you perhaps miserable afterwards for life.”

“I thought myself quite sure to win!” exclaimed Harry, still looking with angry astonishment after Peter, who was making odd grimaces, and holding up the half-crown in a most teazing manner. “I would rather have thrown my money into the sea than given it to Peter.”

“Think, too, how many pleasanter and better ways there are, in which you might have spent it!” added Lady Rockville. “Look at that poor blind man whom you could have relieved, or consider what a nice present you should have given to Laura! But there seem to be no more brains in your head, Harry, than in her thimble!”

“Peter is quite a little black-leg already,” observed Miss Perceval. “I never saw such a boy! So fond of attracting notice, that he would put on a cap and bells if that would make him stared at. Last Saturday he undertook for a bet to make a ceremonious bow to every lamp-post along [201] ]Prince’s Street, and I wish you could have seen the wondering crowd that gradually collected as he went along, performing his task with the most perfect composure and impudence.”

“For cool assurance, I hope there are not many boys equal to him,” said Lady Rockville. “He scattered out of the window lately several red-hot half-pence, among some beggars, and I am told they perfectly stuck to the poor creatures’ fingers when trying to pick them up; and he was sent a message, on his pony, one very cold day lately, to Lady De Vere’s, who offered, when he was taking leave, to cut him one of her finest camellias, to which he replied, ‘I would much rather you offered me a hot potatoe!’”

“Peter feels no sympathy in your disappointment, Harry,” added Miss Perceval; “but we might as well expect wool on a dog, as friendship from a gambler, who would ruin his own father, and always laughs at those who lose.”

“Go and cut your wisdom teeth, Harry!” said Captain Digby, smiling. “Any one must have been born blind not to observe that the grey horse was falling behind; but you have bought half-a-crown’s worth of wisdom by experience, and I hope it will last for life. Never venture to bet even that your own head is on your shoulders, or it may turn out a mistake.”

“Harry is now the monkey that has seen the world, and I think it will be a whole year of Saturdays before he ever commits such a blunder again,” continued Lady Rockville. “We must for this once, not complain of what has occurred to Lady Harriet, because she would be exceedingly displeased, but certainly you are a most ingenious little gentleman for getting into scrapes!”

Harry told upon himself, however, on his return home, because he had always been accustomed to do so, knowing Major Graham and his grandmama were never very angry at any fault that was confessed and repented of, therefore he [202] ]went straight up stairs, and related his whole history to uncle David, who gave him a very serious exhortation against the foolish and sinful vice of gambling. To keep him in mind of his silly adventure that day, Harry was also desired, during the whole evening, to wear his coat turned inside out, a very frequent punishment administered by Major Graham for small offences, and which was generally felt to be a terrible disgrace.