“Is it long since you saw him?”
“Some years.”
“And he is still at Monte Carlo?”
“In the winter. During the summer he lives at Vienna.”
“And he drinks both at Monte Carlo and in Vienna?”
“Yes, and gambles as well. He has a way of drinking which leaves his brain perfectly clear, so that he is able to play.”
“Does he win?”
“Often. But then, what does that matter to him?”
“Then he is so rich that he is indifferent to his winnings? Lucky man!”
“Grodsko is proprietor of a whole district in Moravia. He owns forests, mountains, and villages. His forests furnish the finest pines in Europe. The mountains are bored through and through with mines from which copper and tin are extracted. As for villages, Grodsko, with the peasants on his domains, could, in case of war, furnish a couple of regiments.”