"'No,' I answered in a hollow voice, my teeth clenched with rage. 'I accept.'
"The audience uttered a cry of admiration. Never in the memory of players at Arispe, had a game of monte afforded such interest, and all eagerly collected round the table. I felt for Doña Isabel that profound love which constitutes a man's existence.
"'Who is to deal?' I asked my adversary.
"'You!' he replied, with his infernal smile.
"Five minutes later, I had lost my mistress!"
There was a moment's silence; a nervous tremor had assailed the pirate, and for some instants it was only by an extraordinary effort that he had been enabled to utter the words that seemed to choke him. It was evident that the wound in his heart was as vivid as on the day when he received it, and that only a strong interest induced him to refer to it.
"At length," he continued with a certain volubility, as he wiped away the cold perspiration that beaded on his forehead, and mingled with the blood that oozed from his wound, "the stranger approached me.
"'Are you satisfied?' he said.
"'Not yet,' I replied in a gloomy voice: 'we have still one game to play out.'
"'Oh,' he said, ironically, 'I fancied you had nothing more to lose.'