“I have a large room at the hotel,” said he.
“I will join you,” said the Count. “Monsieur,” he took off his hat very politely. “Go first. I will be there in three minutes.”
Aristide trod on air during the two minutes’ walk to the Hôtel de l’Europe. At the bureau he ordered a couple of packs of cards and a supply of drinks and went to his palatial room on the ground floor. In a few moments the Comte de Lussigny appeared. Aristide offered him a two francs corona which was ceremoniously accepted. Then he tore the wrapping off one of the packs of cards and shuffled.
“Monsieur,” said he, still shuffling. “I should like to deal two hands at ecarté. It signifies nothing. It is an experiment. Will you cut?”
“Volontiers,” said the Count.
Aristide took up the pack, dealt three cards to the Count, three cards to himself, two cards to the Count, two to himself and turned up the King of Hearts as the eleventh card.
“Monsieur,” said he, “expose your hand and I will expose mine.”
Both men threw their hands face uppermost on the table. Aristide’s was full of trumps, the Count’s of valueless cards.
He looked at his adversary with his roguish, triumphant smile. The Count looked at him darkly.
“The ordinary card player does not know how to deal like that,” he said with sinister significance.