I took a louis from my purse, and with the rake carelessly pushed it upon the line he had indicated. Then I turned to talk with Gerald.
"Rien ne va plus!" cried the croupier.
A hundred necks were craned to watch the result.
The ball fell with a final click into one of the little spaces upon the wheel.
"Neuf! Rouge, impair et manque!"
"You've won, my dear!" cried Ulrica excitedly, and in a few moments Reggie, who raked up my winnings, gave me quite a handful of gold.
"There now!" he said, "you've made your first coup. Try again."
I crammed the gold into my purse, but it would not hold it all. The three louis upon which the purse would not close I held doubtfully in my hand.
"Play on the treize-dix-huit this time!" urged Reggie, and I obeyed him blindly.
As the number 18 came up, I again received another little handful of gold. I knew that many envious eyes were cast in my direction, and the excitement of winning was an entirely new sensation.