"Madame,"--so ran the note--"it occurs to me that you might like to answer my sister in French, and so I venture to send you the sort of letter that you might perhaps care to write. Each country has its own usages in these matters--that must be my excuse for my apparent impertinence."
And then there followed a prettily-turned little epistle which Sylvia copied, feeling perhaps a deeper grat.i.tude than a far greater service would have won him from her.
CHAPTER XII
A couple of hours later Sylvia and Count Paul parted at the door of the Casino. He held her hand longer than was usual with him when bidding her good-night; then, dropping it, he lifted his hat and hurried off towards the station.
Sylvia stood in the dusk and looked after him till a turn in the short road hid his hurrying figure from her sight.
She felt very much moved, touched to the core of her heart. She knew just as well as if he had told her why the Comte de Virieu had given up his evening"s play to-night. He had left Lacville, and arranged to meet her in Paris the next day, in order that their names might not be coupled--as would have certainly been the case if they had travelled together into Paris the next morning--by M. Polperro and the good-natured, but rather vulgar Wachners.
As she turned and walked slowly through the Casino, moving as in a dream, Sylvia suddenly felt herself smartly tapped on the shoulder.
She turned round quickly--then she smiled. It was Madame Wachner.
"Why "ave you not come before?" her friend exclaimed. "Madame Wolsky is making such a sensation! Come quick--quick!" and she hurried the unresisting Sylvia towards the Club rooms. "I come downstairs to see if I could find you," went on Madame Wachner breathlessly.
What could be happening? Sylvia felt the other"s excitement to be contagious. As she entered the gambling room she saw that a large crowd was gathered round the centre Baccarat table.
"A party of young men out from Paris," explained Madame Wachner in a low tone, "are throwing about their money. It might have been terrible. But no, it is a great piece of good fortune for Madame Wolsky!"
And still Sylvia did not understand.
They walked together up to the table, and then, with amazement and a curious feeling of fear clutching at her heart, Sylvia Bailey saw that Anna Wolsky was holding the Bank.
It was the first time she had ever seen a lady in the Banker"s seat.
A thick bundle of notes, on which were arranged symmetrical piles of gold lay in front of Madame Wolsky, and as was always the case when she was really excited, Anna"s face had become very pale, and her eyes glistened feverishly.
The play, too, was much higher than usual. This was owing to the fact that at one end of the table there stood a little group of five young men in evening dress. They talked and laughed as they flung their money on the green cloth, and seemed to enjoy the fact that they were the centre of attraction.
"One of them," whispered Madame Wachner eagerly, "had already lost eight thousand francs when I went downstairs to look for you! See, they are still losing. Our friend has the devil"s own luck to-night! I have forbidden L"Ami Fritz to play at all. Nothing can stand against her. She sweeps the money up every time. If Fritz likes, he can go downstairs to the lower room and play."
But before doing so L"Ami Fritz lingered awhile, watching Madame Wolsky"s wonderful run of luck with an expression of painful envy and greed on his wolfish countenance.
Sylvia went round to a point where she could watch Anna"s face. To a stranger Madame Wolsky might have appeared almost indifferent; but there had come two spots of red on her cheeks, and the hand with which she raked up the money trembled.
The words rang out, "_Faites vos jeux, Messieurs, Mesdames._" Then, "_Le jeu est fait! Rien ne va plus!_"
The luck suddenly turned against Anna. She looked up, and found Sylvia"s eyes fixed on her. She made a slight motion, as if she wished her friend to go away.
Sylvia slipped back, and walked quietly round the table. Then she stood behind Anna, and once more the luck came back, and the lady banker"s pile of notes and gold grew higher and higher....
"This is the first time a woman has held the Bank this month," Sylvia heard someone say.
And then there came an answer, "Yes, and it is by far the best Bank we have had this month--in fact, it"s the best play we"ve had this season!"
At last Anna pushed away her chair and got up.
One of the young men who had lost a good deal of money came up to her and said smilingly.
"I hope, Madame, you are not going away. I propose now to take the Bank; surely, you will allow me to have my revenge?"
Anna Wolsky laughed.
"Certainly!" she answered. "I propose to go on playing for some time longer."
He took the Banker"s seat, and the crowd dispersed to the other tables.
L"Ami Fritz slipped away downstairs, but his wife stayed on in the Club by Sylvia"s side.
Soon the table was as much surrounded as before, for Anna was again winning. She had won as banker, now she won as simple player, and all those about her began to "follow her luck" with excellent results to themselves.
The scene reminded Sylvia of that first evening at the Casino. It was only three weeks ago, and yet how full, how crowded the time had been!
Somehow to-night she did not feel inclined to play. To her surprise and amus.e.m.e.nt she saw Madame Wachner actually risk a twenty-franc piece. A moment later the stake was doubled, and soon the good lady had won nine gold pieces. Her face flushed with joy like a happy child"s.
"Oh, why is not Fritz here?" she exclaimed. "How sorry I am I sent him downstairs! But, never mind, his old wife is making some money for once!"
At last the Banker rose from the table. He was pretty well cleared out.
Smiling and bowing to Anna, he said, "Well, Madame, I congratulate you!
You must have a very powerful mascot."
Anna shook her head gaily.
"It is pleasant to win from a millionaire," she whispered to Sylvia, "for one knows it does not hurt him! That young man has a share in the profit on every piece of sugar sold in France, and you know how fond the French are of sweet things!"
She turned from the table, followed by Sylvia and Madame Wachner.
"What will you do with all your money?" asked Madame Wachner anxiously.
"I told one of the ushers to have it all turned into notes for me," she answered indifferently. "As to what I shall do with it!--well, I suppose I shall have to go into Paris and bank some of it in a day or two. I shan"t play to-morrow. I shall take a rest--I deserve a rest!" She looked extraordinarily excited and happy.
"Shall we drop you at the Pension Malfait?" said Madame Wachner amiably.
"It is right on our way home, you know. I, too, have made money--" she chuckled joyously.
Madame Wachner left the two friends standing in the hall while she went to look for her husband in the public gambling room, and as they stood there Sylvia became conscious that they were being stared at with a great deal of interest and curiosity. The news of Anna Wolsky"s extraordinary good luck had evidently spread.
"I wish I had come in a little earlier," said Sylvia presently. "I"ve never seen you take the Bank before. Surely this is the first time you have done so?"
"Yes, this is the first time I have ever been tempted to take the Bank at Lacville. But somehow I suddenly felt as if I should be lucky to-night.
You see, I"ve made a good deal of money the last day or two, and Madame Wachner persuaded me to try my luck."
"I wish you had told me you were thinking of taking the Bank."
"I would have told you," said Anna quietly, "if I had seen you to-day.