登陆注册
5263900000051

第51章 XIV(3)

The black turned up. After that I do not exactly remember either my calculations or the order of my stakings. I only remember that, as in a dream, I won in one round sixteen thousand florins; that in the three following rounds, I lost twelve thousand; that I moved the remainder (four thousand) on to "Passe" (though quite unconscious of what I was doing--I was merely waiting, as it were, mechanically, and without reflection, for something) and won; and that, finally, four times in succession I lost. Yes, I can remember raking in money by thousands--but most frequently on the twelve, middle numbers, to which I constantly adhered, and which kept appearing in a sort of regular order--first, three or four times running, and then, after an interval of a couple of rounds, in another break of three or four appearances. Sometimes, this astonishing regularity manifested itself in patches; a thing to upset all the calculations of note--taking gamblers who play with a pencil and a memorandum book in their hands Fortune perpetrates some terrible jests at roulette!

Since my entry not more than half an hour could have elapsed.

Suddenly a croupier informed me that I had, won thirty thousand florins, as well as that, since the latter was the limit for which, at any one time, the bank could make itself responsible, roulette at that table must close for the night. Accordingly, I caught up my pile of gold, stuffed it into my pocket, and, grasping my sheaf of bank-notes, moved to the table in an adjoining salon where a second game of roulette was in progress. The crowd followed me in a body, and cleared a place for me at the table; after which, I proceeded to stake as before--that is to say, at random and without calculating. What saved me from ruin I do not know.

Of course there were times when fragmentary reckonings DID come flashing into my brain. For instance, there were times when I attached myself for a while to certain figures and coups--though always leaving them, again before long, without knowing what I was doing.

In fact, I cannot have been in possession of all my faculties, for I can remember the croupiers correcting my play more than once, owing to my having made mistakes of the gravest order. My brows were damp with sweat, and my hands were shaking. Also, Poles came around me to proffer their services, but I heeded none of them. Nor did my luck fail me now. Suddenly, there arose around me a loud din of talking and laughter. " Bravo, bravo! " was the general shout, and some people even clapped their hands.

I had raked in thirty thousand florins, and again the bank had had to close for the night!

"Go away now, go away now," a voice whispered to me on my right. The person who had spoken to me was a certain Jew of Frankfurt--a man who had been standing beside me the whole while, and occasionally helping me in my play.

"Yes, for God's sake go," whispered a second voice in my left ear. Glancing around, I perceived that the second voice had come from a modestly, plainly dressed lady of rather less than thirty--a woman whose face, though pale and sickly-looking, bore also very evident traces of former beauty. At the moment, I was stuffing the crumpled bank-notes into my pockets and collecting all the gold that was left on the table. Seizing up my last note for five hundred gulden, I contrived to insinuate it, unperceived, into the hand of the pale lady. An overpowering impulse had made me do so, and I remember how her thin little fingers pressed mine in token of her lively gratitude. The whole affair was the work of a moment.

Then, collecting my belongings, I crossed to where trente et quarante was being played--a game which could boast of a more aristocratic public, and was played with cards instead of with a wheel. At this diversion the bank made itself responsible for a hundred thousand thalers as the limit, but the highest stake allowable was, as in roulette, four thousand florins. Although I knew nothing of the game--and I scarcely knew the stakes, except those on black and red--I joined the ring of players, while the rest of the crowd massed itself around me. At this distance of time I cannot remember whether I ever gave a thought to Polina; I seemed only to be conscious of a vague pleasure in seizing and raking in the bank-notes which kept massing themselves in a pile before me.

同类推荐
  • 断肠词

    断肠词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 治世余闻

    治世余闻

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 御制广寒殿记

    御制广寒殿记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 归有光集

    归有光集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 学仙辨真诀

    学仙辨真诀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 山水纯全集

    山水纯全集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 勇卢闲诘

    勇卢闲诘

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 媚情,冷面阎王老公

    媚情,冷面阎王老公

    他说爱她一辈子,却在她出差的时候与别的女人,在他们新婚的床上苟且,默默转身,走开,三年后,偶然相遇。他说:你这辈子,都是我的。她却只是淡然一笑,转身拉了一个垫背的,不想却是世界闻名的心脏科的医生,还是传说中的冷面阎王。
  • 玉人歌

    玉人歌

    女主自白:我姓玉,我随我亲爹姓。我后爹姓什么……我不告诉你。我六岁之前住在建康,六岁之后住在长安。再后来……我喜欢到处转转。我娘是个公主,我也是个公主。她嫁过两个男人,最大的心愿却是我此生能够“从一而终”。我最愿意思考的就是人生问题,我觉得我的人生没有云泥之别,我六岁之前是生活在云上,六岁之后也生活在云上,不过是生活这片云有时飞的高,有时飞的低而已。对了,我还有一支玉面军,所向披靡的玉面军!
  • 一千零一夜

    一千零一夜

    《一千零一夜》是著名的古代阿拉伯民间故事集,有264个故事,被誉为世界民间文学创作中的“最壮丽的一座纪念碑”。中文早年被译为《天方夜谭》。“天方”是中国古代对阿拉伯的称呼,仅凭这名字,就足以把人带到神秘的异域世界中。它是世界上最具生命力、最负盛名,拥有最多读者和影响最大的作品之一。同时,它以民间文学的朴素身份却能跻身于世界古典名著之列,也堪称是世界文学史上的一大奇迹。
  • 异世界聊天室

    异世界聊天室

    顺岑看了看群内现在的成员。“满二十个人就开启异世界VPN了啊,再多进来点人吧...”空白、黑猫、飞鼠、灵梦、晓美焰、凤凰院凶真、布鲁克、黑崎一护、五河琴里、史蒂夫等等...奎托斯:打魔女之夜叫我。阿特柔斯:@晓美焰我父亲说了,打魔女之夜叫他。Dr.罗曼:fgo2.3什么时候开?顺岑:你怎么改名了?不喜欢魔法梅莉了?Dr.罗曼:......Dr.罗曼:不提这件事,我们还是好朋友。【书友群群号:852916480】【本书每天17:00准时更新,保底更新两章,加更另算。】
  • 江湖遍地遇相公

    江湖遍地遇相公

    凤女临世,美男来袭。且看各路公子,如何大显身手,抱美而归。
  • 给我一个说爱你的机会

    给我一个说爱你的机会

    我叫陶晰,是妈妈的宝贝女儿,从小与母亲相依为命。别好奇,我也有父亲,而且他还是个活雷锋。或许由于打小缺少父爱,我总是很凶,至少在别人眼里,我就是一个脾气不大好的女生。我的家境算不上阔绰,只能勉强维持我与母亲的生活,可前些天,妈妈傍晚下班回家时,不知从哪个垃圾堆里带回了个流浪小男孩。我清楚地记得,妈妈把他领回家时,衣衫褴褛,蓬头垢面,黑漆漆的小手,灰蒙蒙的脸。他给我的第一印象就是恶心。当母亲给他洗了个澡,换上一身新衣服,再站在我面前时,我不由吃了一惊,眼前的小男孩竟然异常的可爱,幼稚的小脸蛋上却也彰显出帅气,只不过他才四五岁的样子。
  • 调侃年代

    调侃年代

    本书精选作者的三篇小说力作:闻酒识女人、调侃年代、春夏之后。作者用饱含真诚的笔墨游走于人间百态,畅谈了女人与红酒的点点滴滴,酣畅地叙述了毕业后的苦辣酸甜,虔敬地探讨了生命的真谛。
  • 日久成婚:豪门老公太霸道

    日久成婚:豪门老公太霸道

    男朋友婚礼上,她睡了他的哥哥凌盛世!如梦如醒,她仓皇而逃,却从来不知道她至始至终都没有逃过凌盛世的手掌心。“凌盛世,你不能对我动手动脚!”她缩到墙角。“我们是夫妻。”他唇角含着邪魅的笑,丢下几个字,理所当然的索取自己的权益。她扶着小蛮腰,受不了了,“凌盛世,我要告你家暴!”他很无辜,“证据!”当知道他还有一个儿子,当一切真相浮出水面,这份爱该如何供养……情节虚构,请勿模仿