As, however, luck would have it, some of the officers of the two line battalions chanced to be present at the ball, and after a careful inspection of their sham colleague, realised the trick he was trying to play. Determined to give him a lesson, they contrived to get him into the rooms of one of their party after the ball was over, tied him hand and foot, and then, having procured one of the militia metal M's and heated it red-hot, branded the letter he had discarded upon both of his knees, after which unpleasant operation they kicked him out into the street, with the remark that in future, whenever he might wear a kilt, every one would be able to see exactly to what branch of the service he belonged without bothering about looking at his shoulder straps!

IV

THE HE love of gambling would seem to be ineradicable, and those addicted to play will indulge their passion even when reduced to the last limits of poverty.

It is said that a party of highly speculative paupers, not being able to obtain cards, actually improvised a pack out of their old pawn tickets, the various articles indicated on the tickets taking the place of the usual suits.

"Hang it," said one of the players after losing a game, "how unlucky I am; but there, I never seem able to win when trousers are trumps."

A certain writer wrote an able pamphlet against gaming, in which he denounced its wickedness, and detailed its horrible consequences. The work was just ready to appear, and the last proof was sent to the author for correction, when the printer's devil, having waited a long time, was unable to find him. He returned next day, and learnt that this enemy of gambling had been out all night, and had lost at play the sum which his publisher had paid him for the work!

As a matter of fact the school of stern experience is the only one which ever teaches wisdom to those imbued with a passion of gambling.

A nephew of old Lord Leicester was seized with a great desire to go to Newmarket, and asked permission of his uncle. "Tom, my boy," said the latter, "you had better keep away." But Tom was not of that opinion. After some discussion, Lord Leicester said, "Well, Tom, if you do go, you must go in proper style"; and he gave him a capital horse to ride, a servant to ride with him, and made him a present of a handsome sum of money. Thus equipped, Tom sallied forth. After some days had passed he reappeared at Holkham, but not in the same style in which he left it; he came back alone and on foot.

Lord Leicester said to him, "Tom, where is the horse?"

"It is gone, sir."

"Tom, where is the servant?"

"He is gone, sir."

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'Tom, where is your money

"All gone, sir; and I give you my solemn word of honour, I will never go to Newmarket again.'

"It was money well spent," he used to say in after days. "I kept my word, and I have never been near Newmarket since."

Some there are whom even stern experience cannot teach; lack of means alone can deter such gamblers as these. Paucity of cash is generally recognised by even the most determined votaries of chance as a bar to play. An individual, asked to play cards, said to such a one, "No, I have fourteen good reasons against gaming." What are those?" "In the first place,"

answered he, "I have no money."

the reply; "if you had four hundred reasons you need not name another."

As a matter of fact, many men like gambling not merely from the excitement of play, but because of the atmosphere of amusement and vivacity with which it is so often connected.

Even the ways of sharpers are sometimes highly amusing. One of these men, who had attained a most unenviable notoriety at foreign casinos, was one day being interrogated by a cheerful Bohemian, and spoke with amazing frankness of the various methods which he employed. "My most successful coup," said he, "was the coup de whisky and soda." "What was that?" asked the somewhat puzzled enquirer. "I will tell you," said the sharper. "Having secured a bank at baccarat, I would, after dealing once or twice with none too conspicuous success, deal both sides an eight. This being done, I would ask the waiter for a whisky and soda, delaying the game whilst I drank it in a leisurely manner, turning round in my seat away from the table. As a general rule the punters, having looked at their cards, and found on each side a natural eight, would unfairly determine to profit by my inattention and largely increase their stakes. My whisky and soda finished, I would then turn up my own cards, and display the natural nine, which I had taken care should be there, with profitable results to my own pocket."

An insolent scamp at Spa used to cheat in open daylight, and carry the thing through by dint of

brass. Being once told by a stander-by, "Mais, monsieur, vraiment vous trichez," he coolly answered, "Cela se peut, monsieur; mais je n'aime pas que l'on me dise," and looked so furious that the trick passed off without further observation.

Another swindler, who used to make a point of winning his way into private gambling parties whenever he had lost more money than he could pay, turned his back upon the company, and going off, cried, "Kick away, gentlemen, for I have no money. This argumentum a posteriori so astonished the circle that the knave effected his retreat unhurt.

High gambling at cards in England is now, except upon rare occasions, almost unknown. The days when thousands could be risked upon a throw of the dice are over, and most rich men fond of excitement now speculate instead-generally, let it be said, with equally disastrous result.

In any case, they have at least the satisfaction of knowing that they would have received their gains if stocks had gone up, a satisfaction often denied to the lucky gambler, who in all ages has found difficulty in getting paid.

It was an observation of the celebrated Earl of Chesterfield, when he was observed playing at picquet, at Bath, with a little crook-fingered baron, whose reputation was not of the best, "that he preferred playing with a sharper to playing with a gentleman; for though he might not often win of the former, he was sure when he did win to get paid."

As a matter of fact, many of the younger members