The Gambler | Page 8

of you to prove, and to produce witnesses to
the fact, that the stake is yours."
At first the proceedings were pure Greek to me. I could only divine and
distinguish that stakes were hazarded on numbers, on "odd" or "even,"
and on colours. Polina's money I decided to risk, that evening, only to
the amount of 100 gulden. The thought that I was not going to play for
myself quite unnerved me. It was an unpleasant sensation, and I tried
hard to banish it. I had a feeling that, once I had begun to play for
Polina, I should wreck my own fortunes. Also, I wonder if any one has
EVER approached a gaming-table without falling an immediate prey to
superstition? I began by pulling out fifty gulden, and staking them on
"even." The wheel spun and stopped at 13. I had lost! With a feeling
like a sick qualm, as though I would like to make my way out of the
crowd and go home, I staked another fifty gulden--this time on the red.
The red turned up. Next time I staked the 100 gulden just where they
lay--and again the red turned up. Again I staked the whole sum, and
again the red turned up. Clutching my 400 gulden, I placed 200 of them
on twelve figures, to see what would come of it. The result was that the
croupier paid me out three times my total stake! Thus from 100 gulden
my store had grown to 800! Upon that such a curious, such an
inexplicable, unwonted feeling overcame me that I decided to depart.
Always the thought kept recurring to me that if I had been playing for
myself alone I should never have had such luck. Once more I staked the
whole 800 gulden on the "even." The wheel stopped at 4. I was paid out
another 800 gulden, and, snatching up my pile of 1600, departed in
search of Polina Alexandrovna.
I found the whole party walking in the park, and was able to get an
interview with her only after supper. This time the Frenchman was
absent from the meal, and the General seemed to be in a more
expansive vein. Among other things, he thought it necessary to remind
me that he would be sorry to see me playing at the gaming-tables. In

his opinion, such conduct would greatly compromise him--especially if
I were to lose much. " And even if you were to WIN much I should be
compromised," he added in a meaning sort of way. "Of course I have
no RIGHT to order your actions, but you yourself will agree that..." As
usual, he did not finish his sentence. I answered drily that I had very
little money in my possession, and that, consequently, I was hardly in a
position to indulge in any conspicuous play, even if I did gamble. At
last, when ascending to my own room, I succeeded in handing Polina
her winnings, and told her that, next time, I should not play for her.
"Why not?" she asked excitedly.
"Because I wish to play FOR MYSELF," I replied with a feigned
glance of astonishment. "That is my sole reason."
"Then are you so certain that your roulette-playing will get us out of
our difficulties?" she inquired with a quizzical smile.
I said very seriously, "Yes," and then added: "Possibly my certainty
about winning may seem to you ridiculous; yet, pray leave me in
peace."
Nonetheless she insisted that I ought to go halves with her in the day's
winnings, and offered me 800 gulden on condition that henceforth, I
gambled only on those terms; but I refused to do so, once and for
all--stating, as my reason, that I found myself unable to play on behalf
of any one else, "I am not unwilling so to do," I added, "but in all
probability I should lose."
"Well, absurd though it be, I place great hopes on your playing of
roulette," she remarked musingly; "wherefore, you ought to play as my
partner and on equal shares; wherefore, of course, you will do as I
wish."
Then she left me without listening to any further protests on my part.
III
On the morrow she said not a word to me about gambling. In fact, she
purposely avoided me, although her old manner to me had not changed:
the same serene coolness was hers on meeting me -- a coolness that was
mingled even with a spice of contempt and dislike. In short, she was at
no pains to conceal her aversion to me. That I could see plainly. Also,
she did not trouble to conceal from me the fact that I was necessary to
her, and that she was keeping me for some end which she had in