other? It would be unkind to withhold a reflection that might serve as a warning; so I told him, abruptly, that I had been an undiscovered spectator, the night before, of his exploits at roulette.
He blushed deeply, but he met my eyes with the same radiant frankness.
"Ah, you saw then," he cried, "that wonderful lady?"
"Wonderful she was indeed. I saw her afterwards, too, sitting on the terrace in the starlight. I imagine she was not alone."
"No, indeed, I was with her—for nearly an hour. Then I walked home with her."
"Verily! And did you go in?"
"No, she said it was too late to ask me; though in a general way, she declared she did not stand upon ceremony."
"She did herself injustice. When it came to losing your money for you, she made you insist."
"Ah, you noticed that too?" cried Pickering, still quite unconfused. "I felt as if the whole table was staring at me; but her manner was so gracious and reassuring that I concluded she was doing nothing unusual. She confessed, however, afterwards, that she is very eccentric. The world began to call her so, she said, before she ever dreamed of it, and at last finding that she had the reputation, in spite of herself, she
