Chapter 10 - The Gambler

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter ten. At Spas and probablyall over Europe, hotel landlords and managers
are guided in their allotment of roomsto visitors not so much by the wishes
and requirements of those visitors as bytheir personal estimate of the same. It
may also be said that these landlordsand managers seldom make a mistake to the

(00:22):
grandmother. However, our landlord,for some reason or another, allotted such
a sumptuous suite that he fairly overreachedhimself. For he assigned her a suite
consisting of four magnificently appointed rooms,with bathroom, servants quarters, a separate
room for her maid, and soon. In fact, during the previous

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week the suite had been occupied byno less a personage than a grand duchess,
which circumstance was duly explained to thenew occupant as an excuse for raising
the price of these apartments. Thegrandmother had herself carried, or rather wheeled,
through each room in turn, inorder that she might subject the whole

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to a close and attentive scrutiny,while the landlord, an elderly bald headed
man, walked respectfully by her side. What everyone took the grandmother to be
I do not know, but itappeared at least that she was accounted a
person not only of great importance,but also and still more, of great

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wealth. And without delay they enteredher in the hotel register as Madame la
General Princess to Tarasavichba, although shehad never been a princess in her life.
Her retinue, her reserved compartment inthe train, her pile of unnecessary
trunks, portmanteau, and strong boxesall helped to increase her prestige, while

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her wheeled chair, her sharp toneand voice, her eccentric questions put with
an air of the most overbearing andunbridled imperiousness, her whole figure upright,
rugged and commanding as it was completedthe general awe in which she was held.
As she inspected her new abode,she ordered her chair to be stopped
at intervals in order that, withfinger extended towards some article of furniture,

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she might ply the respectfully smiling yetsecretly apprehensive landlord with unexpected questions. She
addressed them to him in French,although her pronunciation of the language was so
bad that sometimes I had to translatethem. For the most part, the
landlord's answers were unsatisfactory and failed toplease her. Nor were the questions themselves

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of a practical nature, but relatedgenerally to god knows what. For instance,
on one occasion she halted before apicture which, a poor copy of
a well known original, had amythological subject. Of whom is this a
portrait? She inquired? The landlordexplained that it was probably that of a
countess. But how do you knowthat, the old lady retorted, you

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live here, yet you cannot sayfor certain? And why is the picture
there at all? And why doits eyes look so crooked? To all
these questions, the landlord could returnno satisfactory reply. Despite his floundering endeavors,
The blockhead exclaimed the grandmother in Russian. Then she proceeded on her way,

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only to repeat the same story infront of a Saxon's statuette, which
she had cited from Afar and hadcommanded, for some reason or another,
to be brought to her. Finally, she inquired of the landlord what was
the value of the carpet in herbedroom, as well as where the said
carpet had been manufactured. But thelandlord could do no more than promise to
make inquiries. What donkeys these peopleare, she commented. Next, she

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turned her attention to the bed.What a huge counterpane, she exclaimed,
Turn it back please. The lackeysdid so. Further, yet further yet,
the old lady cried, turn itright back. Also, take off
those and bolsters and lift up thefeather bed. The bed was open for
her inspection. Mercifully, it containsno bugs, she remarked. Pull off

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the whole thing, and then puton my own pillows and sheets. The
place is too luxurious for an oldwoman like myself. It is too large
for any one person. Alexeys Ivanovitch, come and see me whenever you are
not teaching your pupils. After tomorrow, I shall no longer be in the
General's service, I replied, Butmerely living in the hotel on my own
account. Why so, because theother day there arrived from Berlin a German

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and his wife, persons of someimportance, And it chanced that, when
taking a walk I spoke to themin German without having properly compassed the Berlin
accent. Indeed, yes, andthis action on my part the baron held
to be an insult and complained aboutit to the General who yesterday dismissed me

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from his employ But I suppose youmust have threatened that precious baron or something
of the kind. However, evenif you did so, it was a
matter of no moment. No Idid not. The baron was the aggressor
by raising his stick at me.Upon that, the grandmother turned sharply to
the General. What you permitted yourselfto treat your tutor? Thus you nincompoop

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and to dismiss him from his post. You are a blockhead and utter blockhead.
I can see that clearly. Donot alarm yourself, my dear mother.
The General replied with a lofty air, and air in which there was
also a tinge of familiarity. Iam quite capable of managing my own affairs.
Moreover, Alexis Ivanovitch has not givenyou a true account of the matter.

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What did you do next, theold lady inquired of me. I
wanted to challenge the baron to aduel, I replied, as modestly as
possible. But the General protested againstmy doing so. And why did you
so protest? She inquired of theGeneral. Then she turned to the landlord
and questioned him as to whether hewould not have fought a duel if challenged,

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For she added, I can seeno difference between you and the baron,
nor can I bear that German visageof yours. Upon this, the
landlord bowed and departed, though hecould not have understood the grandmother's compliment.
Pardon me, madame, The generalwill continue with a sneer. But our
duels really feasible. Why not allmen are crowing cocks, and that is

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why they quarrel you, though Iperceive our blockhead a man who does not
even know how to carry his breeding. Lift me up, Potapitch, see
to it that you always have twobearers ready, go and arrange for their
hire. But we shall not requiremore than two, for I shall need
only to be carried upstairs, onthe level, or in the street.

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I can be wheeled along. Goand tell them that, and pay them
in advance, so that they mayshow me some respect. You, too,
Potapitch, are always to come withme, and you, Alexis Ivanovitch,
are to point out to me thisbaron as we go along, in
order that I may get a squintat the precious bon. And where is
that roulette played? I explained toher that the game was carried on on

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the salons of the casino, whereuponthere ensued a string of questions as to
whether there were many such salons,whether many people played in them, whether
those people played a whole day ata time, and whether the game was
managed according to fixed rules. Atlength, I thought it best to say
that the most advisable course would befor her to go and see it for
herself, since a mere description ofit would be a difficult matter. Then

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take me straight there, she said, And do you walk on in front
of me? Alexis Ivanovitch? Whatmother, before you have so much as
rested from your journey? The generalinquired with some solicitude. Also, for
some reason which I could not divine, he seemed to be growing nervous,
And indeed the whole party was evincingsigns of confusion and exchanging glances with one

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another. Probably they were thinking thatit would be a ticklish, even an
embarrassing business to accompany the grandmother tothe casino, where very likely she would
perpetrate further eccentricities, and in publictoo. Yet on their own initiative,
they had offered to escort her.Why should I rest, she retorted,
I am not tired, for Ihave been sitting still these past five days.

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Let us see what your medicinal springsand waters are like and where they
are situated? What two? Aboutthat that? What did you call at
Prascovia? Or about that mountain top? Yes, we are going to see
it, grandmamma, very well?Is there anything else for me to see
here? Yes, quite a numberof things. Paulina forced herself to say,

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Martha, you must come with meas well. When on the old
lady to her maid, No,no, mother ejaculated the general. Really
she cannot come. They would notadmit even potapitch to the casino rubbish.
Because she is my servant? Isthat a reason for turning her out?
Why she is only a human beinglike the rest of us. And as

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she has been traveling for a week, she might like to look about her
with whom else could she go out? But myself? She would never dare
to show her nose in the streetalone. But mother, are you ashamed
to be seen with me? Stopat home then, and you will be
asked no questions, a pretty general, you are to be sure, I
am a general's widow myself, Butafter all, why should I drag the

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whole party with me. I willgo and see the sights with only Alexis
Ivanovitch as my escort. Degrie stronglyinsisted that every one ought to accompany her.
Indeed, he launched out into aperfect shower of charming phrases concerning the
pleasure of acting as her cicerone,and so forth every one was touched with
his words. Miss el at Tombyand amfanse. He added, aside to

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the General, soule al fara deybetty say more than this. I could
not overhear, but he seemed tohave got some plan in his mind,
or even to be feeling a slightreturn of his hopes. The distance to
the casino was about half a verst, and our route led us through the
Chestnut Avenue until we reached the squaredirectly fronting the building. The General,

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I could see, was a triflereassured by the fact that though our progress
was distinctly eccentric in its nature,it was at least correct and orderly.
As a matter of fact, thespectacle of a person who was unable to
walk is not anything to excite surpriseat a spa. Yet it was clear
that the General had a great fearof the casino itself, for why should

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a person who had lost the useof her limbs, more especially an old
woman, be going to rooms whichwere set apart only for roulette. On
either side of the wheeled chair walkedPolina and Mademoiselle Blanche, the latter smiling,
modestly, jesting, and in shortmaking herself so agreeable to the grandmother
that in the end the old ladylented towards her. On the other side

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of the chair, Paulina had toanswer an endless flow of petty questions,
such as, who was it passedjust now? Who is that coming along?
Is the town a large one?Are the public gardens extensive? What
sort of trees are those? Whatis the name of those hills? Do

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I see eagles flying yonder? Whatis that absurd looking building? And so
forth? Meanwhile, askedly whispered tome as he walked by my side,
that he looked for much to happenthat morning. Behind the old lady's chair
marched Potapitch and Martha Potapitch in hisfrock coat and white waistcoat with a cloak
over all, and the forty yearold and rosy but slightly gray headed Martha

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in a mob cap, cotton dressand squeaking shoes. Frequently the old lady
would twist herself round to converse withthese servants. As for de Greye,
he spoke as though he had madeup his mind to do something, though
it is also possible that he spokein this manner merely in order to hearten
the general, with whom he appearedto have held a conference. But alas

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the grandmother had uttered the fatal words, I am not going to give you
any of my money. And thoughde Griey might regard these words lightly,
the general knew his mother better.Also, I noticed that de Griey and
Mademoiselle Blanche were still exchanging looks,while of the Prince and the German savant.
I lost sight at the end ofthe avenue, where they had turned

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back and left us. Into thecasino. We marched in triumph at once,
both in the person of the Commichionnaireand in the persons of the footmen.
There sprang to life the same reverenceas had arisen in the lackeys of
the hotel. Yet it was notwithout some curiosity that they eyed us without
loss of time. The grandmother gaveorders that she should be wheeled through every

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room in the establishment, of whichapartments she praised a few, while to
others she remained indifferent. Concerning everything, however, she asked questions. Finally
we reached the gaming salons, wherea lackey, who was acting as guard
over the doors, flung them openas though he were a man possessed.
The grandmother's entry into the roulette salonproduced a profound impression upon the public.

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Around the tables and at the furtherend of the room, where the trante
currant table was set out, theremay have been gathered from one hundred fifty
to two hundred gamblers ranged in severalrows. Those who had succeeded in pushing
their way to the tables were standingwith their feet firmly planted in order to
avoid having to give up their placesuntil they should have finished their game,

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since merely to stand looking on,thus occupying a gambler's place for nothing,
was not permitted. True chairs wereprovided around the tables, but few players
made use of them, more especiallyif there was a large attendance of the
general public, since to stand aloudof a closer approach, and therefore of
greater facilities for calculation and aching.Behind the foremost row were herded a second

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and a third row of people awaitingtheir turn. But sometimes their impatience led
these people to stretch a hand throughthe first row in order to deposit their
stakes. Even third row individuals woulddart forward to stake when seldom did more
than five or ten minutes pass withouta scene over disputed money arising at one
or another end of the table.On the other hand, the police of

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the casino were an able body ofmen, and though to escape the crush
was an impossibility, however much onemight wish it, the eight croupiers apportioned
to each table kept an eye uponthe stakes, performed the necessary reckoning,
and decided disputes as they arose.In the last resort, they always called

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in the casino police, and thedisputes would immediately come to an end.
Policemen were stationed about the casino anordinary costume and mingled with the spectators so
as to make it impossible to recognizethem. In particular, they kept to
look out for pickpockets and swindlers,who simply swanned in the roulette salons and
reaped a rich harvest. Indeed,in every direction money was being filched from

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pockets or purses, though of courseif the attempt miscarried, a great uproar
ensued. One had only to approacha roulette table, begin to play,
and then openly grab someone else's winningsfor a din to be raised, and
the thief to start vociferating that thestake was his. And if the coup
had been carried out with sufficient skill, and the witnesses wavered at all in

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their testimony, the thief would aslikely as not succeed in getting away with
the money, provided that the sumwas not a large one, not large
enough to have attracted the attention ofthe croupiers or some fellow player. Moreover,
if it were a stake of insignificantsize, its true owner would sometimes
decline to continue the dispute rather thanbecome involved in a scandal. Conversely,

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if the thief was detected, hewas ignominiously expelled the building. Upon all
this, the grandmother gazed with openeyed curiosity, and on some thieves happening
to be turned out of the place, she was delighted. Trante e Carrant
interested her, but little. Shepreferred roulette, with its ever revolving wheel.

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At length, she expressed a wishto view the game closer, whereupon,
in some mysterious manner, the lackeysand other officious agents, especially one
or two ruined poles of the kindto keep offering their services to successful gamblers
and foreigners in general, at oncefound and cleared a space for the old
lady among the crush, at thevery center of one of the tables and

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next to the chief croupier, afterwhich they wheeled her chair thither. Upon
this a number of visitors, whowere not playing but only looking on,
particularly some Englishmen with their families,pressed closer forward towards the table in order
to watch the old lady. Fromamong the ranks of the gamblers. Many
alognyette I saw turned in her direction, and the croupier's hopes rose high that

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such an eccentric player was about toprovide them with something out of the common.
An old lady of seventy five years, who, though unable to walk,
desired to play was not an everydayphenomenon. I too, pressed forward
towards the table and arranged myself bythe grandmother's side, while Martha and Potapitch
remained somewhere in the background among thecrowd, and the General Paulina and de

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Grier with Mademoiselle Blanche, also remainedhidden among the spectators. At first,
the old lady did no more thanwatch the gamblers and ply me in a
half whisper with sharp broken questions asto who was so and so. Especially
did her favor light upon a veryyoung man who was plunging heavily and had
won, So it was whispered asmuch as forty thousand francs, which were

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lying before him on the table ina heap of gold and bank notes.
His eyes kept flashing and his handsshaking, Yet all the while he staked
without any sort of calculation, justwhat came to his hand. As he
kept winning and winning, and rakingand raking in his gains. Around him,
Lackey's fussed placing chairs just behind wherehe was standing and clearing the spectators

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from his vicinity so that he shouldhave more room and not be crowded.
The whole done, of course,an expectation of a generous slargesse. From
time to time other gamblers would handhim part of their winnings, being glad
to let him stake for them.As much as his hand could grasp,
while beside him stood a pole ina state of violent but respectful agitation,

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who also an expectation of a generousslargesse, kept whispering to him at intervals,
probably telling him what to stake andadvising and directing his play. Yet
never once did the player throw hima glance as he staked and staked and
raked in his winnings. Evidently theplayer in question was dead to all besides.

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For a few minutes, the grandmotherwatched him. Go and tell him,
suddenly, she exclaimed, with anudge at my elbow, go and
tell him to stop, and totake his money with him and go home.
Presently he will be losing, yes, losing everything that he is now
won. She seemed, almost breathlesswith excitement. Where's potapitch, she continued,

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Send potapitch to speak to him.No, you must tell him,
You must tell him here, Shenudged me again, for I have not
the least notion where potapitch is.Sortee, sorte, she shouted to the
young man, until I leant overin her direction and whispered in her ear
that no shouting was allowed, noreven loud speaking, since to do so
disturbed the calculations of the players andmight lead to our being ejected. How

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provoking, she retorted, Then theyoung man is done for I suppose he
wishes to be ruined, Yet Icould not bear to see him have to
return at all. What a foolthe fellow is. And the old lady
turned sharply away. On the leftamong the players, at the other half
of the table, a young ladywas playing with beside her a dwarf.

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Who the dwarf may have been,whether a relative or person whom she took
with her to act as a foil, I do not know, but I
had noticed her there on previous occasions, since every day she entered the casino
at one o'clock precisely and departed attwo, thus playing for exactly one hour.
Being well known to the attendants,she always had a seat provided for

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her, and, taking some goldand a few thousand franc notes out of
her pocket, would begin quietly,coldly, and after much calculation, to
stake and mark down the figures inpencil on a paper, as though striving
to work out a system according towhich, at given moments the odds might
group themselves. Always she staked largecoins and either lost or one, one,

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two, or three thousand francs aday, but not more, after
which she would depart. The grandmothertook a long look at her. That
woman is not losing, she said, to whom does she belong? Do
you know her? Who is she? She is? I believe a frenchwoman.
I applied ah alberta passage. Evidently. Besides, I can see that

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she has her shoes polished. Nowexplain to me the meaning of each round
in the game, and the wayin which one ought to stake. Upon
this, I set myself to explainthe meaning of all the combinations of rouge
noir, of pair at impire ofmonkey e passe, with lastly the different

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values in the system of numbers.The grandmother listened attentively, took notes,
put questions in various forms, andlaid the whole thing to heart. Indeed,
since an example of each system ofstakes kept constantly occurring, a great
deal of information could be assimilated withease and celerity. The grandmother was vastly
pleased. But what is zero?She inquired. Just now I heard the

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flaxen haired croupier call out zero,And why does he keep breaking in all
the money that is on the tableto think that he should grab the whole
pile for himself. What does zerall mean? Zero is what the bank
takes for itself. If the wheelstops at that figure, everything lying on
the table becomes the absolute property ofthe bank. Also, whenever the wheel

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has begun to turn, the bankceases to pay out anything, then I
should receive nothing if I were staking. No, unless by any chance,
you had purposely staked on zero,in which case you would receive thirty five
times the value of your stake.Why thirty five times when zero so often
turns up? And if so,why do not more of these fools stake

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upon it? Because the number ofchances against its occurrence is thirty six rubbish
pote, potepitch, Come here andI will give you some money. The
old lady took out of her pocketa tightly clasped purse and extracted from its
depths a ten gulden piece. Goat once and stake that upon zero.

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But madame zero has only this momentturned up, I remonstrated, where it
may not do so again for everso long? Wait a little, and
you may then have a better chancerubbish steak. Please pardon me, but
zero might not turn up again until, say, tonight, even though you
had staked thousands upon it. Itoften happens, so rubbish rubbish who fears

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the wolf should never enter the forest? What have we lost? Then stake
again a second ten goulden piece?Did we lose? And then I put
down a third? The grandmother couldscarcely remain seated in her chair, so
intent was she upon the little ballas it leaped through the notches of the
ever revolving wheel. However, thethird ten goulden piece followed the first two.

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Upon this the grandmother went perfectly crazy. She could no longer sit still
and actually struck the table with herfist. When the croupier cried out,
trunt cease instead of the desiderated zero. Listen to him, fumed the old
lady. When will that a cursedzero ever turn up? I cannot breathe
until I see it. I believethat that infernal croupier is purposely keeping it

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from turning up. Alexeis Ivanovitch stakedtwo golden pieces this time. The moment
we ceased to stake that cursed zerowill come turning up, and we shall
get nothing, my good madame,steak, steak, it is not your
money. Accordingly, I staked twoten gulden pieces. The ball went hopping

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round the wheel until it began tosettle through the notches. Meanwhile, the
grandmother sat as though petrified, withmy hand convulsively clutched in hers zero.
Called the croupier there you see,you see, cried the old lady,
as she turned and faced me,wreathed in smiles. I told you so.
It was the Lord God himself whosuggested to me to stake those two

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coins. Now how much ought Ito receive? Why do they not pay
it out to me? Potapitch,Martha? Where are they? What has
become of our party? Potapitch?Potepitch? Presently, Madame, I whispered,
Potapitch is outside, and they woulddecline to admit him to these rooms.

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See you are being paid out yourmoney, pray take it. The
croupiers were making up a heavy packetof coins, sealed in blue paper and
containing fifty ten gulden pieces, togetherwith an unsealed packet containing another twenty.
I handed the hole to the oldlady in a money shovel fete lejeu monsieur

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fete le dieu Monsieur Rhianne Novaplau,proclaimed the croupier as once more he invited
the company to steak, and preparedto turn the wheel. We shall be
too late. He is going tospin again. Steak, steak. The
grandmother was in a perfect fever.Do not hang back, be quick.
She seemed almost beside herself, andnudged me as hard as she could.

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Upon what shall I steak? Madame? Upon zero, upon zero, again
upon zero. Stake as much asever you can. How much have we
got seventy ten gulden pieces? Weshall not miss them, So stake twenty
pieces at a time. Think amoment, Madame. Sometimes zero does not
turn up for two hundred rounds insuccession. I assure you that you may

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lose all your capital. You arewrong, utterly wrong, steak. I
tell you what a chattering tongue youhave. I know perfectly well what I
am doing. The old lady wasshaking with excitement. But the rules do
not allow of more than one hundredtwenty gulden being staked upon zero at a
time. How do not allow?Surely you are wrong, monsieur monsieur.

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Here she nudged the croupier, whowas sitting on her left and preparing to
spin. Come yen zero duz duzeI hasten to translate? Oui madame,
was the croupier's polite reply. Nosingle steak must exceed four thousand florins.
That is the regulation. Then thereis nothing else for it. We must

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risk in gulden, le jeux etfate. The croupier called. The wheel
revolved and stopped at thirty. Wehad lost again again again stake again,
shouted the old lady, without attemptingto oppose her further, but merely shrugging
my shoulders, I placed twelve moreten gulden pieces upon the table. The

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wheel whirled around and around, withthe grandmother simply quaking as she watched its
revolutions. Does she again think thatzero is going to be the winning coup,
thought I as I stared at herin astonishment. Yet an absolute assurance
of winning was shining on her face. She looked perfectly convinced that zero was
about to be called again. Atlength, the ball dropped off into one

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of the notches. Zero, criedthe croupier. Ah, screamed the old
lady as she turned to me ina whirl of triumph. I myself was
at hearta gambler. At that momentI became acutely conscious both of that fact
and of the fact that my handsand knees were shaking, and that the

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blood was beating in my brain.Of course, this was a rare occasion,
an occasion on which Zero had turnedup no less than three times within
a dozen rounds. Yet in suchan event there was nothing so very surprising,
seeing that only three days ago,I myself had been a witness to
zero turning up three times in succession, so that one of the players,
who was recording the coups on paper, was moved to remark that for several

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days past, Zero had never turnedup at all. With the grandmother,
as with anyone who has won avery large sum, the management settled up
with great attention and respect, sinceshe was fortunate to have to receive no
less than four thousand, two hundredgulden. Of these goulden, the odd
two hundred were paid to her ingold and the remainder in bank notes.

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This time the old lady did notcall for potapitch, for that she was
too preoccupied, though not outwardly shakenby the event. Indeed, she seemed
perfectly calm. She was trembling inwardlyfrom head to foot at length, completely
absorbed in the game, she burstout alexeis Ivanovitch, did not the croupier

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just say that four thousand florins werethe most that could be staked at any
one time. We'll take these fourthousand and stake them upon the red.
To oppose her was useless. Oncemore, the wheel revolved, Rouge,
proclaimed the croupier again. Four thousandflorins in all, eight thousand, Give

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me them, commanded the grandmother,and stake the other four thousand upon the
red. Again. I did so, Rouge, proclaimed the croupier. Twelve
thousand, cried the old lady.Hand me the whole lot. Put the
gold into this purse here and countthe bank notes. Enough, let us

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go home. Wheel my chair away. End of chapter ten.