"
Sam and I parted the best of friends, and, I need not say, on the best
of terms I could get. I knew him for many years after this incident,
and say to his credit that, although he was sometimes hard with
customers, he acted, from all one ever heard, strictly in accordance
with the bargain he made, whatever it might be; and what is more
singular than all, I never heard of old Sam Linton getting into
trouble.
CHAPTER X.
WHY I GAVE OVER CARD-PLAYING.
Like most men who are not saints, I had the natural instinct for
gambling, without any passion for it; but soon found the necessity for
suppressing my inclination for cards, lest it should interfere with my
legitimate profession. It was necessary to abandon the indulgence, or
abandon myself to its temptations.
I owe my determination never to play again at cards to the bad luck
which befell me on a particular occasion at Ascot on the Cup Day of
the year 18--. I was at that time struggling to make my way in my
profession, and carefully storing up my little savings for the
proverbial rainy day.
Having been previously to the Epsom summer races, and had such
extraordinary good luck, nothing but a severe reverse would have
induced me to take the step I did. Good luck is fascinating, and
invariably leads us on, with bad luck sometimes close behind.
I went to Epsom with my dear old friend Charley Wright, and we soon
set to work in one of the booths to make something towards our
fortunes at _rouge et noir_.
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