The thing was tiresome enough, but how could I have avoided it?
The blood that rushes to the head of the gambler is certainly not
food for the intellect; and, besides, I was forced by
circumstances into an heroic attitude--and nothing is more
distasteful to a man of sense. But I had a task before me; if a
man lays bricks he should lay them well; and I do not deny that
there was a stirring of my pulse as I sat down.
Is it possible for a mind to directly influence the movements of
a little ivory ball? I do not say yes, but will you say no? I
watched the ball with the eye of an eagle, but without straining;
I played with the precision of a man with an unerring system,
though my selections were really made quite at random; and I
handled my bets with the sureness and swift dexterity with which
a chess-master places his pawn or piece in position to demoralize
his opponent.
This told on the nerves of the croupier. Twice I corrected a
miscalculation of his, and before I had played an hour his hand
was trembling with agitation.
And I won.
The details would be tiresome, but I won; and when, after six
hours of play without an instant's rest, I rose exhausted from my
chair and handed my brother the amount he had lost--I pocketed a
few thousands for myself in addition.
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