a loser may make. There's my hand, and my honour pledged. Few can bear to lose so well as I can. Indeed it would be strange if they could."

"Then it only remains for me to pay," observed Charles, calmly; and he took out his black morocco leather pocket-book for that purpose, while Louis replaced the money which he had taken from the secretaire, and brought from thence a certain specific for the dizziness which he found collecting in his head.

"I believe you'll find all right," said Charles. "No doubt," replied the other, carelessly; but I'd rather you should have won, by Saint Louis!" he then thought within himself,-" I've heard much of English riches and prodigality, but this surpasses all I could have imagined;" and he applied the nostrum to his nose.

"What do I see?" cried Charles, feeling that his own lay safely at the bottom of his pocket. "Where did you get that bottle?"

"It was given me by a

-friend; I'll

bet you double that sum upon the table, that there is not it's fellow in France."

"Done,"

and "done," said each; and Charles produced his black bottle. They were examined, compared, and smelt to.

"I have lost," said Louis; "It's very odd;" and went again to the inexhaustible escrutoire for payment. Charles rolled the mass of papers together, and squeezed them into the black morocco pocket-book, aforesaid, which caught the eye of Louis, and caused him in his turn, to exclaim, "where did you get that black morocco book?"

"Where I got this black elastic silk purse," replied Charles; beginning to haul out his riches, as sailors do a cable. The secret was out. The two unfortunate young men snuffed up the contents of their two black cut-glass bottles, in two black ebony cases, till their heads were cleared from the effects of the

wine; and then sat themselves down to compare notes, and swear an everlasting friendship.

"Do you know what to do with that money on the table?" asked Louis, as they were going out; "you know that was no part of your compact, and, consequently, will not vanish at night, as that which is left out of what we demand during the day always does. That sum you won from me, and when it changes hands, you know—”

"A good idea!" exclaimed Charles, "It's the only money I ever won at play, and I did'nt consider the difference. I see no reason why we should spare our dark acquaintance. Let me see?-Oh! I have it. Excuse me, I'll only write a few lines, and send off the pacquet directly." Accordingly he indited the first letter of business with which he had ever troubled Mr. Ledger, and enclosed therein nearly five hundred thousand pounds sterling.

CHAPTER II.

At the moment when Charles had folded up the letter to Mr. Ledger, a servant in livery opened the door, and stood respectfully bowing, as though waiting his master's commands.

the devil brings you here?" asked Lonis.

"What

"I beg your pardon, Sir," said the man bending almost to the ground, "I thought you rang.”

"Not I," replied Louis, "so take yourself off."

66

Perhaps," observed the party-coloured gentleman, as he sidled obsequiously toward Charles, "Monsieur might have”

“Oh, ah! very true," Charles observed, care

lessly, "with your leave, my dear Sir, I'll get your man to take this letter to the post."

The footman bowed, and was in the act of receiving the letter from Charles, when Louis suddenly started up, and knocked it out of his hand, exclaiming, "You abominable old rascal! Take up the letter, Maxwell, and put it into your pocket. And now, look at this long-tailed, periwigged, powdered fellow, and say if you have ever seen him before."

Charles instantly recognized his friend" autrefois," in black, and joined Louis in violent invectives against such sneaking, unhandsome, ungentleman-like conduct; whereat the aforesaid gentleman declared that he considered himself extremely ill-used by the appropriation of such a sum to the service of Mr. Ledger, a person with whom he had no sort of acquaintance or concern. The young friends were, however, too much elated at the idea of having outwitted the old