His bosom heaved
with suppressed sobs. He sat down on the chair I had vacated and buried
his face on the _ecarte_ table. We remained thus aloof from the crowd
who were intent on the calculation at the baccarat table. At last the
raven in the dinner-jacket arrived with a note of the amount. It was
two thousand three hundred francs. I gave him the notes, and, taking
Anastasius by the arm, led him to the door, where the waiter stood with
our hats and coats. Before we could reach it, however, the banker, who
had risen from his seat, crossed the room and addressed me.
"Monsieur," said he, with an air of high-bred courtesy, "I infinitely
regret this unpleasant affair and I thank you for your perfect
magnanimity."
I did not suggest that with equal magnanimity he might refund the
forty-six pounds that had found its way from my pocket to his, but I
bowed with stiff politeness, and made my exit with as much dignity as
the attachment to my heels of the crestfallen Anastasius would permit.
Outside I constituted myself the guide, and took the first turning
downhill, knowing that it would lead to the civilised centre of the
town.
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