"'I do not think;' Christine confided afterwards to a friend, who
re-confided it to Bertie van Tahn, 'that I shall ever be able to
touch PAT? DE FOIE GRAS again. It would bring back memories of
that awful evening.'
"For the next two or three days the nieces made plans for
returning to England or moving on to some other resort where there
was no casino. The aunt was busy making a system for winning at
PETITS CHEVAUX. Number eight, her first love, had been running
rather unkindly for her, and a series of plunges on number five
had turned out even worse.
"'Do you know, I dropped over seven hundred francs at the tables
this afternoon,' she announced cheerfully at dinner on the fourth
evening of their visit.
"'Aunt! Twenty-eight pounds! And you were losing last night
too.'
"'Oh, I shall get it all back,' she said optimistically; 'but not
here. These silly little horses are no good. I shall go
somewhere where one can play comfortably at roulette. You needn't
look so shocked. I've always felt that, given the opportunity, I
should be an inveterate gambler, and now you darlings have put the
opportunity in my way. I must drink your very good healths.
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