It was then half past nine. They decided that it would be impolitic
to begin their operations till after midnight. There were three hours
to spare.
'Let us go and see the gambling,' Racksole suggested. 'We might
encounter the Berlin lady.'
The suggestion, in the first instance, was not made seriously, but it
appeared to both men that they might do worse than spend the
intervening time in the gorgeous saloon of the Kursaal, where, in
the season, as much money is won and lost as at Monte Carlo. It
was striking ten o'clock as they entered the rooms. There was a
large company present - a company which included some of the
most notorious persons in Europe. In that multifarious assemblage
all were equal. The electric light shone coldly and impartially on
the just and on the unjust, on the fool and the knave, on the
European and the Asiatic. As usual, women monopolized the best
places at the tables.
The scene was familiar enough to Prince Aribert, who had
witnessed it frequently at Monaco, but Theodore Racksole had
never before entered any European gaming palace; he had only the
haziest idea of the rules of play, and he was at once interested. For
some time they watched the play at the table which happened to be
nearest to them. Racksole never moved his lips.
With his eyes glued on the table, and ears open for every remark,
of the players and the croupier, he took his first lesson in roulette.
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