At eleven o'clock, Newton and Bernardi again met at the post-office, and the latter remarked that he intended making a short call upon his wealthy friend.

"Come along with me," he said, "and you will see what a fine place he has. I shall not remain very long, and if you will wait for me outside, we can pass the day together. I hate to go around alone in a strange city."

Accordingly they strolled along until they reached Don Pedro's house, and Newton agreed to remain near at hand until Bernardi should finish his call. Salter was on the lookout, and when Bernardi was admitted, he led the way to Don Pedro's room. The moment the door closed on Bernardi, Salter took his place at the auger-holes in the adjoining closet, and overheard the entire conversation, as before.

"Well, Pietro, have you decided how soon you will be ready to leave town?" asked the Don. "From your clothes, jewelry, and other purchases you have made, you must have used up most of the money I gave you, and, if so, your departure must take place soon; for I warn you again, I shall give you nothing more until you depart for some distant city!"

"Well, to tell the truth," replied Bernardi, in an independent, indifferent manner, "I am in no hurry to go away just yet. You see, I have been very lucky since I've been here, and if I keep on, I guess I can repay you the amount you kindly loaned me."

"Do you mean that you have been gambling again?" asked the Don, in a vexed tone.

"Yes, and I have won constantly, so that I don't like to change my luck by making a move right away. You know gamblers are superstitious, and I have a strong feeling that it will be for my interest to remain here for some time yet."

"But you promised to go as soon as you felt able to travel," said the Don.

"Well, there is no hurry. I haven't done you any harm yet, and I don't mean to. Why are you so anxious to get rid of me?"

Of course, Don Pedro's principal fear was that Bernardi would learn how large a sum the former had received for his bogus mines, and that he would not be satisfied to go unless he got a large slice of the plunder. It would not do, however, to excite his suspicions by appearing too desirous of sending him away, so the Don changed his tone, and said:

"Oh! I'm sure I don't want to get rid of you as long as you keep sober and don't talk about me; but you know how it is, Pietro; if you should get drunk and talk about me, you would tell everything you know, and the result would be that I should have to flee the town without accomplishing my object. In that case, I should lose not only all that I hoped to make, but also all the immense outlay I have made in preparing my scheme. If you want to go to New Orleans again, I will start you in a faro-bank there, and will come down there next winter to play with you; but I confess I should feel easier if you were out of Gloster for the present."

"Well, I will be ready to go in a few days, if you insist upon it, but I don't see the necessity of such haste. However, I will come in again and talk about it before the end of the week. I want to win a little more before I go."

"How have you been betting?" asked Morito, in a conciliatory manner.

"I have been 'coppering' the jack and playing the ace and queen 'open,'[A] and I have won constantly. I left them a few times and played other cards, but I always lost when I did so. Now I am going to stick to that scheme right along."

"Where are you playing?" asked the Don, carelessly.

"I generally go to Dave Carter's, in Mahogany Block, for I think he deals a 'square' game."

"Yes, I suppose so," said Morito; "as much so as any of them; but they are all sharpers here, and they may have been letting you win on purpose, thinking that you had a large sum in reserve which they hope to catch hereafter. If you will take my advice, you will stop while you are ahead. You know, from your own experience as a banker, that the 'bank' always wins in the end."

"Well, I shall try a few more games, and then I shall be ready to talk with you about going South. I want to run my luck while it is good," and so saying, Bernardi rose to go.

"All right, Pietro," said Don Pedro, "be careful not to get swindled, and to keep silent about me."

The moment Bernardi was gone, the Don rang his bell violently, and sent for Monsieur Lesparre. When the latter entered the Don's room, he found his employer in a more disturbed and excited condition than he had ever before indulged in, and evidently he meant mischief to some one.

"Lesparre, that fellow Bernardi, of whom I spoke to you the other day, has been here again," burst out the Don. "I gave him a considerable sum of money to set him on his feet again, for old acquaintance' sake, expecting that he would return to his friends in the South, or, at least, behave like a decent gentleman; but he has returned to his old habits of gambling and drinking, so that, at any moment, he may come here and mortify me before a party of my guests, or, worse still, claim me as his friend when arraigned in a police court for drunkenness, etcetera. He promised to leave town as soon as the money I gave him was gone, and I was to give him then a respectable sum to start him in business elsewhere; but he has won considerably at the faro-table, and he is now independent of me, and therefore declines to keep his promise until he is ready."

"Would he go, do you think, if he should lose all he has?" asked Lesparre.

"Oh! yes, indeed; he would be forced to yield to my terms then, and I should give him nothing until he started."

"How would it do to suggest to the proprietor of the gambling rooms that it would be doubly for his interest to fleece this man? I think it could easily be done, if the 'bank' were so disposed."

"I have no doubt of it, especially as I know the way he intends to bet all the time," replied the Don, eagerly; "he 'coppers' the jack and plays the ace and queen 'open.' It must be a pretty poor dealer who cannot 'stack' those cards, with such a stake in view. Suppose you drop a hint to Dave Carter, or to the dealer to-night, before Bernardi goes there."

"I will go down at once," replied Lesparre, "and I will promise him three hundred dollars additional if he wins all that Bernardi has; that is not too much, is it?"

"No, indeed!" exclaimed the Don; "I would gladly give five hundred, if necessary."

Lesparre arrived at the gambling rooms about noon, and at that early hour no one was present except the proprietor and one of the dealers. Lesparre obtained an interview with the proprietor alone, and then asked him if he would like to make a thousand dollars.

"Oh! yes," he replied, in an indifferent way, "I should have no objection, although it would not be such a novelty that I need take a great deal of trouble about it. The 'bank' often wins more than that in a single evening."

"Well, there is a South American who has been playing here recently, against whom I have a bitter grudge. He has about six hundred dollars now, most of which he has won here. He has one regular system of playing—'coppering' the jack and playing the ace and queen to win—and you can easily fix those cards so as to clean him out in one evening. The moment you have done that, I will give you five hundred dollars more."

The gambler fixed a keen look upon Lesparre for a moment, and then replied that he was no gudgeon to bite such a stale bait as that. He added that they played a "square" game, and if a man won, he was welcome to his winnings; but that no trickery would be resorted to against any patron of the house. Lesparre was obliged to withdraw, feeling that he had made a mistake in proposing the plan so openly.

That evening, after a day spent in playing billiards and driving about, Bernardi and Newton again entered the gambling saloon. Bernardi did not make any bets for some time, but stood watching the game in silence, apparently guessing as to the winning and losing cards to determine whether he was in luck. Finally he bet fifty dollars on the ace and lost; this was followed by one hundred dollars on the same card, which again lost. He waited a few deals and then placed two hundred dollars on the queen to win, and one hundred dollars on the jack to lose. The cards fell as he had hoped, and gathering in his stakes and winnings, he began betting in earnest. His luck was wonderful, and as all his bets were for fifty dollars or more, he soon had quite a large sum. Presently he stopped betting, and went to the bar with Newton. They talked and drank together for some minutes, but Bernardi was not ready to leave just then. His winnings were already quite sufficient to cause the proprietor to regard him with a considerable degree of interest, and when he returned to the faro-table, a seat was given him at once. He made no bets for some minutes, but at length he asked:

"What is your limit to-night?"

"Five hundred dollars," was the reply.

Bernardi then placed four hundred dollars on the nine spot, and, a moment later, he was again a winner. He now seemed satisfied, for he presented his "chips" for payment, and received cash therefor. The proprietor then invited Bernardi and Newton to drink with him, and, while standing at the sideboard, the proprietor asked Bernardi whether he had many acquaintances in the city.

"No," replied Bernardi, "I have very few; why do you ask?"

"Because one of them is your enemy, or else he was trying to play a trick on the 'bank' this morning," continued the proprietor, watching Bernardi narrowly. "He came in about noon, and wanted the cards put up so that you should be cleaned out of all your money."

"The devil you say!" ejaculated Bernardi; "why did he want to clean me out?"

"That I can't say; but he told me that he had a bitter grudge against you, and that he would give a great deal to injure you."

"I do not know any one here who could say that of me," replied Bernardi, thoughtfully. "There is only one man in the city who knows me intimately, and I do not see why he should wish me to lose, even if he did hate me. Was he a South American, like myself?"

"No; he might have been a foreigner, but he was not dark-complexioned."

"Well, I cannot imagine who it could have been," mused Bernardi; "and I guess I need not be afraid of him, if he goes to work in that roundabout way. However, I am obliged to you for the information, and I will take care that he does not drop on me unexpectedly. So-long."

As Bernardi walked down the street with Newton, he was evidently deeply abstracted, for he muttered to himself in Spanish, and swore at intervals in quite an excited manner. Finally, he said aloud:

"I don't know what to think about this story. It may be that this gambler made it up to shake my nerves, or to cover some plot against me; but I have a sort of feeling that Don Juan is at the bottom of it. I don't fear him one bit, but I want to solve the mystery, and if he has been plotting against me, I will have my revenge upon him. But, no; I can't see what he could gain by it, and I think, perhaps, this gang despair of breaking my luck, and are planning to rob me by force."

"That seems reasonable," replied Newton, "for then you would attribute the act to this unknown enemy, and they would escape suspicion. Still," he continued, anxious to lead the conversation back to Don Pedro as a subject, "your first supposition may be the correct one, and your pretended friend may be scheming to ruin you."

"But why should he want me to lose money?" persisted Bernardi. "He knows that I should come to him for more, and that he would be obliged to give it to me."

"Perhaps he would like to get rid of your presence," cautiously suggested Newton; "and if you were penniless, he could insist upon your departure as a condition upon which alone he would give you money."

"Caramba! I believe you are right, my friend," Bernardi exclaimed, furiously; "and if I find that it is so, I will make Don Juan, or Don Pedro, as he calls himself now, regret the day he played me false."

"Don't be over-hasty," counseled Newton, "for the whole story may be a gambler's lie after all."

"Oh! I will investigate it carefully," answered Bernardi, "and, when I am satisfied about the truth of the matter, I will consult with you as to the best course to pursue. It is a good thing to have a friend to advise with, especially among such a gang of thieves as seem to hang 'round these rooms. Meet me to-morrow, as usual, and I will go see my friend again."

The men then separated, and went to their respective lodgings for the night.

In the morning they met, took breakfast together, and afterwards sauntered down to visit Don Pedro. As before, Bernardi was conducted straight to the Don's room, and Salter again stationed himself in the closet to listen.

"So you are still successful?" was the first remark he heard.

"Yes, moderately so," replied Bernardi; "but it is strange how cards run sometimes."

"Well, you ought not to be astonished at anything after your long experience in gambling."

"Oh! I'm never astonished," said Bernardi, who had drunk a good deal of brandy before and after breakfast; "but I was thinking how lucky it was that I changed my mind last night about playing those three cards—the jack, ace, and queen."

"How so?" asked Morito.

"Well, if I had played the jack 'coppered,' and the ace and queen 'open,' last night, all the evening, I should have been entirely cleaned out; what do you think of that?"

"I think you were very lucky in having played elsewhere," replied the Don; "but what's the matter with you? What makes you look at me so strangely?"

"I want to find out whether it was you who sent a man to tell Dave Carter, the gambler, how I was playing, and to ask him to fix the cards so that I should lose all I had."

Bernardi's voice was husky with liquor and anger, and he had evidently worked himself up into a great rage; but, in spite of his partial intoxication, he was very determined, and his tones foreboded no good-will to the Don. In a contest of words, however, he was no match for his opponent, and Don Pedro instantly took the most effectual method for quieting his visitor's suspicions.

"My dear Pietro," he began, contemptuously, "I gave you credit for more common-sense than you seem disposed to claim for yourself. Why should I want you to lose? On the contrary, I would like to see you win enough to start in business for yourself, and repay me what I have loaned you, for I assure you that I much prefer to have you spend your money than mine. I have none too much for my own wants, and if you could repay me, I should be delighted. What is the reason for your question?"

Bernardi did not reply for two or three minutes; he was evidently keenly scrutinizing Don Pedro's face; but at length he said:

"Well, it's all right now, and I suppose I was wrong to suspect you; but the proprietor of the place where I gamble told me that some one had been trying to get him to play a trick on me, and I determined to find out who it was."

"Well, Pietro, I don't think you would have thought of suspecting me if your head had not been fuddled with liquor. Why can't you stop drinking for a month or two?"

"What do you care about my drinking?" asked Bernardi, in a half-cowed manner.

"Because Pietro drunk is a very different fellow from Pietro sober; and some day you will let out some damaging reports about me, and then all hope of making anything here will be destroyed. If I could feel sure that you would remain sober, I would gladly start you in a good 'bank' here."

Of course, Don Pedro had no intention of doing anything of the kind, but he saw that Bernardi was in a dangerous mood, and that he must handle him very skillfully if he wished to get him to leave the city. The Don knew that to urge him to leave would be the surest way to make him stay, but that, if left to follow his own inclinations, he would be anxious to go South, where the climate and people were more congenial to him. Hence, Don Pedro boldly took the ground that he was quite willing for Bernardi to stay if he would only keep sober, and Bernardi quickly fell into the trap.

"I don't want to start a 'bank' in this place," he said, "and I can't get along in this climate without drinking. I have been moderately successful here, and I am in no hurry to leave, but I should like to go back to New Orleans, if I could fit up a good place there, and deal a first-class game."

"How much would you need for that purpose?" asked the Don. "If I can let you have it, I will do so, and you can stay here or go back to New Orleans, as you may prefer; only I shall make one condition: that you promise faithfully to drink nothing but wine while you are in this city, until I get ready to leave. Will three thousand dollars be enough?"

"Hardly; I have won some money here, to be sure, but it will cost a good deal to spread a handsome layout in New Orleans—as for this place, there are not enough gentlemen gamesters here; the gamblers are all trying to live on each other. If you will make it five thousand, I will start for New Orleans day after to-morrow."

"That is more than I ought to pay out in my present circumstances," said the Don, thoughtfully; "but I guess I can run the establishment on credit for about a month, and that will help me out; so if you will go to-morrow, I will give you five thousand when you start."

"Done!" replied Bernardi, much gratified at having obtained so large a sum. "I have nothing to do except to get a young lady friend to go with me, and she won't need a great while to make her preparations. So you can have the money ready to-morrow?"

"It shall be awaiting you any time that you call for it," answered Morito, and Bernardi then took his departure.

On joining Newton, Bernardi was in high spirits, and he talked very freely of his intended plans.

"My friend convinced me that he had nothing to do with the trick which the gambler said some one tried to play upon me, and as a proof of his regard, he is going to give me a start in New Orleans. I shall leave here to-morrow, and if you would like to go in with me, we can make a pile of money there."

"I can't very well leave here for some time yet," said Newton, "for I have a large sum staked in bets on the races next month, and I shall have no money until they take place. I have a sure thing on a new horse, and I have got such large odds that I have put up every dollar I could reach. I shall clear about ten thousand dollars sure, and then if you are so disposed, I will join you in New Orleans."

"All right, we'll do it; but then, you may lose everything instead of winning. I don't care to bet on races, myself; there are too many chances to deal from the bottom."

"There is no danger in this case, so you must let me know where I can find you, and within a month I will join you in the Crescent City."

Bernardi then went to see his fair and frail charmer, to obtain her company on his Southern trip, and Newton came to my room to report. I instructed him to stay with Bernardi as much as possible while the latter remained in the city, and to be sure to obtain his address in New Orleans. I then called upon Senator Muirhead and informed him of the proposed departure of Bernardi. The Senator was very anxious to detain him in some way, in order to get his testimony, in case we should fail to hear from England or Peru in time; but I was unable to suggest any plan for holding this man without exposing our whole connection with the case. Bernardi was evidently ready to act in good faith with Don Pedro, and any endeavor to retard his departure would be regarded by him as coming from the gang of gamblers from whom he had won money. There was no doubt but that he would keep up a correspondence with Newton, and we should thus know where to find him in case his presence should be needed. We decided, therefore, to let him go as he intended.

Early in the evening, Bernardi and Newton went as usual to the gaming-rooms. There they met a stranger, who seemed to be a Spaniard or Cuban. Bernardi addressed him in Spanish, and after some conversation, they sat down to play. By some freak of luck, Bernardi continually won his small bets, but whenever he put out a large amount, he lost. The Cuban stranger had the same experience, and at length Bernardi rose in disgust and left the rooms with Newton, having lost about two hundred dollars.

"Those fellows have got some kind of a 'skin-game' at work," he said, "and they tried to beat me and that Cuban out of all our cash. I gave him a hint in Spanish before I came away, and I hope he will stop before they fleece him. Now let us go to the theatre."

They attended one of the theatres, and then had a glorious supper at Bernardi's expense after the performance was over. About midnight, they parted with mutual good wishes, and Bernardi promised to write to Newton as soon as he should reach New Orleans.

The next morning Bernardi called upon Don Pedro and received the promised amount of five thousand dollars, assuring him that he should leave the city that afternoon. As soon as he left the house, the Don asked Lesparre to keep a watch upon Bernardi to make sure of his leaving according to promise. When Lesparre returned about three o'clock, and reported that Bernardi was then actually on his way to Cairo, accompanied by a young lady, the Don was overjoyed, and he expressed himself greatly relieved thereby.

"Now we can take more interest in our fÊte champÊtre, and we will make it the most delightful affair ever known in this country," he said, exultantly. "When it is over, my dear Lesparre, we will make a tour of the fashionable watering-places, and enjoy life to the full."