The National tribune., 1893-01-19
" willingly

Willingly
"'So be it.; and now, how many points?'
.'Fiye. even.' And the game began under
the eyes Of two witnesses and the Princess, un-
til now an absolutely silent and passive spec
tator, too proud to utter word that might be
thought an effort to defend herself, and too
well aware of her husbands character not to
know that she must submit TO whatever con-
sequences her foolish imprudence had brought
upon her.
after all, Michel" said Boris, refectively,
the temperament of professional coquet IS
pretty much the same as a gamblers. They
take The most blood curdling risks, and stand
results with the stoicism of q martyr with
two lives-because of her-hanging simply
upon the turn of a bit of painted pasteboard,
Eliza, Princess de B, was as em0tionless as
woman of marble"
The Prince was unquestionably my su-
perior at the game, but luck somehow, at first,
seemed to favor me in the most surprising way.
Soon we were four to
stop; you needn't go on. / know the
rest-you, Boris, are here; the Prince, there
fore, lost,''
Lost? Not bit of it; the Prince won!"
" How hedeuce then ?-Bah!" This was too
absurd, and snapped my fingers contemp tu-
ously, thinking that. after all. Mirskow, de-
spite his reputed bravery, had been n coward
aud gone bsck-because he knew that his ad-
versary could not enforce them-OH the terms
of the wager.
Don't jump at conclusions, Michel. mon
ami" and Boris smiled malciously; wait tiii
the end before you condemn. The Prince. as 1
said before, so far from losing the game. won,
ard after q battle in which, frankly confess,
did my hest TO come off conqueror. for no one,
my boy, even q Cesar in courage, cares to give
up his life at any time much less for the sake
of cOquet who kept an open shrine for all the
VOWS that could be laid upon it.
"The Prince won, yet Pm he-e-hoid on,
hold on, one moment" as l started up impa-
tiently, aud turned to leave him, ashamed of
the interest had taken in what was evidently
one of his usual jokes, read this. which
reached me the next day, 10 minutes before
the stroke of u, and just as was fitting into
my pistol the cartridge that was to blow out
my brains"
And he hurriedly drew out his pocketbook,
and extended me something that he had taken
from its folds.
1t was an ace of hearts, across the back of
which were pencied the following lines:
To Comte Boris de Mirskow: According,
Mon. lie Comte, TO my theory and belief many
times expressed before you, one is not hurt
who does not know that lie is robbed. Never
theless, from this time on. it will be impossible
for me to touch cards. i have dishonorcd them,
and to live without cards is, for me, equally
impossible. In plain words then, Mon. lie
Comte, yesterday, for the first and last time
in my life, / cheated cheated you! We
were four and four; i made this ace vanish.
You will pardon me, for the reason that when
it reaches you the terms of our duel will have
been carried out, aud the Prince de B have
disappeared
"A suicide brought about" de Mirskow con-
cluded gravely, brought about, according to
the world, by painful and crippled existence.
The scene in the palace. for the sake of all con-
cerned, was scrupulously guarded by those that
had witnessed ii. Olga WAS in the mines secure
from further mischief and the Princess did not
talk, you may rest assured"