There was in Moscow a society of rich gamesters, presided over by the celebrated8 Chekalinsky, who had passed all his life at the card table, and had amassed9 millions, accepting bills of exchange for his winnings, and paying his losses in ready money. His long experience secured for him the confidence of his companions, and his open house, his famous cook, and his agreeable and fascinating manners, gained for him the respect of the public. He came to St. Petersburg. The young men of the capital flocked to his rooms, forgetting balls for cards, and preferring the emotions of faro to the seductions of flirting10. Naroumoff conducted Hermann to Chekalinsky's residence.
They passed through a suite11 of rooms, filled with attentive12 domestics. The place was crowded. Generals and Privy13 Counsellors were playing at whist, young men were lolling carelessly upon the velvet-covered sofas, eating ices and smoking pipes. In the drawing-room, at the head of a long table, around which were assembled about a score of players, sat the master of the house keeping the bank. He was a man of about sixty years of age, of a very dignified14 appearance; his head was covered with silvery white hair; his full, florid countenance15 expressed good-nature, and his eyes twinkled with a perpetual smile. Naroumoff introduced Hermann to him. Chekalinsky shook him by the hand in a friendly manner, requested him not to stand on ceremony, and then went on dealing16.
The game occupied some time. On the table lay more than thirty cards. Chekalinsky paused after each throw, in order to give the players time to arrange their cards and note down their losses, listened politely to their requests, and more politely still, straightened the corners of cards that some player's hand had chanced to bend. At last the game was finished. Chekalinsky shuffled17 the cards, and prepared to deal again.
"Will you allow me to take a card?" said Hermann, stretching out his hand from behind a stout gentleman who was punting.
Chekalinsky smiled and bowed silently, as a sign of acquiescence18. Naroumoff laughingly congratulated Hermann on his abjuration19 of that abstention from cards which he had practised for so long a period, and wished him a lucky beginning.
"Stake!" said Hermann, writing some figures with chalk on the back of his card.
"How much?" asked the banker, contracting the muscles of his eyes, "excuse me, I cannot see quite clearly."
"Forty-seven thousand roubles," replied Hermann. At these words every head in the room turned suddenly round, and all eyes were fixed upon Hermann.
"He has taken leave of his senses!" thought Naroumoff.
"Allow me to inform you," said Chekalinsky, with his eternal smile, "that you are playing very high; nobody here has ever staked more than two hundred and seventy-five roubles at once."
"Very well," replied Hermann, "but do you accept my card or not?"
Chekalinsky bowed in token of consent.
"I only wish to observe," said he, "that although I have the greatest confidence in my friends, I can only play against ready money. For my own part I am quite convinced that your word is sufficient, but for the sake of the order of the game, and to facilitate the reckoning up, I must ask you to put the money on your card."
Hermann drew from his pocket a bank-note, and handed it to Chekalinsky, who, after examining it in a cursory20 manner, placed it on Hermann's card.
He began to deal. On the right a nine turned up, and on the left a three.
"I have won!" said Hermann, showing his card.
A murmur21 of astonishment22 arose among the players. Chekalinsky frowned, but the smile quickly returned to his face. "Do you wish me to settle with you?" he said to Hermann.
"If you please," replied the latter.
Chekalinsky drew from his pocket a number of banknotes and paid at once. Hermann took up his money and left the table. Naroumoff could not recover from his astonishment. Hermann drank a glass of lemonade and returned home.
The next evening he again repaired to Chekalinsky's. The host was dealing. Hermann walked up to the table; the punters immediately made room for him. Chekalinsky greeted him with a gracious bow.
Hermann waited for the next deal, took a card and placed upon it his forty-seven thousand roubles, together with his winnings of the previous evening.
Hermann showed his seven.
There was a general exclamation24. Chekalinsky was evidently ill at ease, but he counted out the ninety-four thousand roubles and handed them over to Hermann, who pocketed them in the coolest manner possible, and immediately left the house.
The next evening Hermann appeared again at the table. Everyone was expecting him. The generals and privy counsellors left their whist in order to watch such extraordinary play. The young officers quitted their sofas, and even the servants crowded into the room. All pressed round Hermann. The other players left off punting, impatient to see how it would end. Hermann stood at the table, and prepared to play alone against the pale, but still smiling Chekalinsky. Each opened a pack of cards. Chekalinsky shuffled. Hermann took a card and covered it with a pile of bank-notes. It was like a duel25. Deep silence reigned26 around.
Chekalinsky began to deal, his hands trembled. On the right a queen turned up, and on the left an ace.
"Ace has won!" cried Hermann, showing his card.
"Your queen has lost," said Chekalinsky, politely.
Hermann started; instead of an ace, there lay before him the queen of spades! He could not believe his eyes, nor could he understand how he had made such a mistake.
At that moment it seemed to him that the queen of spades smiled ironically, and winked27 her eye at him. He was struck by her remarkable28 resemblance. . . .
"The old Countess!" he exclaimed, seized with terror. Chekalinsky gathered up his winnings. For some time Hermann remained perfectly29 motionless. When at last he left the table, there was a general commotion30 in the room.
"Splendidly punted!" said the players. Chekalinsky shuffled the cards afresh, and the game went on as usual.
. . . . .
Hermann went out of his mind, and is now confined in room number seventeen of the Oboukhoff Hospital. He never answers any questions, but he constantly mutters with unusual rapidity: "Three, seven, ace! Three, seven, queen!"
Lizaveta Ivanovna has married a very amiable31 young man, a son of the former steward32 of the old Countess. He is in the service of the State somewhere, and is in receipt of a good income. Lizaveta is also supporting a poor relative.
Tomsky has been promoted to the rank of captain, and has become the husband of the Princess Pauline.
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1
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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2
ace
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| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
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aces
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| abbr.adjustable convertible-rate equity security (units) 可调节的股本证券兑换率；aircraft ejection seat 飞机弹射座椅；automatic control evaluation simulator 自动控制评估模拟器n.擅长…的人( ace的名词复数 )；精于…的人；（ 网球 ）（对手接不到发球的）发球得分；爱司球 | |
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5
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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6
gambling
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| n.赌博；投机 | |
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7
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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9
amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10
flirting
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| v.调情，打情骂俏( flirt的现在分词 ) | |
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11
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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12
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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13
privy
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| adj.私用的；隐密的 | |
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14
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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15
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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16
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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17
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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18
acquiescence
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| n.默许；顺从 | |
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19
abjuration
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| n.发誓弃绝 | |
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20
cursory
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| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
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21
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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22
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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23
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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24
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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25
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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26
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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27
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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28
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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29
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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30
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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31
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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32
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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