“This affair obliged me to quit Vienna more abruptly than I intended; but instead of going to Venice, I went to Paris, taking Frankfort in my way.  Being entirely unknown at Frankfort, I hastily visited alone every thing remarkable in the city, resolving to leave it in the morning; but the day was sultry, and in the evening, partly owing to fatigue, I felt myself tired and indisposed, and remained there next day.  In the afternoon I found myself better; and as a public pleasure-garden was near the hotel where I stopped, I went to amuse myself for a few minutes there.  Whether custom or any festival had that evening assembled an unusual concourse of people I never inquired, but the garden was crowded with a gay multitude, and music with great hilarity enlivened the entertainment.  I walked about delighted with the scene.

“In the course of my sauntering amidst the arbours, I came to an alcove a little remote from the more stirring cloud, and in it were several gentlemen playing cards:  two were at chess, and by their side a little boy, seemingly one of their sons, amusing himself with throwing dice.  After looking for a minute or two, I went to the child, and in sheer playfulness challenged the boy for a throw.  At the same instant that I took the box in my hand, some one touched my elbow; I looked round, and the old man was there—­’PAUSE!’ said he.  In that instant a rope-dancer at some distance fell, a shriek rose, my attention was roused, and I missed again the stranger; but when tranquillity was restored, my desire to play at dice returned, and I again challenged the child to whom I lost several pieces of money, which the lucky boy was as proud of gaining as the conqueror at the Battle of Prague.

“That was the first time I had ever played at dice.  My education was recluse.  I had no companions, and we had no dice in the castle.  The idle game pleased me.  When I returned to the hotel, I ordered dice, and amused myself all the evening with casting them, actuated by a persuasion that there must be a mode of doing so by which any desired number may be thrown.  This notion took possession of my mind, and I stayed several days at Frankfort, employed in attempts to make the discovery; at last I did succeed.  With a pair of dice I attained a sleight by which I could cast what I pleased; but with it I also made another discovery:  it was only with perfect cubes I could be so successful.  I tried many, but all, in any degree imperfect, could not be so commanded.

“I then went to Paris, where, being well introduced, I became a favourite.  The ladies could not make enough of me, and I felt no ennui to lead me to the gaming-tables.  But one night, on which I had an appointment with a fascinating favourite, when I went to her house I found she had been seized with the small-pox.  To shun reflection on the loathsome disease, I went to a house which I knew was much frequented by some of my friends, and, as I expected, met several.  They invited me to play, and as I was ignorant of cards, they consented to throw dice, because, not aware of my art with them, they supposed, seeing me out of spirits, that it would rouse me.  We played for trifling stakes, and to their indescribable astonishment, I won every throw, and, doubling our stakes, at last, a large sum of money.