They only staked three or four pistoles at first, just for amusement; but Cameran having lost three or four times, he staked high, and the game became serious.  He still lost, and became outrageous; the cards flew about the room, and the exclamations awoke Matta.

As his head was heavy with sleep, and hot with wine, he began to laugh at the passion of the Piedmontese, instead of consoling him.  “Faith, my poor Count,” said he, “if I were in your place, I would play no more.”  “Why so?” said the other.  “I don’t know,” said he, “but my heart tells me that your ill-luck will continue.”  “I will try that,” said Cameran, calling for fresh cards.  “Do so,” said Matta, and fell asleep again.  It was but for a short time.  All cards were equally unfortunate for the loser.  He held none but tens or court-cards; and if by chance he had quinze, he was sure to be the younger hand, and therefore lost it.  Again he stormed.  “Did not I tell you so?” said Matta, starting out of his sleep.  “All your storming is in vain; as long as you play you will lose.  Believe me, the shortest follies are the best.  Leave off, for the devil take me if it is possible for you to win.”  “Why?” said Cameran, who began to be impatient.  “Do you wish to know?” said Matta; “why, faith, it is because we are cheating you.”

The Chevalier de Grammont was provoked at so ill-timed a jest, more especially as it carried along with it some appearance of truth.  “Mr. Matta,” said he, “do you think it can be very agreeable for a man who plays with such ill-luck as the Count to be pestered with your insipid jests?  For my part, I am so weary of the game, that I would desist immediately, if he was not so great a loser.”  Nothing is more dreaded by a losing gamester, than such a threat; and the Count, in a softened tone, told the Chevalier that Mr. Matta might say what he pleased, if he did not offend him; that, as to himself, it did not give him the smallest uneasiness.

The Chevalier de Grammont gave the Count far better treatment than he himself had experienced from the Swiss at Lyons; for he played upon credit as long as he pleased; which Cameran took so kindly, that he lost fifteen hundred pistoles, and paid them the next morning.  As for Matta, he was severely reprimanded for the intemperance of his tongue.  All the reason he gave for his conduct was, that he made it a point of conscience not to suffer the poor Savoyard to be cheated without informing him of it.  “Besides,” said he, “it would have given me pleasure to have seen my infantry engaged with his horse, if he had been inclined to mischief.”

This adventure having recruited their finances, fortune favoured them the remainder of the campaign, and the Chevalier de Grammont, to prove that he had only seized upon the Count’s effects by way of reprisal, and to indemnify himself for the losses he had sustained at Lyons, began from this time to make the same use of his money, that he has been known to do since upon all occasions.  He found out the distressed, in order to relieve them; officers who had lost their equipage in the war, or their money at play; soldiers who were disabled in the trenches; in short, every one felt the influence of his benevolence:  but his manner of conferring a favour exceeded even the favour itself.