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The eager excited throng around the table looked across at her with envy But her handsome countenance was quite expressionless She siold-chain purse at her side, glanced at the white-gloved fingers which were soiled by handling the counters, and then counting out twenty-five, each representing a louis, gave the: "Zero-trois!"

Nexttheir cent-sous and louis upon the spot where she had asked the croupier at the end of the table to place her stake

"Messieurs! Faites vos jeux!" caain

Then a few seconds later the croupier cried: "Rien ne vas plus!"

The red and black wheel was already spinning, and the little ivory ball sent by the croupier's hand in the opposite direction was clicking quickly over the numbered spaces

Six hundred ormania, watched the result Slowly it lost its i about unevenly it made a final jump and fell with a loud click

"Zer-r-o!" cried the croupier

And a moment later Mademoiselle had pushed before her at the end of the croupier's rake another pile of counters, while all those who had followed the reood forly old Frenchwoure at the tables for the past ten years, and who played carefully and lived by ga She was one of those queer,as soon as they are open, secure the best seats, occupy the to play, and then sell theamblers for a consideration--two or three louis--perhaps--and then at once go to their ease in their own obscure abode

The public who go to Monte know little of its strange s there in all sorts of queer ways

"Ah!" exclaimed a man who overheard her "Mademoiselle has wonderful luck! She won seventy-five thousand francs at the Cercle Prive last night She won en plein five tihtest excitement"

"The ladynext to the old Frenchwoman, and who knew French well

"Rich! Of course! She must have won several million francs from the Administration They don't like to see her here But I suppose her success attracts others to play The ga fever is as infectious as the influenza," declared the old Frenchwoman "Everyone tries to discover who she is, and where she cao But nobody has yet found out Even Monsieur Bernard, the chief of the Surveillance, does not know," she went on in a whisper "He is a friend of mine, and I asked him one day She came froian, or she lish and French so well that nobody can tell her true nationality"