Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/51

25 prongs. Add to all this I had a bill to pay of 100 francs for the hire of the suit, which I thought a pretty dear charge for what I had seen & the introduction to the Bon Roi. Royalty has not had much favor in my eyes since, but my Godmother had been pleased, at least so she seemed, and I soon forgot the impressions of my nobility & its habiliments.

The Marquis was one of the Ecuyers du Roi of Louis XVIII. I shall never forget the impression this old Gentleman made upon me as he returned from an excursion of attending the King. He could scarcely dismount until aid was given him. The Marquis told me this was a part of his duty & I was forced to say it was a great shame to make an old man do such duty. They never did so in my country and I am glad to live under a Republic.

But the most farcical thing was to come. I was told it was usual on such fêtes to make presents to les enfants, Madame de Cubières' daughters, & I was next day taken in the carriage & driven to some grand shops where three beautiful silk dresses were purchased and presented to les enfants. This made my purse light and I was not much pleased. Mr Lafarge, fortunately for me, came to Paris and being on intimate terms with the family soon learnt [of] the gifts that had been extorted from me. He laughed very heartily and opened my eyes as to the customs of Mothers & Daughters then, as he said, in every necessitous circumstances and living far beyond their income. Lafarge gave me money to pay for them, but I was not well pleased at the ruse of my Godmother in the celebration of the fête—but I bore it manfully, and the appropriation of a sum to their necessities and anxieties for my amusement fully assured me that they had been amply repaid.

While in Paris I was desirous of seeing all the sights and my commis [aux vivres] was a very amusing & nice fellow, as I thought. Among other places he carried me was the Rouge et Noir gambling saloons in the Palais Royal. I had seen nothing of the kind before and had not even an idea of what gambling was. I was induced to try my chance thinking I might make up what I considered I had lost in making presents, and put my money down. Success at first attended me but in no very long time I found myself left with but a few five franc pieces. I went to my lodging ashamed of myself; I had for the first time gambled & lost heavily from my store. Although I could draw on Mr Lafarge, I felt ashamed at the amount I had already spent. I passed a most uncomfortable night but dreamed I should, if I tried again, replace it & then vowed if I did I would never gamble more. This impression was so strongly imbued in me that I resolved to try my luck again. Like all others I suppose I could, by looking on, ascertain the winning colour and determined to go it. My surprise was great when my Napoleon was pushed to the opposite colour and it won; I left it again & again it won & seeing the pile that had accumulated, I instantly