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12 case may be. He then offers a bet as to which thimble a pepper-corn is or is not under, and offers at first such a wager as is eagerly taken by those round the table, and he loses. He pays the losing freely, and the other members of this joint stock company affect to laugh at him, as what they call a "good flat." Having thus drawn the attention and probably excited the cupidity of a stranger, who appears to have money, they suffer him to win a stake or two, and get him to increase his bets. When he seems thoroughly in the humour, the master of the table lifts a thimble, under which is a pepper-corn, and turning his head aside to speak to some one, he suffers the corn to roll off; and seeming to be unconscious of this, he replaces the thimble, and offers bets to any amount that there is a corn underneath that particular thimble. The stranger having seen the corn roll off "with his own eyes," as the phrase is, chuckles to himself and eagerly takes the bet; the thimble is removed and behold!—there is a pepper-corn under it still the fellow having dexterously slipped another under it when the first rolled off the table. "So that the plain fact is, sir," continued Smith, "that the stranger, fancying he is taking in the master of the table, cheerfully stakes his money with a dead certainty, as he supposes of winning, and he finds that he has been taking in himself." Smith said he had known instances of gentlemen getting from their carriages, and in a few moments ridding themselves of £20 or £30, or perhaps more, and going off wondering at their folly, and looking uncommonly silly.