Page:The Writings of Prosper Merimee-Volume 5.djvu/243

Rh "Have you not noticed," continued Tomski, "that she never plays?"

"That is so," said Naroumof, "and for a woman of eighty not to touch a card is very unusual."

"You do not know why?" "No. Is there a reason for it?"

"Yes, listen and I will tell you. You must know that sixty years ago, my grandmother went to Paris and created a furor. People ran after her carriage to see the Venus of Moscow, as she was called. Richelieu courted her and my grandmother vows that he nearly blew his brains out one night, because she was so distant with him. In those days women played faro, and one night at court she lost to the Duke of Orleans a very large sum of money. On reaching home, she took off her patches, divested herself of her frills and furbelows, and in this tragical undress went to my grandfather's room to tell him of her ill-luck and ask him to give her the money with which to pay her debt. My grandfather, who is now dead, had control of her money, and although he stood very much in awe of her, still, when she mentioned the sum she wanted, he jumped to his feet. He stormed and swore, and after making a rough calculation of the sums she had had in the last six months,