but being by no means ashamed to acknowledge it, the Piedmontese was
asked to supper. He came. Nevertheless, in the midst of the affair, when
De Cameran was losing as fast as he could, Matta's conscience touched
him: he awoke from a deep sleep, heard the dice shaking, saw the poor
Savoyard losing, and advised him to play no more.

'Don't you know, Count, you _cannot_ win?'

'Why?' asked the Count.

'Why, faith, because we are cheating you,' was the reply.

The Chevalier turned round impatiently, 'Sieur Matta,' he cried, 'do you
suppose it can be any amusement to Monsieur le Comte to be plagued with
your ill-timed jests? For my part, I am so weary of the game, that I
swear by Jupiter I can scarcely play any more.' Nothing is more
distasteful to a losing gamester than a hint of leaving off; so the
Count entreated the Chevalier to continue, and assured him that
'Monsieur Matta might say what he pleased, for it did not give him the
least uneasiness to continue.'

The Chevalier allowed the Count to play upon credit, and that act of
courtesy was taken very kindly: the dupe lost 1,500 pistoles, which he
paid the next morning, when Matta was sharply reprimanded for his
interference.

'Faith,' he answered, 'it was a point of conscience with me; besides, it
would have given me pleasure to have seen his Horse engaged with my
Infantry, if he had taken anything amiss.'