35? THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE. 



runs the risk of losing.* A prudent player, before 

 undertaking anything should put himself to the test to 

 discover if he is " in vein " or in luck. In all doubt 

 he should abstain. There are several persons who are 

 constantly pursued by bad luck : to such I say never 

 play. Stubbornness at play is ruin. Remember that 

 Fortune does not like people to be overjoyed at her 

 favours, and that she prepares bitter deceptions for 

 the imprudent who are intoxicated by success. Lastly, 

 before risking your money at play, study your cc vein," 

 and the different probabilities of the game termed, as 

 aforesaid, the maturity of the chances.' 



Before proceeding to exhibit the fallacy of the prin- 

 ciples here enunciated principles which have worked 

 incalculable mischief it may be well for us to sketch 

 the history of the scamp who enunciated them, so 

 far, at least, as his gambling successes are concerned. 

 His first meeting with Houdin took place at a subscrip- 

 tion ball, where he managed to fleece Houdin c and 

 others to a considerable amount, contriving a dexterous 

 escape when detected. Houdin afterwards fell in with 

 him at Spa, where he found the gambler in the greatest 

 poverty, and lent him a small sum to practise his 

 grand theories.' This sum the gambler lost, and 

 Houdin advised him ' to take up a less dangerous occu- 

 pation.' It was on this occasion, it would seem, that 

 the gambler revealed to Houdin the particulars re- 



* This naive admission would appear, as we shall presently see, to 

 have been the fruit of genuine experience on our gambler's part : it 

 only requires that, for the words ' runs the risk,' we should read ' incurs 

 the certainty ' to be incontrovertible. 



