{"product_id":"2940013410077","title":"THE GAMBLER","description":"I\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt length I returned from two weeks leave of absence to find that my\u003cbr\u003epatrons had arrived three days ago in Roulettenberg. I received from\u003cbr\u003ethem a welcome quite different to that which I had expected. The\u003cbr\u003eGeneral eyed me coldly, greeted me in rather haughty fashion, and\u003cbr\u003edismissed me to pay my respects to his sister. It was clear that from\u003cbr\u003eSOMEWHERE money had been acquired. I thought I could even detect a\u003cbr\u003ecertain shamefacedness in the General's glance. Maria Philipovna, too,\u003cbr\u003eseemed distraught, and conversed with me with an air of detachment.\u003cbr\u003eNevertheless, she took the money which I handed to her, counted it, and\u003cbr\u003elistened to what I had to tell. To luncheon there were expected that\u003cbr\u003eday a Monsieur Mezentsov, a French lady, and an Englishman; for,\u003cbr\u003ewhenever money was in hand, a banquet in Muscovite style was always\u003cbr\u003egiven. Polina Alexandrovna, on seeing me, inquired why I had been so\u003cbr\u003elong away. Then, without waiting for an answer, she departed. Evidently\u003cbr\u003ethis was not mere accident, and I felt that I must throw some light\u003cbr\u003eupon matters. It was high time that I did so.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI was assigned a small room on the fourth floor of the hotel (for you\u003cbr\u003emust know that I belonged to the General's suite). So far as I could\u003cbr\u003esee, the party had already gained some notoriety in the place, which\u003cbr\u003ehad come to look upon the General as a Russian nobleman of great\u003cbr\u003ewealth. Indeed, even before luncheon he charged me, among other things,\u003cbr\u003eto get two thousand-franc notes changed for him at the hotel counter,\u003cbr\u003ewhich put us in a position to be thought millionaires at all events for\u003cbr\u003ea week! Later, I was about to take Mischa and Nadia for a walk when a\u003cbr\u003esummons reached me from the staircase that I must attend the General.\u003cbr\u003eHe began by deigning to inquire of me where I was going to take the\u003cbr\u003echildren; and as he did so, I could see that he failed to look me in\u003cbr\u003ethe eyes. He WANTED to do so, but each time was met by me with such a\u003cbr\u003efixed, disrespectful stare that he desisted in confusion. In pompous\u003cbr\u003elanguage, however, which jumbled one sentence into another, and at\u003cbr\u003elength grew disconnected, he gave me to understand that I was to lead\u003cbr\u003ethe children altogether away from the Casino, and out into the park.\u003cbr\u003eFinally his anger exploded, and he added sharply:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I suppose you would like to take them to the Casino to play roulette?\u003cbr\u003eWell, excuse my speaking so plainly, but I know how addicted you are to\u003cbr\u003egambling. Though I am not your mentor, nor wish to be, at least I have\u003cbr\u003ea right to require that you shall not actually compromise me.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I have no money for gambling,\" I quietly replied.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145636298992,"sku":"2940013410077","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013410077_p0.jpg?v=1763580869","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013410077","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}