Related article: away. ^ He reappeared next morning directly the room was opened, and pursued precisely the same plan. Buy Tadagra For three days he made his observations with the same elabo- rate exactitude ; at the end he staked as before on the " finials," but of a different number, 3, which did not answer his expec- tations ; he then tried 5, staking on 5, 15, 25, and 35, with the result that he won on "5," which rewarded him by reapjiearing three times. It would be tedious to follow De Soto day after day, to describe all the game in detail, which varied continually, but which he caught as continually, and ever turned to his own advantage. His peculiar play, his patience, his impassive demeanour, the restraint he put upon himself never to tempt his luck too far, above all that luck, so unvarying, so phenomenally in his favour, attracted general attention. It drew the head of the establish- ment, M. Blanc himself, to watch his proceedings a little anxiously perhaps, although he gave no sign. De Soto*s winnings were making serious inroads into the bank, and although the old painn knew that the game was full of vicissitudes, and the balance of chances must be on his side in the long nm, he felt that he might be sorely pressed ; might have to draw upon his reserves before the turn of the tide. This seemed the more likely when De Soto sought to change the conditions of the game. Under the existing rules the maximum paid for a single c^f was 6,000 francs (;^24o), or 35 times a single stake of 170 francs. De Soto wished to increase Tadagra Prof the single stake to 15,000 francs, whereby the maximum would be raised to 52,500 francs for the fall win on a single number. To this request M. Blanc at first demurred; it might mean very heavy outgoings if the man's extraordinary luck continued. But then, why should Tadagra Professional it continue? All his experience, and it was now of many years, went the other way ; he had had to deal 1899] THE CHANCES OF THE GAME. 355 with great runs before now, when his bank, in agony, and on the pK>int of breaking, had been saved only at the last moment by some marvellous change of luck. His resources were considerable ; over and above the cash in his cofTers here at Monte Carlo, he had credits in Paris and Vienna, where one or two capitalists were prepared to give secret support in the generally profitable busi- ness of gambling. But what probably clinched the matter was the argument Tadagra Softgel Capsule adduced by DeSoto that the bank would benefit indirectly whether it lost or won. Such high play, so far above anything that had happened as yet in this little-known corner of Europe, would be certainly talked about everywhere. Judicious com- mimiquis to the Press, giving full particulars, would be readily published throughout Europe, and the advertisement must be excellent. ** If 1 win,'* said De Soto, ** you will have this consolation, that all the world will want to try their luck at your tables, and you will soon recoup yourself a hundred fold. If I lose, well, you are on velvet, and get your reclame besides." In the end M. Blanc consented, seeing his advantage, as he thought, in the greater adventure; he would the sooner recoup him- self, moreover, when the luck changed, as it inevitably must, unless every tradition of the game were falsified. Yet he was doomed to bitter disappointment, for De Soto con- tinued to win, piling up rapidly colossal sums, as it was generally said, although the sum total of his winnings did not exceed a million francs. But the strain upon the bank in those early days was tremendous, and twice it was necessary to stop play until fresh funds could be fetched from Nice, and even beyond. De Soto's prediction that these great gambling transactions would be bruited about the world was speedily verified ; in every great capital deep interest was shown in the progress of the game. Numbers of people were stirred by his transcendent success to try their chances too, and the affluence of visitors to the Casino at Monte Carlo became more and more considerable. There was no more complaint amongst the croupiers of slack times and common-place play. Crowds two or three deep constantly surrounded every table ; large sums were staked, and if the outgoings on De Soto's account had been costly, they were more than compensated for by the in- comings of his less successful imitators. In the middle of all this De Soto disappeared, no one knew exactly where, although it was certain that he had gradually transmitted his specie to Spain through sure channels. But his name remained as a treasured memory where " De Soto's Sys- tem " was often discussed, and of the fortune he had achieved at the expense of the bank. Had it forgotten him ? forgiven him ? who shall say ? De Soto himself always maintained that the Bank, the Administration of the Compagnie des Bains des Mers de Monaco, as it was now called, had been at great pains to lure him back to the tables, to which undoubtedly he returned, as we shall see. Some halJ^ a dozen years later, a visitor came to that rising watering place, San Sebastian, and enquired his way to the Villa Buena Suerte. It stood high upon the cliff on the side towards Passages, a brand new white fronted, coquettish-looking house, 356 BAILY S MAGAZINE. [May with a trim garden, and all the aspects of a rich man's residence. It was the home of Don Manoel De Soto, who had built it for him- self out of his winnings, and who lived here respected and esteemed by the whole country side, for he was free Tadagra Soft handed, charitable, and a good son of the Church. In his