“Yes, dear--for five minutes, and then love him double. Come, don't deceive yourself, and don't torment yourself. All your trouble, we shall leave it behind us to-morrow, and every hour will take us further from it.” With this practical view of matters, she kissed Zoe and hurried to bed. But Zoe scarcely closed her eyes all night. Severne did not reach the hotel till past eleven o'clock, and went straight to his own room. CHAPTER X. ASHMEAD accompanied Mademoiselle Klosking to her apartment. It was lighted, and the cloth laid for supper under the chandelier, a snow-white Hamburg damask. Ashmead took the winnings out of his pocket, and proudly piled the gold and crumpled notes in one prodigious mass upon the linen, that shone like satin, and made the gold look doubly inviting. Then he drew back and gloated on it. The Klosking, too, stood and eyed the pile of wealth with amazement and a certain reverence. “Let me count it,” said Ashmead. He did so, and it came to four thousand nine hundred and eighty-one pounds, English money. “And to think,” said he, “if you had taken my advice you would not have a penny of this!” “I'll take your advice now,” said she. “I will never gamble again.” “Well, take my advice, and lock up the swag before a creature sees it. Homburg is full of thieves.” She complied, and took away the money in a napkin. Ashmead called after her to know might he order supper. “If you will be so kind.” Ashmead rejoiced at this unguarded permission, and ordered a supper that made Karl stare. The Klosking returned in about half an hour, clad in a crisp _peignoir._ Ashmead confronted her. “I have ordered a bottle of champagne,” said he. Her answer surprised him. “You have done well. We must now begin to prove the truth of the old proverb, 'Ce qui vient de la flute s'en va au tambour.'” At supper Mr. Ashmead was the chief drinker, and, by a natural consequence, the chief speaker: he held out brilliant prospects; he favored the Klosking with a discourse on advertising. No talent availed without it; large posters, pictures, window-cards, etc.; but as her talent was superlative, he must now endeavor to keep up with it by invention in his line--the puff circumstantial, the puff poetic, the puff anecdotal, the puff controversial, all tending to blow the fame of the Klosking in every eye, and ring it in every ear. “You take my advice,” said he, “and devote this money, every penny of it, to Publicity. Don't you touch a single shiner for anything that does not return a hundred per cent. Publicity does, when the article is prime.” “You forget,” said she, “this money does not all belong to me. Another can claim half; the gentleman with whom we are in partnership.” Ashmead looked literally blue. “Nonsense!” said he, roughly. “He can only claim his fifty pounds.” “Nay, my friend. I took two equal sums: one was his, one mine.”