Sylvia blushed painfully. No, she had not got a card of membership--and there had been an implied understanding that she was only to look on, not play. She felt terribly ashamed--a very unusual feeling for Sylvia Bailey--and the gold pieces she held in her hand, for she had not yet put them in her purse, felt as if they burnt her. But she found a friend, a defender in an unexpected quarter. The Count rose from the table. He said a few words in a low tone to the servant, and the man fell back. "Of course, this young lady may play," he addressed Anna, "and as Banker I wish her all good luck! This is probably her first and her last visit to Lacville." He smiled pleasantly, and a little sadly. Sylvia noticed that he had a low, agreeable voice. "Take her away, Madame, when she has won a little more! Do not give her time to lose what she has won." He spoke exactly as if Sylvia was a child. She felt piqued, and Madame Wolsky stared at him rather haughtily. Still, she was grateful for his intervention. "We thank you, Monsieur," she said stiffly. "But I think we have been here quite long enough." He bowed, and again sat down. "I will now take you a drive, Sylvia. We have had sufficient of this!" Anna walked towards the door, and many were the curious glances now turned after the two friends. "It will amuse you to see something of Lacville. As that gentleman said, I do not suppose you will ever come here again. And, as I shall spend most of my time in the Casino, I can very well afford to spare a little while out of it to-day!" They made their way out of the great white building, Sylvia feeling oppressed, almost bewildered, by her first taste of gambling. It was three o'clock, and very hot. They hailed one of the little open carriages which are among the innocent charms of Lacville. "First you will go round the lake," said Madame Wolsky to the driver, "and then you will take us to the Pension Malfait, in l'Avenue des Acacias." Under shady trees, bowling along sanded roads lined with pretty villas and chalets, they drove all round the lake, and more and more the place impressed Sylvia as might have done a charming piece of scene-painting. All the people they passed on the road, in carriages, in motor-cars, and on foot, looked happy, prosperous, gay, and without a care in the world; and where in the morning there had been one boat, there were now five sailing on the blue, gleaming waters fringed with trees and flowering shrubs. At last they once more found themselves close to the Casino. A steady stream of people was now pouring in through the great glass doors.