"Never mind," said his Excellency, whose whole countenance had lighted up at the thought of play; "I admire your garters--a pistole against them." "Done!" said Sir Asinus with great readiness; and they sat down to play. In two hours Sir Asinus was sitting at spadille in the exceedingly undress costume of shirt, pantaloons, and silk stockings. His coat was thrown on a chair; his worsted shoes were in one corner of the room; and his cocked hat lay upon his waistcoat at the Governor's feet. The Governor took extreme delight in these practical jokes. He had won these articles of Sir Asinus's clothing one after another; and now he was about to commence with the remainder. "Look! spadille, the ace!" he cried; "I have your neckcloth." And his Excellency burst into a roar of laughter. Sir Asinus slowly and sadly drew off his neckcloth, and deposited it on the pile. "Good!" cried his Excellency; "now for your short clothes!" "No, no!" Sir Asinus remonstrated; "now, your Excellency!--mercy, your Excellency! How would I look going through the town of Williamsburg breechless?" "You might go after night," suggested his Excellency, generously. "No, no!" "Well, well, I'll be liberal--my servant shall bring you a suit of clothes from your apartment; of course these are mine." A sudden thought struck Sir Asinus. "I'll play your Excellency this ring against ten pistoles," he said; "I lost sight of it." "Done!" said his Excellency. Sir Asinus won the game; and Fauquier, with the exemplary honesty of the confirmed gambler, took ten pistoles from his purse and handed them across the table. "Nine pieces for my coat and the rest," said Sir Asinus persuasively; "it is really impolite to be playing with your Excellency in such deshabille as this." "Willingly," said Fauquier, shaking with merriment. And he pocketed the nine pistoles while Sir Asinus was making his toilet at a Venetian mirror. They then commenced playing again--Sir Asinus staking his pistole. He won, and continued to win until night; when candles were brought, and they commenced again. By ten o'clock Sir Asinus had won fifteen thousand pistoles from the Governor. By midnight Fauquier, playing with the nerve of a great gambler, had won them all back--laughing, careless, but not more careless than when he lost. At fifteen minutes past twelve he had won a bond for two hundred pistoles from Sir Asinus; at sixteen minutes past twelve his Excellency rose, and taking the cards up with both hands, threw them out of the window. Then rolling up the bond which Sir Asinus had executed a moment before, he gracefully lit with it a pipe which he had just filled; and, first telling a servant "to carry lights to the chamber next to his own," said to Sir Asinus: