It had seemed to this man as though a new heaven had been opened to him, as of late he had seen little of luck in this world.

The surmises made as to the low state of his funds when he entered the room had been partly true; but time had been when he was able to gamble in a more costly fashion even than here, and to play among those who had taken his winnings and losings simply as a matter of course.
And now the game had begun, and the twelve napoleons were duly deposited.

Again he won his stake, an omen for the day, and was exultant.

A second twelve and a third were put down, and on each occasion he won.

In the silly imagination of his heart he declared to himself that the calculation of all chances was as nothing against his run of luck.