But what is life but a game, at which every one is willing to play?
one wins and another loses: why there have been as many moves among titled persons, Kings, Queens, Bishops, Lords and Knights, within the last century, as there are in a game at chess.

Pawns have been taken and restored in all classes, from the Sovereign, who pawns or loses his crown, to the Lady whose reputation is in pawn, and becomes at last not worth half a crown.
Shuffling, cutting, dealing out and ~358~~ dealing in, double dealing and double faces, have long been the order of the day.

Some men's cards are all trumps, whilst others have _carte blanche_; some honours count, whilst others stand for nothing.

For instance, did not the little man who cast up his final accounts a short time back at St.Helena, like a Corsican conjurer, shuffle and cut about among kings and queens, knaves and asses, (aces I mean) dealing out honours when he liked, and taking trumps as he thought fit ?--did he not deal and take up again almost as he pleased, having generally an honour in his sleeve to be played at command, or _un roi dans le marche_; by which cheating, it was scarcely possible for any one to get fair play with him, till, flushed by success, and not knowing how to bear his prosperity, he played too desperately and too long?
The tables were turned upon him, and his enemies cheated him, first of his liberty, and ultimately of his life." At this moment Tallyho, who was listening in close attention to his Cousin, struck his foot against a brown paper parcel which rolled before him.--"Hallo!" exclaimed he, "what have we here ?--somebody has dropped a prize." "It is mine, Sir," said an old woman, dropping them a curtsey with a smile which shone through her features, though thickly begrimed with snuff.
"A bite," said Tom.
"I dropp'd it from my pocket, Sir, just now." "And pray," inquired Tom, "what does it contain ?" picking it up.
"Snuff, Sir," was the reply; "a kind, good-hearted Gentleman gave it to me--God bless him, and bless your Honour too!" with an additional smile, and a still lower curtsey.
Upon examining the paper, which had been broken by the kick, Tom perceived, that by some magic or other, the old woman's snuff had become sugar.
"Zounds!" said he, "they have played some trick upon you, and given you brimstone instead of snuff, or else you are throwing dust in our eyes." The parcel, which contained a sample of sugar, was carefully rolled up again and tied, then dropped to be found by any body else who chose to stoop for it.
"This," said Dashall, "does not turn out to be what I first expected; for the practices of ring and money ~359~~ dropping{1} have, at various times, been carried on with great success, and to the serious injury of the unsuspecting.

The persons who generally apply themselves to this species of cheating are no other than gamblers who ingeniously contrive, by dropping a purse or a ring, to draw in some customer with a view to induce him to play; and notwithstanding their arts have frequently been exposed, we every now and then hear of some flat being done by these sharps, and indeed there are constantly customers in London to be had one way or another." "Then you had an idea that that parcel was a bait of this kind," rejoined Bob.
"I did," replied his Cousin; "but it appears to be a legitimate letter from some industrious mechanic to his friend, and is a curious specimen of epistolary correspondence; and you perceive there was a person ready to claim it, which conspired rather to confirm my suspicions, being a little in the style of the gentry I have alluded to.