"THE STORY OF A CHEAT" "This film was conceived of and directed by myself." "The music was composed by my friend Adolphe Borchard." "Marcel Lucien did the photography with Raymond Clunie, while Paul Duvergé recorded sound from his booth like a deep-sea diver." "The sets are by Henri Ménessier, and Mailleray furnished them." "And here are my actors:" "Marguerite Moreno pretends to point something out to Jacqueline Delubac, but they both know they're being filmed." "Roger Duchesne opens the door for Rosine Deréan and Elmire Vautier." "Where's Serge Grave?" "Serge!" "What?" "Nothing." "Never mind." "Where could Pauline Carton be hiding?" "Here's Fréhel talking to Pierre Labry." "Pauline Carton, come let me thank you for your assistance in making this film." "And give a smile to your friend Pierre Assy." "Here's Henri Pfeifer, the true hero in the film, talking to Gaston Dupray." "Myriam and her crew edited the film." "And lastly..." "Produced by..." "THE STORY OF A CHEAT" "I was born in Pingolas, a pretty little town in Vaucluse whose steeple is on the left as you go to Tillac from Cavaillon." "My parents ran a grocery that netted them an annual profit of 5,000 francs." "We had a large family." "Mama had two children from her first marriage." "With Father she had another boy and four girls." "Father had his mother, and Mother had her father." "They were even on that score." "We also had an uncle, a deaf-mute." "There were 12 of us at the table." "1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... 11... and 12." "A dish of mushrooms, and overnight..." "I was alone in the world." "Because two hours earlier I'd stolen eight sous:" "2... 4... 6... 8... from the till to buy marbles." "The consequences of my crime were unexpected, numerous and varied." "Because my angry father shouted," ""You stole from the till." "No mushrooms for you!"" "The deadly fungi had been gathered by our deaf-mute, and that night, the house contained 11 corpses." "Someone who hasn't seen 11 corpses all at once can't imagine just how many that is." "They were everywhere." "Shall I speak of my sorrow?" "To be honest, I was only 12, and such a misfortune was too much for a boy my age." "Yes, I was truly overwhelmed by this catastrophe." "Even unworthy of it, you might say." "You can mourn your father or mother or brother, but how can you mourn 11 people?" "You just don't know where to weep!" "Not to mention the vast choice I had, but that's how it was." "Dr. Lavignac spent that afternoon dispensing his enlightened but, alas, useless remedies." "There was no stopping my family as it faded away." "Our priest, having lunched with the Marquis de Beauvoir, arrived on his bicycle at 4:00." "We were certainly going to need him." "The news of my misfortune soon spread, and by 5:00 the whole town was there." "Sent from room to room and not knowing where to go," "I hid in fear under the counter in the store, and from there I heard all the chattering and whispering." "The "killer"... - my deaf-mute uncle... -  died last, in terrible agony." "They heard his cries and asked, "Who's screaming like that?"" ""It's the deaf-mute."" "At 7:00, when it was all over," "I came out of hiding to find myself face-to-face with the exhausted doctor, who was wiping his brow." "He saw me and couldn't believe his eyes." "What was I doing still alive?" "Why wasn't I dead like everyone else?" "He looked at me as if I were either a miracle or the devil." "A 12-year-old who ate deadly mushrooms to no ill effect and survived all his relatives would make a very interesting case." "The experiments he could conduct!" "Since I could already imagine him dissecting my innards, I admitted I'd had no mushrooms." ""Why?"" "His brusque "why" sounded so much like a reproach that I told him of my crime, my theft, and my punishment." "He squinted at me as if to say, "You're no fool."" "The story spread through the town, and you can imagine the gossip." "The day of the funeral," "I followed behind those 11 coffins with bowed head and dry eye." "I wondered if the fact" "I'd been miraculously spared didn't make it look as if I'd killed them all." "Meanwhile, people whispered behind my back," ""Know why the boy's not dead?" "'Cause he stole from the till."" "Yes, I was alive because I'd robbed the till." "Did that mean the others had died because they'd been honest?" "As I fell asleep alone that night in the empty house," "I formed an opinion about theft and justice which is rather paradoxical but which 40 years of experience haven't altered." "An unknown cousin of Mama," "Mr. Morlot, a notary, learned of the deaths en masse in my family and came to take me to Cavaillon." "I'd been told, and I was expecting him." "I don't know why, but I expected a short, thin, smiling man." "He entered." "He was an unpleasant brute, a revolting man who terrified me." "His impression of me was certainly no better, for his "Hello" sounded like "Get lost," and his "Come along"" "was like "Beat it, kid."" "Two minutes later, he locked the shop door, and like a precocious criminal carried off to jail," "I left the village of my birth, never to see it again." "In the buggy he told me he'd agreed out of kindness to take me in and put my affairs in order." "He said no more." "But as soon as we arrived, he led me into his office, told me to sit down, took a seat himself, opened a file, and explained that once the shop was sold and the burials paid for," "I would have 18,000 francs left... -  a fabulous sum to my ears, and no doubt an unexpected windfall to his." "He would invest it for me in his business and return it to me when I came of age." "Of course, I've never seen that money since... -  nor that cousin." "But my trials weren't yet over." "I had still to meet Madame Morlot." "She came in the room." "I was spellbound." "Her glance, her glasses, her hair, her narrow nose, and her mouth like a scar all conspired to give her face a monstrous look." " "Good day, my child." - "Good day, ma'am."" "She hated me on sight, and I reciprocated the feeling." "I soon realized I was to be a child-martyr caught between that viper and ox." "Her way of feeding me was detestable and stingy." "Besides, the idea of a peasant dining at their bourgeois table exasperated them both." "Just think:" "I'd stolen just eight sous." "Shame on them, conspiring to pilfer my 18,000 francs!" "They couldn't bear the sight of me." "I swear that at times I saw in their icy eyes that they wished me dead." "Only my unwillingness to fulfill that hope kept me from throwing myself under a train one night." "That night I decided to run away, to flee forever, and without demanding my 18,000 francs, so that I wouldn't be the only thief in the family." "Speaking of which, one day she played a dreadful trick on me." "Every night they played cards for hours." "That night she left five or six francs behind on the table." "At first I didn't see she'd done it on purpose." "I almost took them." "It was hideously evil to do that to me, a boy who already lacked good and proper instincts, but who longed so badly to turn honest for good." "Then my hoped-for chance to escape came along." "On page four of the local paper," "Mr. Personaz, a restaurateur in St. Maxime, was advertising for a doorman." "I'd found that page torn from the paper in a place I needn't specify more clearly." "It was folded in such a way that a fairy godmother seemed to be pointing out Mr. Personaz's offer." "I refolded it and placed it in Madame Morlot's sewing basket... without being seen by a soul." "Twenty-four hours later I found it again in the previous spot, to which I had returned out of necessity." "This time" "I placed it in Madame Morlot's bedroom, knowing she was out." "When I went to bed, to my surprise on my night table I found that same wandering page from the newspaper." "I at last understood that my fairy godmother was none other than the monstrous Madame Morlot." "It seemed we were in agreement." "One week later, with 300 francs in my pocket," "I was a doorman at the Personaz restaurant, where I saw for the first time what you call "the wealthy."" "It made a deep and unforgettable impression on me." "Oh, to be one of them one day!" "I admit that that immediately became my dream, which later came true." "Yes, my friend, I'm writing my memoirs." "You know what I'm writing right now?" "Very nice things about the rich." "But mind you:" "The people I call rich are those who spend their money, not save it." "Money has value only when it leaves our pockets, not when it goes into them." "What good is having it on you?" "None." "Five francs aren't worth a sous if you don't spend them." "Otherwise it's just paper." "If I were the government," "I'd tax heavily those who don't spend their incomes." "I know people who have incomes of 800 pounds but who don't spend even a quarter of it." "I consider them first of all stupid, but also dishonest." "That's right." "A check without funds is a banking transaction punished by the penal code, and that's only fair." "But I'd be equally hard on those who have funds but write no checks." "A man who doesn't spend his income interrupts the rhythm of life by stopping the flow of money, and he has no right!" "After such a statement of principle, let me say that I'm now 54, that I started out quite low, and if I haven't risen very high, I've gone quite far." "I've lived only on other people's money." "At times I've possessed millions of francs, yet today I'm almost broke." "Why?" "Precisely because of what I'm saying." "You know why I chose this café to write my memoirs?" "Because just 18 steps away, across the street, stands that lovely townhouse." "I wanted to sit across from it because it was once mine." "It's true." "A nine of hearts allowed me to build it in 1923." "A few years later, an eight of diamonds took it from me." "But let's not get ahead of ourselves." "Let's get back to St. Maxime." "Excuse me." "I left St. Maxime the following April to become a bellboy at the St. Rapha?" "I, which was flourishing at the time." "Fashions have certainly changed since then." "Those lovely ladies and handsome gentlemen look ridiculous today, just as we will most assuredly look 40 years from now." "As for me, I already adored my new job, buttoned up tight in my green uniform." "I loved all the coming and going." "I loved catching a falling parasol, being always ready with a match, pointing out the clock to a man with no watch." "Going... coming... going up, coming down... opening the door 50 times." ""Good-bye, sir."" ""Come in, ma'am."" ""Out you go, ma'am."" ""Do come in, sir."" "I loved it because I felt everyone was obeying me, that I was the source of all the coming and going." "And the folded love notes men handed me!" ""Boy, give this letter at once to the lady in the red hat."" ""See that brunette with the old gentleman?" "As soon as she's alone, give her this."" "Ah, if I'd made a mistake, intentionally or not, what a scene!" "What a catastrophe!" "At night, when all the guests were back in their rooms," "I made my rounds." "I went from door to door with an alert, indiscreet, and amused ear." "I stayed there two years and learned a lot." "I left a changed man, grown up and unrecognizable." "Paris beckoned." "With a good reference, a month later I was a doorman at Larue's." "At Larue's I met Serge Abramich, who fulfilled the role of dishwasher." "Concerning him I must recount a dramatic adventure" "I was involved in." "Half Russian, half Romanian, he was a man of rare and formidable charm." "I appreciated the friendship he showed me, for he wasn't generally lavish in that regard." "But my instincts warned me not to give free rein to the feelings he aroused in me." "We returned every night to Montmartre, where we lived." "His words were full of vague threats regarding a man he expected to visit Paris between October 5th and 8th." "One night he suddenly stopped, grabbed my coat lapels, and with his persuasive and musical accent said," ""You see, some men are criminals, and they must be eliminated."" "To that he added, "It's God's will."" "I tried to appear respectful of his convictions but also intent on remaining uninvolved." "On October 3rd, about 11:00 p.m., two men came to Larue's asking for Serge." "They were Russians." "I led them to Serge in the kitchen." "They whispered briefly in Russian, and then the two left." "A while later, Serge and I sat in an empty café on the rue des Martyrs... -  a fateful name." "He told me that his much-awaited mystery man would surely arrive on the 6th." "Putting his hand on mine, he seemed sorry he could tell me no more." "Then he murmured, "Tomorrow you'll know everything."" "CZAR NICOLAS II DUE IN PARIS OCTOBER 6TH" "That night I didn't wait for Serge to finish the dishes." "I left alone without saying good night." "But at 4:00 a.m., someone knocked at my door." " "Who is it?" - "Serge."" "He came in with his two Russians." "I quickly realized that I knew too much and that I'd be in deep trouble in no time if I refused to help them." "By 7:00 a.m., the matter was settled and roles assigned." "A phony Russian policeman, an anarchist, was to get me into the Foreign Affairs Ministry with three other temporary workers." "They were to move the rug under the czar's bed, and beneath the bed I was to leave an object no larger than a can of sardines." "I would incur no risk and would receive 5,000 francs later that evening." "We were not to meet again until the 5th at 5:00 p.m., in a restaurant on the Champs-Elysées." "There I would be given the object." "On October 6th, late-breaking newspapers announced that Czar Nicolas II would sleep not at the ministry but at the Russian Embassy." "A few lines lower, the same paper described the following incident:" "It's bad taste to boast of writing an anonymous letter with one's left hand, and I'm not boasting, nor admitting to it either." "I'm merely reporting it." "That adventure, the coming of winter, and a chance to visit the south again all led to my leaving Paris for Monaco, where I was to run the elevator at the Hôtel de Paris." "I was won over at once by that wonderful land, magnificent and without equal in the world." "Geographically, it's a rock shaped like a dog's head, barely a third of a mile long by about 1X 10 of a mile wide." "Historically, legend says it was founded by Hercules." "It's never mentioned among his 12 famous labors, yet it is indeed his 13th, and it's brought happiness to Monaco." "On the other hand, we do know that the only antiquities found on that rock are a few Roman coins." "I find it quite amusing to reflect that in days of old, people were already losing money in Monaco." "Ask me, "What is Monaco?" and I'll respond, ''An operetta.'"" "Look at this principality made up of a city and a town." "The country has no real name." "Monaco is the town's name, and Monte Carlo is the city's name." "While the town is ancient, the city is modern." "The town is Monacan, the city cosmopolitan." "Every foreigner boasts of feeling at home there." "It's quite unique." "You see Englishmen, Chinese, Cubans," "Hindus, Negroes, Hungarians," "Finns, and Egyptians... -  like everywhere else." "But they're more at home here than anywhere else, because Monte Carlo has no Monacans." "It's not a foreign city but a city for foreigners." "You may ask, "Where are the Monacans?"" "They're croupiers in the casino." "In Monaco, you're a croupier not by profession but by birth." "It's hereditary." "At birth, every Monacan finds in his crib the traditional croupier's black rake." "It's an enchanting operetta in two scenes with two very different settings... -  one of a town and one of a city." "At the center of the city is a casino." "At the center of the town is a palace." "In the casino reigns a god called Luck." "In the palace reigns a prince, guarded by a little army as charming as can be." "You see the little army about 11:00 a.m." "It leaves the palace for the changing of the guard." "I like to imagine how much more charming this scene would be if the Monacan soldiers, in strict rhythm, after marching a few steps forward, suddenly backed up exactly the same number of steps." "All roads to the palace lead upward." "To the casino they lead downward, and they take you with them." "Ah, the casino!" "It looks like a candy-store's masterpiece, or like a station selling tickets for unknown destinations only, or like a first-class cure spa, which is just what it is, since it caters to those with a most unusual illness." "It's a unique spot, with not even 100 yards of cultivated land." "Indeed, where could anyone grow beets here?" "There are hotels everywhere." "Some are so large that the border runs between their left and right wings." "If you're ever run out of Monaco, you need only change hotel rooms." "It was in Monaco that I had my first... " "How shall I put it?" "No need to spell it out." "She was a countess." "Countess Beauchamp Dubourg de Catinax." "She wasn't lacking a certain allure." "Oh, I knew right off that she was 20 years older than me, the Countess Beauchamp Dubourg de Catinax." "She, on the other hand, knew right off that I was 20 years younger than her." "She was staying on the third floor." "She had a languorous, inviting look, the Countess Beauchamp Dubourg de Catinax." "She was a lively and appreciative lady, the countess was." "And the gold watch she gave me." "I still have that gold watch." "Waiter." "I'm expecting a call." "If anyone asks for the Countess Beauchamp Dubourg de Catinax, that's me." "Sir, could you tell me the time?" "Certainly." "It's 5:00." "Thank you very much." "You see..." "I don't have a watch." "And it's quite amusing that I don't, after all the watches I've given away." "No one has given away as many watches as I have." "In 40 years I've given away 217." "92 were gold, 73 silver, and 52 stainless steel." "I've spent a fortune on watches." "I don't regret it, believe me." "But there's one I'd like to see again." "Not the watch, but the man I gave it to." "He's the one I'd like to see." "I wonder what became of him." "He's probably in jail." "What a scoundrel!" "If I ever get my hands on him..." "Very tall and lean, with a dark complexion... and a little turned-up nose." "What a rascal!" "There's another I'd like to see again too, but for different reasons." "Oh, that one was charming." "An elevator boy at the H?" "tel de Paris in Monte Carlo." "He was so cute, with that lock of hair that kept falling down over his forehead." "He was truly a first-class little guy." "He really put his heart into it." "He must be about 54 or 55 now." "I'd like to see him again all the same." "May I ask you for the time once more?" "It must be around 5:00." "Maybe 5:10." "But I'd like to know the exact time." " It's 5:15." " Thank you." "A call for Countess Beauchamp Dubourg de Catinax." "Coming." "Waiter." "Monsieur?" "May I ask a little favor?" " Yes, sir." " I'd like..." " Waiter." " Madam?" " What do I owe you?" " One franc 50." " Here." " Thank you." "Keep the change." "Monsieur... for the last time," "may I ask you for the time?" "Certainly." "It's 5:25." " Thank you very much." " Not at all." " Monsieur?" " Thank you." "Don't worry." "I didn't damage it." "At 21, I was drafted into the army and spent three years in Angoulême." "Angoulême isn't a bad town, but three years in Angoulême is too much!" "There was a sort of café-cabaret, a semi-brothel we'd invade in the evening and where we'd do our best to misbehave." "He was lean and handsome" "With hair so long" "It covered his ears" "His face was sweet His eyes brimmed with song" "With his different style" "He stood out by a mile" "I've known many a pimp" "But this guy was no wimp" "That's why every Sunday" "I'd wear white to make it a fun day" "I'd go to the woods and wander about" "With the guy I was crazy about" "I'll tell ya later." "Wait a bit." "But one sad February night" "Before my guy could put up a fight" "Big Jules laid him out flat" "After a silly spat" "He stabbed him with a knife" "And tore apart my life" "'Cause for me it's been real hard" "Ever since he died on the boulevard" "That's why now, on a Sunday" "I don't dress in white to make it a fun day" "I can't go to the woods and wander about" "With the guy I was crazy about" "Ah, what pathetic debauchery." "Agathe..." "Madeleine... and Carrot-top." "Three ladies, each different, and 100 soldiers, all alike." "The ladies were in fact a mother and her two daughters." "Carrot-top, the mother, was the singer." "The father and husband played the piano." "The owner of the joint was the pianist's brother." "A family of five who considered themselves the most decent people in the world." "Agathe and Madeleine adored their mother." "Whenever one of us had enjoyed one of the daughter's favors several times in a row, she'd always tell him," ""Be sweet and choose Mama next time."" "After my discharge, I splurged on a bicycle and left Angoulême with unfeigned joy." "Exhausted on reaching Toulouse, I sold my bike and bought a ticket to Monaco, where I headed instinctively." "I didn't strike a great bargain, but neither did that mechanic." "Yet I'd been had after all." "Leaving the Monaco station," "I realized that the mechanic had slipped me a counterfeit coin." "I don't like that at all." "I immediately bought some cigarettes and got rid of the phony money." "But I don't like that either." "No, I really don't." "I ran into a croupier whom I knew somewhat." "I confided in him like an old pal and asked him to name a profession where one couldn't be dishonest." "He said, "Croupier," and explained why." "So I became a citizen of Monaco." "The simple formalities were more like applying for a job than for citizenship, but it was all very polite, and I was handed the traditional rake mentioned earlier." "Six months later I was hired as a croupier at table four, convinced I would now lead an honest life, because a croupier can't cheat at roulette." "The years passed... 1914." "France didn't recognize my citizenship in Monaco." "I was called up and rejoined my unit." "I was 34 and a stretcher-bearer." "I was at the front two weeks later, on August 17th, 1914." "We reached the front lines at 4:00 a.m., and at 4:01 I was hit by shrapnel in my right knee." "In terrible pain, I passed out and was covered by dirt." "I regained consciousness in an ambulance." "A man named Charbonnier had saved my life by digging me out and carrying me to safety." "He too was wounded, alas, far worse than me." "His arm had to be amputated." "The next day I saw him being carried off on a stretcher." "A charming but extremely pale face that I would never forget." "I wanted to thank my savior, but I didn't get the time." "Later I learned he'd already been evacuated to the rear." "One month later, so was I." "I was sent to a hospital in Poitiers." "Everyone forgot about me, and time passed." "I slowly convalesced, let my beard grow as it pleased, and devoured Balzac, whom I'd never read." "Thanks to him" "I made many acquaintances and gained weight." "I grew older sitting there and didn't care if I grew unrecognizable as I reread Vautrin's adventures for the third time." "Discharged once again, and eager to regain my former appearance," "I decided to shave, but only in stages." "Unaware it would help me later," "I instinctively played around with my appearance." "First I trimmed my full beard to a point, then I left only my sideburns intact." "I looked rather like a young Franz Joseph." "Then I shaved my sideburns." "What did that get me?" "Not much." "Then the moustache went." "I regained my prior appearance, only to discover that I was even more unrecognizable clean-shaven, but for a different reason." "I'd really aged a lot." "I was only 35 but looked at least 40." "Too bad." "The ladies would have to get used to it." "Speaking of the ladies, a few days later something happened that's well worth telling." "Before leaving Poitiers for Monaco," "I decided to have a good lunch at the most famous inn in the region." "I go in and sit down, and what do I see?" "A marvelous young thing with an angelic look and charming smile." "She took my breath away." "She noticed this fact and seemed neither surprised nor annoyed." "My word, you'd have sworn she felt the same way about me." "I must be seeing things." "But no, she's staring at me insistently, beyond all propriety." "She quickly finishes her meal, gets up... and comes my way." "She asks if she might sit down and does so before I can reply." "Taking my hand, she says, "You're the man for me."" "Two hours later, with her driving at 60 mph, we were in Bordeaux, where we spent the night." "And what a night it was!" "Ah, the hours I owe that adorable creature!" "She drove me mad." "But in the morning I saw a riddle in her eyes." "I sensed she had a question, and she asked it." ""Darling, shall we work together?"" ""Work together?" "How?"" "She'd explain after I passed her her robe." "I was starting to feel uneasy." "I didn't like the sound of that "working together."" ""You dry so well, darling."" "She laughed teasingly at my distress." ""I love you." "And now... have a seat." "Yes, sit down and listen to me." "You'll soon understand."" ""First give me your feet." "Well?"" "With childlike naiveté she explained that she was a thief, that she worked in fancy hotels and wanted me to join her." "What have I done to the Lord that people constantly solicit me to engage in crime." "But I was caught in her trap." "Unable to throw off her intoxicating embrace, and my own curiosity," "I followed along." "That evening we arrived in Biarritz, where we took what she lovingly called "connecting"rooms." "She gave them a quick but unusual sort of inspection." "Good Lord, what mess had I gotten myself into?" "I was already sorry I'd said yes to the child." ""It's fine." "Put those down and you may go."" ""Put the large suitcase on the bed."" " "This one?" - "Yes, that one."" "She became more and more mysterious and clearly enjoyed keeping me guessing." "She took a phonograph out of the suitcase." ""Come on."" "What was she going to do with that?" "She's redecorating now?" ""Set up the phonograph, darling."" "What did she want in the armoire?" "And what was in the other mysterious bag?" "A drill!" "Oh, God!" ""Put on that record." "Turn it up really loud."" ""Why so loud?"" ""You'll see."" "And I did." " "Everything ready?" - "Yes."" ""Get me 2-3-0, please."" ""Hello?" "Yes, madam." "Very good, madam."" ""Come in." "Do sit down."" ""Now then, madam, here's one... and here's the other."" " "I prefer this one." - "Yes, it's the nicest."" " ''And your final price was...?" - "320,000."" " "That's expensive." - "It's a very good price."" ""300,000 and I'll take it."" ""Very well, madam."" ""I'll get the money from the hotel safe." "But I'm the wary type, and since I want this exact one, allow me to take some precautions." "I'm not questioning your honesty, but here's what I'm going to do." "I'll put it away."" ""Since it's so easy to change a label," "I'll put it in here, where there's absolutely no risk, because you'll be guarding it yourself." "I'll lock it up... and put the key in my purse, which I'll carry under my arm." "I'll put my hat on... -  I hate going bare-headed... -  and take my coat so I don't catch cold." "And with my most gracious smile, I'll see you in a while."" ""Darling, isn't my ring lovely?"" "While we filled up near Bayonne," "I pretended to go buy a paper, and, in all bravery... -  or cowardice... " "I fled my exquisite creature as if fleeing fate itself, but with a certain sadness too, for I must admit she was perhaps the only woman I almost truly loved." "I returned to Monaco and to my job at table four." ""Hello, my friends." "Happy to be back at my comfortable post."" "The years passed, trouble-free." "I had no plans to marry." "I was wary of women and had only some intentionally short-lived affairs." "There was a ballerina who said, "I love you because you're tall and keep me on my toes."" "And a lovely model who cheated on me with all my friends, only to confess each time in tears." "I never told her not to cheat... -  just not to tell me!" ""That's the 14th time!" "I'm fed up!" "Get out!"" "There was an adorable Chinese doll who called me "Mikitili" or "Kukulutu"" "and compared me to the sun... -  very flattering." "I later learned she also compared me to the moon." "A postman's wife wrote me daily love letters, disguising her handwriting because her smiling husband delivered her letters to me." ""Thank you."Poor sap..." "MY WIFE" "I can see her even now." "A brunette with a wide forehead, thick eyebrows, beautiful eyes, turned-up nose, and a face almost tragic when she was serious but childlike the moment she smiled." "Was she a girl from Arles?" "Or Guadeloupe?" "With such eyes, she could've been Turkish... or from Alexandria." "I later learned she was from Paris." "I somehow both liked and disliked her, attracted by the very qualities in her that repelled me, a phenomenon surely related to physics, but not knowing physics, I'll simply call it physical." "I found her ravishing, because she resembled a Watteau drawing, but frightening too, because she also resembled a Lautrec pastel." "She looked 25." "She was, in fact, 24." "She was to play a brief, fateful, and corrupting role in my life." "I'd noticed her several times." "How could I not... when she stared at me insistently for minutes at a time?" "She always sat right across from me." "Patient and unmoving, she'd wait for me to toss the ball." "Just after they changed the croupiers, she'd toss me six louis d'or so hot that they burned my fingers." "She'd say, "The second dozen."" ""Very good, madam."" "Always the same bet." "In all honesty I can say that her stare... -  which troubled me deeply... -  was really meant for the croupier, not the man." "She sought to reach the croupier by seducing the man, for the poor girl had gotten the incredible idea that I could cause the ball to land in the second dozen at will." "That night, having lost nine times in a row, she was annoyed at her bad luck." "She doubled, then tripled her bets." "When I expressed my feelings with a friendly but chiding glance, she mimed back eloquently," ""Instead of giving me advice, just make it land in the second dozen."" "Unmoved in the least because I'd seen so many like her, yet amused and attracted," "I gave her a faint, encouraging, complicit smile and spun the wheel." "It turned and turned, then slowed down, and the ball, as if exhausted, fell in a second-dozen slot." "I blushed to the very tips of my ears." "Her delight was childlike and indescribable." "I thought it was coincidence, pure chance, and yet I was anxious to spin it again." "It landed once again in the second dozen." "It did it again three times... then five times in a row!" "We dared not look at each other." "She began to bet 100-franc chips." "By the time a new croupier took over, she'd won 11,000 francs." "A moment later she rose and quickly disappeared without a glance in my direction." "Just what had happened?" "My intention had been clear, but was I to conclude that I had the power to make the ball land wherever I pleased?" ""Oh, sorry."" "I reached no such conclusion, but even so, I didn't sleep a wink that night." "Would the miracle be repeated the next evening?" "Anyway... hadn't she left?" "No, she hadn't, and it happened again the next night." "She won 30,000 francs." "She was triumphant, and so lovely to see!" "That night I concluded that a miracle was taking place." "I'd observed that, without her, I was incapable of making the ball land in the second dozen." "Therefore, there was between us a certain je ne sais quoi that neither enjoyed separately but occurred only when our wills were joined." "But there's the problem." "Was I to go on fattening this stranger's purse?" "No!" "We had to reach an agreement at once." "Yes, but how?" "How to reach that agreement?" ""This will do for tomorrow."" "A contract!" "Would she be honest away from the table?" "And excuse me, but what would be the legal value of a contract whose aim was to divvy up ill-gotten gains?" "My God, another night spent like before!" "I woke up with the answer." "Only one contract could fully protect me." "That evening I was waiting when she came out." "I followed her, and far from indiscreet ears, we got acquainted, quickly reached an agreement, and set a date." "Two weeks later, in the charming town hall of St. Martin de Vésubie..." "I was married, with rights to community property, to Henriette Gertrude Bled, former wife of a Bulgarian colonel." "I took two weeks off work." "But here I must say that we'd both agreed our marriage was to be a marriage in name only, and those two long weeks were spent working out a winning scheme." "We perfected our strategy for the second dozen." "Let's see if our calculations are right." "Yes." "So let's see..." "After one month our winnings totaled 1, 700,000 francs." "Two days later, with my heart pounding," "I took my seat once again at the roulette table." "She'd already quietly taken her place, without a word or glance between us, of course." "She knew by heart what to do." "I spun the wheel." ""The second dozen?" "Yes, madam."" "The ball circled and landed on 26." "Exactly the opposite of what we intended!" "From then on, it was impossible to make the ball land in a second-dozen slot." "It was bewitched!" "I put it in 35... then zero... then 26... all the slots near the zero." "I was going crazy." "She didn't dare change her bet." "Our capital was running out." "I was raking myself to ruin." "I didn't dare signal to her." "I was being watched." "And on it went." "Three!" "People from nearby tables came over." "Twelve!" "Twenty-six!" "Zero!" "More and more people joined in." "Zero... zero... zero!" "A zero once in a while looks good, but five in a row is very serious." "Everyone played that bet except us." "She didn't have a centime left." "I made a gigantic effort of will to avoid that damn zero." "Alas, it was too late." "They broke the bank." "Two hours later I was fired, and after the minimum period required by law... my wife and I were divorced." "On the train I thought it all over." "I'd tried to cheat but failed, so I'd been fired." "Yet if I'd succeeded, nobody would've caught on, since they thought I'd cheated when I'd really failed to." "So if I was fired, it was for not cheating!" "Fate was against me, driving me on to become a true scoundrel." "For what idea springs up in the mind of a man punished for not cheating?" "To cheat, of course." "And that's why I became a cheat." "Like a pianist," "I practiced for months to loosen up my fingers." "Here's the best exercise for that." "You see?" "Appear... disappear." "You can also practice passing a coin from your left hand to your right sleeve." "After all that, I began modestly, in third-class hotels, to get some practice." ""Sit down, sir."" "I dug up an old, distinguished, gullible royalist for my guinea pig." "I pretended to shuffle the stacked deck, and then let him cut." "Naturally, I undid his cut." "Charming old man." "Two for you, two for me." "And since you're a royalist, just for you... - a king." "Once I felt ready, I began with poker." ""Pass." "Pass."" ""Pass."" "Let's see now..." ""Two thousand."" ""I'm in."" ""Okay."" ""There's one... two... " "Where's the fourth ace?" "There it is." "What can I say?" "It's God's will."" "Then one day I made my real debut in a real casino." "How did I manage to cheat for 20 years and never get caught?" "I changed my nationality 12 times, my name 14 times, and my appearance 20 times." "I was Russian, English, German," "Spanish, Brazilian, Chinese, Turkish and Armenian." "I wore every sort of hairstyle, and moustaches and beards of all sizes." "I was a marquis, colonel, doctor, lawyer, industrialist, architect, bookmaker." "But all these different disguises and false identities were used only to throw the police off my track." "I did my best to make all my faces well-known to them... -  except my real one." "But my only honest-to-goodness cheating, so to speak, was with my real face and name." ""Is this seat taken?"" "I'll show you a little trick of which I'm the modest inventor." "No enemies around?" "Good." "Place a shiny gold cigarette case in front of you." "When you're the bank, deal cards to your opponent right over it, like over a mirror." "Here's a jack of diamonds, and here's your first card." "The ace of spades to your opponent, and your second card." "Knowing your opponent's cards, it's your option to draw a six or stand pat with four... -  quite an advantage." "Here's a smart little hands-off ploy you can use." "See this yellow circle marking off the playing area?" "Any sum placed beyond that line becomes a bet." "Behind it, it's still yours." "If it's on the line, it's only half bet." "You take a 1000-franc note folded in four and place it so that it straddles the line, like this." "The bank deals, and if it wins, you lose half your bet, or 500 francs." "But if it loses, you take a good drag on your cigarette and blow the smoke at your folded bill, like this." "It falls on the other side of the line, and your half bet becomes a full bet." "So you risk losing 500 francs but winning 1,000." "See how easy it is?" "You'd be crazy not to do it." ""Thank you, monsieur."" "One July night I entered the Deauville gaming room in disguise and saw two elegant beauties attracting the attention of the men there." "I walked around the table for a better view." "What a delightful coincidence!" "A charming surprise!" "What did I see?" "My wife and my little thief together." "Amazing advantage of women's beauty, or perhaps men's memories... -  they seemed as young and pretty as ever." "My little thief still looked like an astonished bird, and my wife had the same triangular face, the same cold, enigmatic expression." "Both looked extremely elegant and were clearly on familiar terms." "Yes, my wife and my mistress were close friends." "They both looked at me and wondered where they'd seen these eyes before, but neither recognized me." "They were playing as partners, perhaps even honestly, and had just given up the deck." "I bought it for 10,000 francs." "In a heavy accent I told them," ""I'll sell you ladies half my hand, but only if I win."" "They smiled graciously." "A moment later I turned up a nine, of course." "I had the voluptuous delight of sharing my illicit take with my wife and my mistress." ""One... two... three... four." "Divide it in two." "5,000 for the ladies, 5,000 for me." "Very good." "Thank you." "And now, ladies, listen to me."" "We talked a bit." "They were both free that evening and agreed to dine with me." "During dinner they both wondered which I'd choose for the rest of the night." "I myself couldn't make up my mind." "But the pleasure yet untasted was more appealing than going back for seconds." "And so that night, still disguised," "I became my wife's lover." "A delightful night during which she spoke of her life and our marriage in terms that were absolutely untrue." "FINAL CHAPTER or..." "THE END OF A CHEAT" "One memorable night about 11:00, I enter the Aix-les-Bains casino with the nine of hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds up my sleeve." "I was looking for a banco worthy of me." "After a moment I hear, "Banco for 1,200 louis."" "I turn and say, "Banco."" ""Banco on my right," says the croupier." "The dealer's face was obscured by the lampshade, but I noticed he dealt with his left hand, as one does when one's right hand is otherwise occupied, which can be dangerous." "I wonder, "Could this be a colleague?"" "I pick up my cards, take others, move over a bit, and see a man in his 40s, an officer of the Legion of Honor with just one arm." "Charbonnier!" "The man who'd saved my life on August 17th, 1914." "What a horrible, unbearable moment!" "It was him all right, sitting before me like a judge." "I've already taken my cards." "There's nothing else I can do." "I have nine and have to play nine... and so I do." "He has nine too." "What a relief. ''Are you still banco?" asks the croupier." "I say, "No, no."" "I said it so quickly, in such a strange way, that everyone looked at me." "Charbonnier bent down to see me better." "How those bright and admirable eyes stung me!" "I wished I was buried in dirt again, like on August 17th, 1914." "In spite of myself, I gestured quickly and repeated, "No, no."" "My attitude seemed to surprise him, for he gave up his hand and got up and came over to me." "He curtly asked me to explain my behavior." "I asked if his name was Charbonnier." "He said it was." "I explained how he'd saved my life in 1914 by carrying me on his back, and that the idea of taking his money was more than odious to me." "Touched by my scruples, he held out his hand, his only hand, and said, "Thank you," adding, "Come have a drink."" "I blushed and, for the first time in my life," "I knew the feeling of shame." "He described his proper, monotonous, uneventful life." "Then he spoke enthusiastically about gambling as one of the rare pleasures he could enjoy untroubled by his cruel handicap." ""I miss my arm constantly except here."" "I felt a great tenderness stir in me." "He understood and smiled with pleasure." "Suddenly he said, "Why not be partners?"" ""Partners?"" "''At gambling." "You love it, and I adore it." "Let's play together."" "Ten minutes later we were partners, seated side by side." "He'd saved my life." "Now he was helping me go straight." "The cheat and the honest man joined forces to play honestly." "A gaming inspector had noticed my odd behavior earlier and had tailed us to the bar." "His eyes were now glued to us." "He thought we were surely plotting something." "He'd have bet his life on it." "For me it was an unknown joy to play a nine and laugh in his face." "Luck was ours that night, and we split 18,000 francs." "Our partnership was off to a good start." "Even for a thief, such a sum would've been magnificent." "We were together constantly until his last day in town." "We gambled together every night and shared 50-50." "This went on for 17 days." "In the end, had we won or lost?" "I truly can't recall, because something much more important had happened:" "He'd made an honest man of me." "But even better... - no, worse... -  he'd made me a true gambler." "I had doubts at first, thinking it a passing phenomenon due to his presence." "That question was resolved after he left." "I was bitten once and for all." "This incredible and unpredictable transformation was both a blessing and a curse." "My savior had cured my vice by giving me his own." "In just a few days," "I'd learned what gambling really was, and I adored it." "I'd lived off it while detesting it and misunderstanding it." "Now I saw it in a new light." "I enjoyed its pleasures and felt its emotions." "All the money I'd won in seven years of cheating" "I lost in a few months by playing honestly." ""I'll write another check for 100,000 francs."" ""Just deserts,"you might say." "The fact is, my cars, my jewels, my paintings, my house... " "I lost them all." " Monsieur, look!" " What?" "The countess!" "Quick, your watch!" "Too late!" "So it was you!" "The elevator boy in Monte Carlo!" "Don't try to deny it!" "I had the date engraved on the casing." "I found all the details at home." ""April 12th, 1897."" "It was you." " It was me." "You were so cute!" "When I think of it... " "Think of it no more." "It's over." "My heart remembers." "It knows the truth and tells me," ""Here's the man for you."" "It's just being funny." "No." "I'm not asking you to marry me." "Nothing of the sort." " Good." " Good?" " I mean, I accept my fate." "I want your collaboration on a venture that will be extremely profitable without the slightest risk." "Countess, you frighten me." "Trust me." "What do you do for a living?" "Nothing exciting or worth mentioning, not even in my memoirs." "Good!" "I thought so." "Praise heaven for leading me to you." "Let us join our forlorn destinies." "Sum up your life in a few words." " It won't take many." "At 10, I was saved because I stole money." "Later I was punished for failing at stealing." "Finally, after stealing huge amounts, I turned honest, and I went completely broke." "Then with nothing to live on," "I went to work... - irony of fate!" "...- for Grimaud." "That's right." "They make playing cards." "I put them in their little boxes." "In spite of myself," "I marked all the nines with my fingernail, and I was soon fired." "You truly are the man for me." "Now listen." "You don't pull off jobs in fancy hotels, do you?" "No!" "Private homes." "Private homes that are empty during the holidays." "Like that one there, in fact." "That one, huh?" "I had a close look earlier." "It's full of art and wonderful things." "I'll stop you here, and I could put a stop to you for good." "I must refuse." "Firstly... that house was once mine." "I won't have anyone robbing my own home." "Besides, my new profession won't allow it." "What's more, I suggest you leave at once." "You frighten me!" "Tremble, Countess, and confide in me no more." "What line are you in?" "The only one that can save me from all temptation and in which I can use my natural talents without the risk of jail." "I've been a security guard for two months." "Yes, Countess, flee!" "Farewell!" "I envy you!"