Chapter XLV: Part I: écarté

An Amusing Game at Écarté.

According to the arrangement of the cards mentioned in the preceding trick, you have in hand six spades, three kings, and three aces, which you put on the pack.

You then take up, with apparent indifference, the three cards of your discard, which you have left close to yourself, and place them under the two first cards; then, by a false shuffle, you pass two of the undermost cards of the pack to the top.

This manoeuvre arranges the cards in the following manner:

Two indifferent cards.

Two spades.

Three indifferent cards.

Four spades--one of which is a king, and will serve as the turn-up card.

Afterwards come the three kings and three aces.

This operation is performed whilst a conversation is being carried on, and without your having declared your intention to continue playing; then you place the pack on the table.

"You see," say you, "the danger of playing at cards. A sharper would not make a joke of it, and, with such chances at his disposal, he would soon see the bottom of your purse."

"By the bye, do you know another game for two to play at? Écarté, for instance?"

"Yes; I do."

"Oh! very well! Then let us play a game at écarté."

We take the pack already prepared; we make a false shuffle, a false cut, and we deal the cards.

"I am going to turn up the king," you say. "Here he is; and I have a handful of trumps." You throw down the five trumps in succession on the table, saying, "Trump, trump," &c., &c.