The World of Courtesans c9.87

c9.87

"Now when a player made a careless throw, I laughed a little. But his opponent seemed to flare up, looking at me with an eye red with wrath, and shouting: 'Man, you tell him how to play when you laugh. Let this uneducated duffer go. I'll just play with you—you seem a smart one.' The proprietor offered no objection: he clinched with me and I won sixteen thousand dinar. Half I gave to the proprietor and his staff; half I pocketed. Then I rose, and with me rose delighted congratulations from the company. I humoured the proprietor's invitation and shared a most noble banquet in his establishment. But he who had occasioned my gambling incarnation, became a friend, trustworthy as a second heart. His name was Vimardaka."