Little Poems in Prose

Save for the fear of making a fool of myself before so great an assembly, I would gladly have fallen at the feet of this generous game- ster to thank him for his unheard-of munifi- cence; but, little by little, after I had left him, incurable mistrust entered again into my bosom; I no longer dared to believe in such prodigious happiness, and, as I lay down to sleep, kneeling once more in prayer (a tag of imbecile custom!) I repeated, half asleep; “Oh God. Oh Lord my God, do Thou grant that the devil keep his word to me!”