The Gambler — Chapter IV

In the morning, Polina Alexandrovna gives the narrator 600 gulden to gamble, agreeing later to explain why she urgently needs money. In the crowded casino he studies the players and, with observations partly echoed by Mr. Astley, notes apparent streaks and patterns in roulette outcomes.

Starting timidly, the narrator quickly doubles bets on even, rapidly amassing around 4000–6000 gulden. Feeling challenged by Fate, he stakes the maximum—4000 gulden—and loses, then immediately risks the rest and loses again. Stunned, he wanders the park until lunch and resolves to tell Polina only that he lost.

At lunch with the General, Mlle. Blanche, and the Frenchman, Mlle. Blanche mentions seeing his play. The Frenchman probes whether the money was his; the narrator, protecting Polina, claims it was. The General, uneasy and annoyed, questions the tale but says little.

Pressed, the narrator argues that Russians are drawn to quick money like roulette yet squander capital, while Westerners accumulate wealth methodically. This sparks a sharp exchange: the Frenchman condescends; the General rebukes him for disparaging Russia; the narrator ridicules German thrift and generational hoarding in a heated monologue.

The Frenchman remains contemptuous, the General offended, and Polina listens with cool indifference, neither defending nor exposing him. The scene ends with strained relations, the narrator’s losses concealed from the household, and Polina’s motives deferred to her promised explanation.