The Argosy — page 91: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

78 Checkmate in Ten Moves. just the stimulus I wanted, and I was ready for my adversary’s exul- tant exclamation. B. checks Q, from her 3rd sq. ‘The game is not lost yet, mademoiselle.” ‘All is lost but honour, M. le Maire.” I played the ezgAth move. R. clears 5 sq. and checks. “Ah, par exemple !” He was utterly confounded now, and admitted that he had but one move. I followed with the xzmth. 28. Q. retreats 1 sq. and checks, K. to his B.’s 4th sq, ‘And now, M. le Maire, for the finishing stroke, foreseen through all these eighteen changes.” 29. K. Kt. P. 2 sq. and Mate, The clock struck ten, but the Maire seemed to hear nothing. I had not over-estimated the effect produced by the gradual development of this remarkable performance. It absorbed his mind to that extent that he could think of nothing else. Not that he was convinced—far from it; he was positive there might be ways of averting the stroke, if taken in time; and as I readily yielded up my notes, he went back over the whole game, stimulated thereto by the lively interest displayed by Mariette, who professed she had never cared about chess before. If anyone could find out the missing clue, it would be M. le Maire, no doubt; and she drew in her chair, and watched him ponder and puzzle, and asked questions, which from any one else he would have thought intrusive, but from her lips could only charm. M. le Curé left his backgammon, and came to look at the problem, and, perhaps, to take the conversation into his own hands; for Mariette’s prattle subsided soon after that. The two gentlemen held much discussion over Labourdonnais and his game, which would take too long to relate, even if I could remember it; but of the conclusion of that memorable evening I have rather a hazy record, being thoroughly tired out. I only know that when the striking of the church clock at length roused M. le Maire both to a sense of his duty and to the flight of time, he had only to open the door of the salon, and there was his equipment, civil and military, just where he had left it some hours before, as if that image on the mirror had never been ! Alice’s adventures through the Looking-Glass were smooth-sailing . compared with my chess dreams that night, and I have had a dread of the game ever since. Eleanor found me so feverish in the morn- ECONMIELICOL KS, (E) m