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| The old woman's fortune is soon lost by the Rake's new habit of gambling. The Rake's posture emphasises his inevitable downfall, his wig lies on the floor and his face shows signs of impending madness (stressed also by the barking black dog, a traditional symbol of depressive melancholy). Meanwhile, the gambling house is on fire (the night-watchman on the left has come in to warn the people inside) but the gamblers are so obsessed with their games that the fire stays unnoticed. |