Part 48 (2/2)

He glanced at the card, as he put it into his hand: it was a king; he had a straight. Then he watched what the others were taking. The player on his left also asked for one--a doubtful intimation. His next neighbor asked for two--probably he had three of a kind. The dealer threw up his cards. The age had already taken three--no doubt he had started with the common or garden pair.

It was Lionel's turn to bet.

”Well,” said he, ”I will just go five s.h.i.+llings on this little lot.”

”I will see your five s.h.i.+llings and go a sovereign better,” said his neighbor.

”That's twenty-five s.h.i.+llings for me to come in,” said he who had taken two cards. ”Well, I'll raise you another sovereign.”

The age went out.

”Two sovereigns against me,” said Lionel ”Very well, then, I'll just raise you another.”

”And another.”

This frightened the third player, who incontinently retired. There were now left in only Lionel and his antagonist, and each had drawn but one card. Now the guessing came in. Had the player been drawing to two pairs, or to fill a flush or a straight; had he got a full hand; or was he left with his two pairs; or, again, had he failed to fill, and was he betting on a perfectly worthless lot? At all events the two combatants kept hammering away at each other, until there was a goodly pile of gold on the table, and the interest of the silent onlookers was proportionately increased. Were both bluffing and each afraid to call the other? Or was it that cruel and horrible combination--a full hand betting against four of a kind?

”I call you,” said Lionel's enemy, at length, as he put down the last sovereign he had on the table.

”A straight,” was Lionel's answer, as he showed his cards.

”Not good enough, my boy,” said the other, as he calmly ranged a flush of diamonds before him.

”Take away the money, Johnny,” said Lionel, as if it were a matter of no moment. ”Or wait a second; I'll go you double or quits.”

But here there was an almost general protest.

”Oh, what's the use of that, Moore? It was the duke who brought that nonsense in, and it ought to be stopped; it spoils the game. Stick to the legitimate thing. When you once begin that stupidity, there's no stopping it.”

However, the player whom Lionel had challenged had no mind to deny him.

”For the whole pot, or for what you put in?” he asked.

”Either--whichever you like,” Lionel said, carelessly.

”We'll say the whole pot, then: either I give you what's on the table, or you double it,” the lucky young gentleman made answer, as he proceeded to count the sovereigns and chips--there was 28 in all. ”Will you call to me? Very well. What do you say this is?”--spinning a sovereign.

”I say it's a head,” Lionel replied.

”You've made a mistake, then--very sorry,” said the other, as he raked in his own money.

”I owe you twenty-eight pounds, Johnny,” Lionel said, without more ado; and he took out his note-book and jotted it down. Then they went on again.

Now the game of poker is played in calm; happy is he who can preserve a perfectly expressionless face through all its vicissitudes. But the game of whiskey-poker (which is no game) is played amid vacuous excitement and strong language and derisive laughter--especially towards four in the morning. The whole of this little party seemed ready to go; in fact, they had all risen and were standing round the table; but nevertheless they remained, while successive hands were dealt, face upwards. At first only a sovereign each was staked, then two, then three, then four, then five--and there a line was drawn. But in staking five sovereigns every time, with four to one against you, a considerable amount of money can be lost; and Lionel had been in ill-luck all the sitting. He did not, however, seem to mind his losses, so long as the fierce spirit of gambling could be kept up; and it was with no desperate effort at recovering his money that he was always for increasing the stakes. He would have sat down at the table and gone on indefinitely with this frantic plunging, but that his companions declared they must go directly; at last three of them solemnly swore they would have only one round more. There were then left in only Lionel and the young fellow who had won his 28 early in the evening.

”Johnny, I'll go you once for twenty pounds,” Lionel said.

”Done with you.”

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