Part 17 (1/2)

They began a game. The big man lost. He shouts to me. Says he, ”You're always cheating. You don't count straight. Why don't you pay attention?”

He scolded away, then threw down his cue, and went out. Now, just look here! Evenings, he and the prince plays for fifty silver rubles a game; and here he only lost a bottle of Makon wine, and got mad. That's the kind of a character he is.

Another time he and the prince plays till two o'clock. They don't bank down any cash; and so I know neither of them's got any cash, but they are simply playing a bluff game.

”I'll go you twenty-five rubles,” says he.

”All right.”

Just yawning, and not even stopping to place the ball,--you see, he was not made of stone,--now just notice what he said. ”We are playing for money,”

says he, ”and not for chips.”

But this man puzzled me worse than all the rest. Well, then, when the big man left, the prince says to the new barin, ”Wouldn't you like,” says he, ”to play a game with me?”

”With pleasure,” says he.

He sat there, and looked rather foolish, indeed he did. He may have been courageous in reality; but, at all events, he got up, went over to the billiard-table, and did not seem fl.u.s.tered as yet. He was not exactly fl.u.s.tered, but you couldn't help seeing that he was not quite at his ease.

Either his clothes were a little too new, or he was embarra.s.sed because everybody was looking at him; at any rate, he seemed to have no energy. He sort of sidled up to the table, caught his pocket on the edge, began to chalk his cue, dropped his chalk.

Whenever he hit the ball, he always glanced around, and reddened. Not so the prince. He was used to it; he chalked and chalked his hand, tucked up his sleeve; he goes and sits down when he pockets the ball, even though he is such a little man.

They played two or three games; then I notice the prince puts up the cue, and says, ”Would you mind telling me your name?”

”Nekhliudof,” says he.

Says the prince, ”Was your father commander in the corps of cadets?”

”Yes,” says the other.

Then they began to talk in French, and I could not understand them. I suppose they were talking about family affairs.

”_Au revoir_,” says the prince. ”I am very glad to have made your acquaintance.” He washed his hands, and went to get a lunch; but the other stood by the billiard-table with his cue, and was knocking the b.a.l.l.s about.

It's our business, you know, when a new man comes along, to be rather sharp: it's the best way. I took the b.a.l.l.s, and go to put them up. He reddened, and says, ”Can't I play any longer?”

”Certainly you can,” says I. ”That's what billiards is for.” But I don't pay any attention to him. I straighten the cues.

”Will you play with me?”

”Certainly, sir,” says I.

I place the b.a.l.l.s.

”Shall we play for odds?”

”What do you mean,--'play for odds'?”

”Well,” says I, ”you give me a half-ruble, and I crawl under the table.”