“Ah! You do not answer. You are brutes, you men!”
She was obviously amusing herself at his expense. He said to José: “Have you made this trip before?”
José stared suspiciously. “No. Why? Have you?”
“Oh no.”
José lit a cigarette. “I am already very tired of this ship,” he announced. “It is dull and dirty, and it vibrates excessively. Also the cabins are too near the lavabos. Do you play poker?”
“I have played. But I don’t play very well.”
“I told you!” cried Josette.
“She thinks,” said José sourly, “that because I win I cheat. I do not care a damn what she thinks. People are not compelled by law to play cards with me. Why should they squeal like stuck pigs when they lose?”
“It is,” Graham admitted, tactfully, “illogical.”
“We will play now if you like,” said José, as if someone had accused him of refusing a challenge.