"As purty as Sophy?" continued Olly, a little mischievously.
"Sophy be hanged!" Mr. Hamlin here quickly pulled up himself and horse, both being inclined to an exuberance startling to the youth and sex of the third party. "That is—I mean something in a different suit entirely."
Here he again hesitated, doubtful of his slang.
"I see," quoth Olly; "diamonds—Sophy's in spades."
The gambler (in sudden and awful admiration), "Diamonds—you've just struck it! but what do you know 'bout cards?"
Olly, pomposaménte, "Everything! Tell our fortunes by 'em—we girls! I'm in hearts—Sophy's in spades—you're in clubs! Do you know," in a thrilling whisper, "only last night I had a letter, a journey, a death, and a gentleman in clubs, dark complected—that's you."
Mr. Hamlin—a good deal more at ease through this revelation of the universal power of the four suits—"Speakin' of women, I suppose down there (indicating the school) you occasionally hear of angels. What's their general complexion?"
Olly, dubiously, "In the pictures?"
Hamlin, "Yes;" with a leading question, "sorter dark complected sometimes, hey?"
Olly, positively, "Never! always white."