"Not if you lets me cut," declared Monte.
Merry had gathered the cards and was shuffling them.
"You may cut," he said.
He put the cards down on the blanket, and Monte divided them into two parts, after which he watched Frank to see that he picked them up right.
Merry picked them up with one hand, doing so swiftly. He picked them up all right, but he cleverly made the pass, which restored the cards to their original positions, as they were before Monte had cut.
Then he dealt.
When they picked up their cards, he began at the left and called off the cards each man held, going around the entire circle.
Monte threw his down, with a cry of amazement.
"An' this yere is what we takes for an easy mark!" he exclaimed.