As if inspired by the winning several of the bystanders, some newly arrived, had money in their hands, to stake. So we strolled on; and I was conscious that the youth’s brown eyes briefly flicked after us with a peculiar glint.

“Yours,” she said, extending the coins to me.

I declined.

“No, indeed. It is part of my tuition. If you will play I will stake.”

She also declined.

“I can’t have that. You will at least take your own money back.”

“Only for another try, madam,” I assented.

“In that case we’ll find a livelier game yonder,” said she. “Bob’s just a lazy boy. His game is a piker game. He’s too slow to learn from. Let us watch a real game.”


118