"And I'll give you whatever you ask!" he said, in a hoarse tone, bending down into the cloud of smoke that rose from Hinrich's pipe.
"No pay, no work,--and that trick with Brownlock a little while ago cost me five louis-d'or. I should like half down now."
"Here it is," said Brandow, feeling in his pocket, and giving him as much of the gold he had just won as he could grasp.
"You have always been a good master to me," said Hinrich, rubbing the gold pieces together in his horny palm.
"And will be a still better one in future."
"The gentlemen will go away if you don't come in at once," said Rieke, hurrying out. She had left the door of the room open, and Hans Redebas' gruff bass voice was heard shouting: "Brandow! Brandow!" amid shrill laughter, and a hoarse tone repeating: "We won't go home! We won't go home!"
"I'll get rid of you," muttered Brandow. "You will stay here, Hinrich."
"I'll wait, sir."
Brandow went back into the gaming-room.
"You are taking an undue advantage of the freedom the accidental absence of ladies bestows," said Brandow, with cutting contempt, as his guests received him with upraised glasses and a halloo, to which Gustav von Plüggen added a loud hip, hip, hurrah!