“No; I took a drink that braced me up and soon afterwards thought I saw my chance. The cards looked pretty good, and I put up a big bluff and piled on all I had.”
“But you had nothing; you’d lost what you began with.”
Jake colored. “Bethune had given me a check to bearer.”
“I was afraid of that,” Dick said gravely. “But go on.”
“I thought I’d bluff them, but Black and the Spaniard told me to play, though Kenwardine held back at first. Said they didn’t want to take advantage of my rashness and I couldn’t make good. Well, I saw how I could put it over, and it looked as if they couldn’t stop me, until Black brought out a trump I didn’t think he ought to have. After that I don’t remember much, but imagine I turned on the fellow and made some trouble.”
“Can you remember how the cards went?”
“No,” said Dick awkwardly, “not now, and I may have been mistaken about the thing. I believe I fell over the table and they put me on a couch. After a time, I saw there was nobody in the room, and thought I’d better get out.” He paused and added with a flush: “I was afraid Miss Kenwardine might find me in the morning.”
“You can’t pay back the money you lost?”
“I can’t. The check will show in the works’ accounts and there’ll sure be trouble if the old man hears of it.”
Dick was silent for a few moments. It was curious that Jake had tried to defend Kenwardine; but this did not matter. The lad’s anxiety and distress were plain.