“Yes, I do, too. I know Captain Alphonso Leek.”
“Perhaps, but—” Lyster smiled, and shook his head dubiously.
“But he won’t play with me, because he don’t like me; that’s what you would say, if you were not too polite—isn’t it? He doesn’t approve of me, and can’t understand why I’m on the face of the earth, and especially why Dan should take any responsibility but Captain Leek on his hands. Huh! Can’t I see? Of course I do. I heard him call me ‘that’ this morning. And so, I want to play a game of poker with him.”
She looked impishly at him from under her brows, and twirled the money.
“Won’t you be a messenger of peace and fix the game for me?” she asked, insinuatingly. “You know you promised to do penance.”
“Then I forswear all rash promises for the future,” he declared.
“But you did promise.”
“Well, then, I’ll keep my word, since you are such a little Shylock. And if it is only the captain—”
She laughed after he had gone out, and sat there shuffling the cards and building them into various forms. She was thus employed when Overton again passed the window and entered the room ere she could conceal them. He observed her attempt to do so and smiled indulgently. 106
“Playing with the cards, are you?” he asked, in a careless way. “They are expensive toys sometimes. But I’ll teach you ’seven-up’ some day; it’s an easy game.”