"All right," said Spennie slowly, "if you like."
He would not have suggested it himself, but after all, hang it, if the man simply asked for it—It was not his fault if the winning of a hand should have given the fellow the impression that he knew all that there was to be known about picquet. Of course, picquet was a game where skill was practically bound to win. But—After all, Wesson had plenty of money. He could afford it.
"All right," said Spennie again. "How much?"
"Something fairly moderate. Ten bob a hundred?"
There is no doubt that Spennie ought at this suggestion to have corrected the novice's notion that ten shillings a hundred was fairly moderate. He knew that it was possible for a poor player to lose four hundred points in a twenty-minute game, and usual for him to lose two hundred. But he let the thing go.
"Very well," he said.
Twenty minutes later, Mr. Wesson was looking somewhat ruefully at the score sheet. "I owe you eighteen shillings," he said. "Shall I pay you, now, or shall we settle up in a lump after we've finished?"
"What about stopping now?" said Spennie. "It's quite fine out."
"No, let's go on. I've nothing to do till dinner, and I'm sure you haven't."
Spennie's conscience made one last effort. "You'd much better stop, you know, Wesson, really," he said. "You can lose a frightful lot at this game."