"Oh; then you feel reasonably sure—"
"No, confound it.... The backs of the aces were slightly rough—but I can scarcely believe—"
"Have you a magnifying glass?"
The pack has disappeared.... I meant to try that."
"My dear fellow," said Malcourt calmly, "it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to learn that Tressilvain is a blackguard. It's easy enough to get your thousand back. Shall we?"
"How?"
Malcourt sauntered over to a card table, seated himself, motioned Portlaw to the chair opposite, and removed the cover from a new pack.
Then, to Portlaw's astonishment, he began to take aces and court cards from any part of the pack at his pleasure; any card that Portlaw called for was produced unerringly. Then Malcourt dealt him unbelievable hands—all of a colour, all of a suit, all the cards below the tens, all above; and Portlaw, fascinated, watched the dark, deft fingers nimbly dealing, shuffling, until his senses spun round; and when Malcourt finally tore up all the aces, and then, ripping the green baize cover from the table, disclosed the four aces underneath, intact, Portlaw, petrified, only stared at him out of distended eyes.
"Those are nice tricks, aren't they?" asked Malcourt, smiling.
"Y-yes. Lord! Louis, I never dreamed you could do such devilish things as—"