“Five thousand francs,” replied Hugh, after a moment’s calculation.
“Very well, I’ll ‘play’ you,” the young man said calmly.
The announcement caused each of the quartette the most intense excitement, for it meant that Pierre had backed that amount against the banker’s stake upon the result of his tableau.
Every one was silent. Hugh scarcely breathed. He dealt the cards, and each snatched them up.
It was an exciting moment for all concerned, and there was a dead silence.
The adventuress exchanged glances with the count. Adolphe remained perfectly cool as he turned the faces of the cards upwards, a five and a four of diamonds, making a “natural” against which Hugh’s cards were useless.
With a grim smile Hugh pushed the two notes and some gold over to his adversary, and, rising from the table, exclaimed—
“I think, after all, I’d better have remained a punter than aspired to be a banker.”
“Never mind,” said Valérie encouragingly, as she gathered up her winnings, “your good luck will return to-morrow.”
“I shall ruin myself if I go on long at this rate,” he replied. “I shall have to send to London to-morrow for a fresh supply, otherwise I shall be hard up.”