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‘club.
208 WILD MARGARET, °° ~ of
The marquis and Colonel Floyd walked out of the
ar /
‘“‘T wonder what that fellow’s game is,’’ said the Jat- °
ter, ‘‘for, mark my words, Aldy, he has a game; all
these sort of men have. Did you see his face when/poor
Blair lost?” [
‘‘No, I was watching the cards,’’ said the marquis.
‘Well, I wasn’t. I was watching our palefaced friend,
_and if it was sorrow on his face, then I don’t know joy
when I see it. I don’t know what his game is, and I can’t
even guess at it, butif heisn’t winning it, then I’m a Dutch-
man. {
Blair played on until the daylight came in faint streaks
through the Venetian blinds of the card room, and ithe
hour of closing arrived. Then he roseas listlessand weary, .
as unmoved and calm as when he sat down.
‘‘- You have lost,’? said Austin Ambrose, who still stood
beside him. .
‘*’'Yes, I think so. Oh, yes, heavily.”
‘** Heavily!’ echoed Austin Ambrose. ‘‘My dear Blair: -
And you have had a run of bad luck all the week?” . .
‘Yes, luck has been against me,’ assented Blair, and
he beckoned to a footman who brought him some cham-
pagne. .
‘*-You don’t know how much you have lost?” continued
Austin Ambrose, watching him as he drank the wine.
‘‘No, not exactly. Itold them to send the IO U’s to
Tyler & Driver’s. Are you going now? I am afraid I |
have kept you.”
“To Tyler & Driver’ s!’ said Austin Ambrose, as he
strove to keep pace with Blair’s long strides. ‘‘ My dear
fellow, Tyler told me only yesterday that you had over-
drawn your acccount, and that he did not know how to
arrange! And that was before this loss on Springtime!
And there are those I O U’s to-night! Good heavens, my
dear Blair, you will be utterly ruined.” :
Blair stopped and took out his cigar-case. *
‘Got alight?” he said. ‘* Never mind, I’ve found one.
Ruined? Do they say that? Well, they ought to know,”
and he laughed grimly. ‘Sothey say I am ruined; well,
what does it matter? If-Iam broke, 1am the only person ~
to whom it will signify. If I were a married man, new,
and had got a wife——” He stopped, and the hand that
held his cigar quivered in the lamplight; ‘‘but I haven’t,
yousee. Ruined! Well, perhaps it’s as well. What do
fellows do when they go under, Austin? Why, go abroad,
don’t they? Pll goabroad. Tl go to Boulogne, and be a
billiard marker, or I'll work my way out to Australia and
turn cattle runner,’’ He stopped abruptly and looked up “