“We can complain.”

But making a complaint was repellent to a college youth, who was inclined to regard as a cheap fellow anybody who would do such a thing, and Diamond did not agree to that.

“Well,” said Frank, “I suppose I can go in there and clean them all out.”

“How?”

“At their own game,” laughed Merry, muffledly.

“If anybody in this crowd tackles them that way I’ll be the one,” asserted the Virginian.

“Then nobody here will tackle them that way,” said Frank, remembering how he had once saved Diamond from sharpers in New Haven.

Frank was a person who believed that knowledge of almost any sort was likely to prove of value to a man at some stage of his career, and he had made a practice of learning everything possible.  He had studied up on the tricks of gamblers, so that he knew all about their methods of robbing their victims.  Being a first-class amateur magician, his knowledge of card tricks had become of value to him in more than one instance.  He felt that he would be able to hold his own against pretty clever card-sharps, but he did not care or propose to have any dealings with such men, unless forced to do so.

The boys kept still for a while.  Their light was extinguished, but, up near the ceiling, a shaft of light came through the partition from the other room.

Diamond saw it.  He jumped up and dragged a trunk into position by that partition.  Mounted on the trunk, he applied his eye to the orifice and discovered that he could see into the Frenchman’s room very nicely.

“What can you see?” grunted Browning.

“I can see everyone in there,” answered Jack.

“Name them.”

“The Frenchman, the Englishman, the superstitious man, and our fresh friend, Bloodgood.”

“Same old crowd,” murmured Frank.

“Yes, and a hot old game!” came from the youth on the trunk.  “My! my! but they are whooping her up!  They’ve got plenty to drink, and they are playing for big dust.”

“Tell them to saw up till to-morrow,” mumbled Bruce.

Jack did not do so, however.  He remained on the trunk, watching the game, seeming greatly interested.

A big game of poker interested him any time.  It was through the influence of Frank that he had been led to renounce the game, but the thirst for its excitements and delights remained with him, for he had come from a family of card-players and sportsmen.

“Come, come!” laughed Frank, after a while; “I can hear your teeth chattering, old man.  Get off that trunk and turn in.”

“Wait!” fluttered Jack—­“wait till I see this hand played out.”

In less than half a minute he cried: 

“It’s a skin game!  I knew it was!”

“What’s the lay?” asked Merry.

“That infernal Frenchman is a card-sharp!”

“I suspected as much.”

“His pal is the Englishman.  They are standing in together.”