A simple game enough, not difficult of comprehension, yet vastly exciting, if one may form a judgment of its qualities through watching the faces of the players.

The rotund gentleman dealt a card face downwards to each of his opponents, who then looked at their cards and staked on them, by pushing little piles of gold or silver forward.

Then the dealer turned up his own card, and gave the amount of the respective stakes to those players whose cards were of higher value than his own, whilst sweeping all other moneys to swell his own pile.

A simple means, forsooth, of getting rid of any superfluity of cash.

“Art winning, Endicott?” queried Lord Walterton as, he stood over the other man, looking down on the game.

Endicott shrugged his fat shoulders, and gave an enigmatic chuckle.

“I pay King and Ace only,” he called out imperturbably, as he turned up a Queen.

Most of the stakes came to swell his own pile, but he passed a handful of gold to a hollow-eyed youth who sat immediately opposite to him, and who clutched at the money with an eager, trembling grasp.

“You have all the luck to-night, Segrave,” he said with an oily smile directed at the winner.

“Make your game, gentlemen,” he added almost directly, as he once more began to deal.

“I pay knave upwards!” he declared, turning up the ten of clubs.

“Mine is the ten of hearts,” quoth one of the players.

“Ties pay the bank,” quoth Endicott imperturbably.

“Mine is a queen,” said Segrave in a hollow tone of voice.

Endicott with a comprehensive oath threw the entire pack of cards into a distant corner of the room.

“A fresh pack, mistress!” he shouted peremptorily.

Then as an overdressed, florid woman, with high bullhead fringe and old-fashioned Spanish farthingale, quickly obeyed his behests, he said with a coarse laugh: 

“Fresh cards may break Master Segrave’s luck and improve yours, Sir Michael.”

“Before this round begins,” said Sir James Overbury who was standing close behind Lord Walterton, also watching the game, “I will bet you, Walterton, that Segrave wins again.”

“Done with you,” replied the other, “and I’ll back mine own opinion by taking a hand.”

The florid woman brought him a chair, and he sat down at the table, as Endicott once more began to deal.

“Five pounds that Segrave wins,” said Overbury.

“A queen,” said Endicott, turning up his card.  “I pay king and ace only.”

Everyone had to pay the bank, for all turned up low cards; Segrave alone had not yet turned up his.

“Well! what is your card, Master Segrave?” queried Lord Walterton lightly.

“An ace!” said Segrave simply, displaying the ace of hearts.

“No good betting against the luck,” said young Walterton lightly, as he handed five sovereigns over to his friend, “moreover it spoils my system.”