'At how much a
throw?' says Golden Ball, sitting down and rattling the box. 'Well,'
says Beverley, 'a thousand, I think, should do to begin with!'
('A thou-sand,' says he, damme if he didn't!) Oh Gad, but you
should have seen the Golden Ball, what with surprise and his cravat,
I thought he'd choke--shoot me if I didn't! 'Done!' says he at last
(for we were all round the table thick as flies you'll understand)
--and to it they went, and in less than a quarter of an hour,
Beverley had bubbled him of close on seven thousand! Quickest thing
I ever saw, oh, curse me!"
"Oh, Bev," sighed the Viscount, under cover of the ensuing talk and
laughter, "what a perfectly reckless fellow you are!"
"Why, you see, Dick," Barnabas answered, as Peterby re-entered with
his hat and cloak, "a man can't always lose!"
"Beverley," said the Marquis, proffering his arm, "I have my chariot
below; I thought we might drive round to the club together, you and
Devenham and I, if you are ready?"
"Thank you, Marquis, yes, I'm quite ready."
Thus, with a Marquis on his right, and a Viscount on his left, and
divers noble gentlemen in his train, Barnabas went forth to his
triumph.
Pages:
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678