The times., 1901-03-24

..Senors, senors." he cried, mo blood
she'd
bIoodshed until tomorrow As for you,
sit down: [ have a mind that We play
a cast of the dice presently.
Number Mines face. pallld enough with
his ten years of Los PcTdidO. had grown
CHASTITY, and he shook all over ike one
with an ague. DoubIet and hose filled
a tumbler three parts with wine.
Drink it," ne said. contemptuously;
II can afford TO be liberal. as L shall
have more of this worlds wine than YOU
Faith, the Cardinal and the King kept
their secret we'll Not man of us
dreamt of Los Perdido and that you
had joined the legion of The Lost"
But the tale. cried Pedro Martovalj
the talei'
AS Number Eight answered he kepS
his eyes on his enemy.s face.
Part one is ended" he said.
How? Ended? Call that telling
tale?' said the gaOler. What then of
the woman
Number Eight had waited for the ques-
ton; waited TO see the light that could
not be shut out leap into the eyes oppo-
site.
AN. the woman? The woman died"
Then after a silence, Died. he repeated
The second use of the word gOaded the
other into speech.
How can you know she died2
Doublet and hose leaned nearer and.
laughing an ugly laugh, said: Because 1
killed her. What else would you have
me do, and for what else am | here?'
The man in the cassock bent forward over
the table, his head in his open hands
Presently Number Eight touched him
on the shoulder with short, nervous
taps.
You and are left" he said. and
there is only room for one of us while
the other has a VIII 10 kill
Number Nine lifted his head
Not two for long. Tomorrow settles
that. he answered.
Tomorrow? No. tonight and Num-
Der Eight drew the dice-box toward him
For a moment he sat. shaking it idly
| in his hands. thinking; Jnen ne said
"A mans honor is still his honor.
| though ten years have passed since the
wrong; and if blood be split, he must spill
! it, and not the law. Had we met then we
had Staked our lives on the slip of q foot
or a swOTd-thTust in the lungs; now there
IS no way but this Ny life or yours,
Sener Enrico Number Nine. on the besS
of five throws of the dice. Tut, man.
rouse yourself: one or other has little
enough time for dreaming. Master Pedro,
/ those parchmentS OF yours; no names, II
you please. They run thus. do they not:
'EnricO SO-and-So to the scahOld and En-
rico So-and-SO TO Gods sunlight and
sweet air? Aye, that is settled then.
senior. l play you which takes whiCh-
Death or Liberty. the highest OF five
throws Begin"
Almost mechanically the other stretch
ed out his hand to the diee-box, then
paused, the box in his fingers.
But he began.
O..
Are you grown coward in the shad-
owS of Les Perdido? Or is it that you
reckon the chances Of the paTChments?
Let the chances be; they are equal
enough between the woman-slayer and
the plOtter against the King to advance
the Church and save his own soul. Throw,
l say
Still mechanically, the other shook the
table.
"A four and six cried Doublet and
hose and brave throw. Now for my
turn: double trays. Wen, there's time
to mend vet Set il down Master Pedro:
Don Eurico Number Nine scores ten.
Don Enrico Number Eight, six Now.
senior, hves. and for me but a four
and a three
to the cheeks of him of the cassOck. and
for the third throw he seized the box
with all the tre of seasoned gamester
long shut out from his pastime. shook
it above his head, and then rolled the
dice slowly on the table.
Elves again!' he cried; match that.
il you can
Eight calmly. IF vengeance hath bided
its time ten years. 1t can bide ten sec
0nds more uRhasted. He laughs best who
laughs last A six and two. Tally, Mas
ter Pedro. Twenty-One to thirty. Truly
the devil fights for his own. Throw.
senor. break in the luck; break in
the luck, Five all told: and for me
seven. The dice are against me.
sock had risen.
Il will play no more. he cried. This
is sheer murder Would YOU have your
blood as wen as her wrong on my SOUL
Let the parchmeuts end the business. [
resign my lead. let that square the debt"
Number Eight stretched out his hand
TO the gaoler.
Give me the parchments. Nay. fool.
they are safe enough. the scaffold
stands not upon a sheepskin- The pareh-
ments. / say; so. now, Don EnricO, throw.
Your life or mine on the cast What,
man. must / strike ye on the mouth TO
make We thrOw-seducer and traitor that
ye are? Would steal the wife and shirl,
-ha, ace. trayi The box, senOr; there's
God in Heaven yet. He throws. not |"
Taking the dice-box in his left hand
Number Eight reversed il on the table.
holding the dice covered. Then. shaking
out the parchments. he glanced at them.
and, handing them back to Pedro Mario
val raised the box.
''Sixes, by heavens' You are EnTico de
Ramirez The hour is up. Master Pedro.
Tonight 1t Is I who sleep in Number Nine.
For fifteen hours this gentleman is Num-
ber Eight and after that-nothing -
Hamilton Drummond in the Strand Mag
aziue.