Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-01-20
q don't know"

answer. Considering him for a mo
 ment in silence, she turned again and l descended the stairs
 The dinner was one of those thor | oughly well chosen dinners of few
 courses ana faultiess service suitable
 for card players, who neither care to
 stuff themselves as preliminary to a
 battle royal nor to dawdle through
 courses, eliminating for themselves
 what is not good for them. The n,en drank light, sound, aromatic Irish of
 the majors; the women-except Ma
 rion, who took what the men took
 used claret sparingly. Coffee was
 served where they sat; the men smok-
 ing, Agatha and Marion producing
 their own cigarettes.
 Good people, if you are ready we
 vii! go through the ceremony of cut
 ting for partnep - unless otherwise you decide. How say you?" said Syl-
 via.
 T don't care to enter the scramble
 for man. cried Grace If it's to
 choose. I'd as soon choose Marion"
 Plank looked at Leila, who laughed.
 All right; choose, then" said Syl- via. Howard, you're dying, of course, to play with me, but you're looking very guiltily at Agatha"
 The major asked Leila at once, so Plank fell to Sylvia, pitted against Ma ripO and CAaco EorroII
 A few moments later the quiet of the library was broken by the butler entering with decanters and ice and glasses that tinkled frostily.
 Play began at table No on a pass ed make of no trumps by Sylvia, and at the other table on doubled and re- doubled heart make, which sent a delicate flush into Agatha's face and drove the last vestige of lingering thoughtfulness from Quarrier's, leav- ing it a tense, pallid and expressionless mask, out of which looked the velvet fringed eyes of woman.
 Of all the faces there at the two ta- bles Sylvia's alone had not changed, neither assuming the gamblers mask nor the infatuated glare of the anna teur. She was thoughtful. excited, de- lighted or dismayed by turns, but al ways wholesomely so, the game for its own sake and not the stakes ab- sorbing her, partly because she had never permitted herself to weigh mon- ey and pleasure in the same balance, but kept mental pair of scales for each.
 AS usual, the fever of gain was fiercest ill those who could afford to lose most. Quarrier, playing to rule with merciless precision. coldly exact ed every penalty that a lapse in his opponents permitted. Agatha, her teeth set in her neither lip, her eyes like living jewels, answered Quarters every signal, interpreted every sign, her play fitting in exactly with his, as though she were his subconscious self balancing the perfectly adjusted mech anism of his body and mind.
 Now and then lifting her eyes she sent long, limpid glance at Quarter like a pale shaft of light, and under his heavy fringed lashes at moments his level gaze encountered hers with a slow narrowing of lids-as though there was more than one game in prog ress, more than one stake being played for under the dull rose glow of the clustered lights.
 The collar of diamonds and aqua- marines shimmered like the reflection of shadowy lightning across her i throat. A single splendid jewel glow ed on her left hand as her fingers fash ed among the cards for the makeup.
 "A hundred aces," broke in Plank's | heavy voice as he played the last trick | and picked up the scoring card and l pencil.
 Once Marion. overintent, touched a | card in the dummy when she should have played from her own hand, and | Sylvia would have let it pass had not | Plank calmly noted the penalty.
 ''Oh. dear! It's too much like busi- | ness." sighed Sylvia. Cant we play | for the sake of the sport? I don't l think it good sportsmanship to profit | by blunder"
 Rule" observed Marion laconically. ''Ware barbed wire if you want the brush"
 "I myself never was crazy for the Drush," murmured Sylvia.
 Grace whispered maliciously. But you've got if. with the mask and pads" and her mischievous head bare ' tipped backward in the direction of Quarrier
 Especially the mask" returned Syl. ria under her breath and laid on the able the last card of Marlborough.
 Toward midnight Sylvia, absorbed n her dummy. fancied she heard the electric bell ringing at the front door. Later. having barely made the add. he was turning to look at the major when, beyond him. she saw Leroy MOr. finer enter the room, sullen. pasty kinned. but perfectly sober and well ,roOmed
 You are a trife late" observed Syl- ia carelessly. Grace Ferrall and Ma ion ignored him. Plank bade him pod evening in low voice.
 The people at the other table. hay ng completed their rubber. looked round at Mortimer in disagreeable urprise
 I'll cut in if you want me. If you Ion't. say so." observed Mortimer. It was plain that they did not. so he ettled himself fin an armchair with an gly glance at his wife and an iIIsO- ent one st Quarter. and the game rent on in silence. Leila and the ma pr still losing heavily under the sneer-