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It was then that Bond leant slightly forward

'Suivi,' he said quietly

There was an excited buzz round the table The word ran through the Casino People crowded in Thirty-two million! For most of them it was s and the savings of their families It was, literally, a small fortune

One of the Casino directors consulted with the chef de partie The chef de partie turned apologetically to Bond

'Excusez moi, monsieur La mise?'

It was an indication that Bond really must show he had the money to cover the bet They knew, of course, that he was a very wealthy man, but after all, thirty-two millions! And it sometimes happened that desperate people would bet without a sou in the world and cheerfully go to prison if they lost

'Mes excuses, Monsieur Bond,' added the chef de partie obsequiously

It hen Bond shovelled the great wad of notes out on to the table and the croupier busied hi the pinned sheaves of ten thousand franc notes, the largest denoe of glances between Le Chiffre and the gun directly behind Bond

I hard press into the base of his spine, right into the cleft between his two buttocks on the padded chair

At the sa southern French said softly, urgently, just behind his right ear:

'This is a gun, monsieur It is absolutely silent It can blow the base of your spine off without a sound You will appear to have fainted I shall be gone Withdraw your bet before I count ten If you call for help I shall fire'

The voice was confident Bond believed it These people had shown they would unhesitatingly go the li-stick was explained Bond knew the type of gun The barrel a series of soft rubber baffles which absorbed the detonation, but allowed the passage of the bullet They had been invented and used in the war for assassinations Bond had tested them himself

'Un,' said the voice

Bond turned his head There was thebroadly under his blackBond luck, completely secure in the noise and the crowd

The discoloured teeth cahilittered back at Bond His , waiting for Bond's hand to gesture to the croupier, or else for Bond suddenly to slu with a scream

'Trois'

Bond looked over at Vesper and Felix Leiter They were s to each other The fools Where was Mathis? Where were those famous men of his?

'Quatre'

And the other spectators This crowd of jabbering idiots Couldn't so? The chef de partie, the croupier, the huissier?

'Cinq'

The croupier was tidying up the pile of notes The chef de partie bowed sly towards Bond Directly the stake was in order he would announce: 'Le jeux est fait' and the gun would fire whether the gunman had reached ten or not

'Six'

Bond decided It was a chance He carefully ed his buttocks right back, feeling the sharp gun-sight grind into his coccyx

'Sept'

The chef de partie turned to Le Chiffre with his eyebrows lifted, waiting for the banker's nod that he was ready to play

Suddenly Bond heaved backwards with all his strength His momentum tipped the cross-bar of the chair-back down so quickly that it cracked across the uner

Bond went head-over-heels on to the ground as in the air The back of the chair splintered with a sharp crack There were cries of dised away and then, reassured, clustered back Hands helped him to his feet and brushed him down The huissier bustled up with the chef de partie At all costs a scandal must be avoided

Bond held on to the brass rail He looked confused and embarrassed He brushed his hands across his forehead

'A- the excitement, the heat'

There were expressions of syao home? Should a doctor be fetched?

Bond shook his head He was perfectly all right now His excuses to the table To the banker also

A new chair was brought and he sat down He looked across at Le Chiffre Through his relief at being alive, he felt a moment of triumph at what he saw - some fear in the fat, pale face

There was a buzz of speculation round the table Bond's neighbours on both sides of him bent forward and spoke solicitously about the heat and the lateness of the hour and the smoke and the lack of air

Bond replied politely He turned to exaun for soed But it no longer carried a rubber tip Bond beckoned to hientleman over there,' he indicated Felix Leiter, 'he will return it It belongs to an acquaintance of his'

The hussier bowed

Bond grimly reflected that a short examination would reveal to Leiter why he hadpublic display of hireen cloth in front of him to show that he was ready

CHAPTER 13 - 'A WHISPER OF LOVE, A WHISPER OF HATE'

'La partie continue,' announced the chef impressively 'Un banco de trente-deux millions'

The spectators craned forward Le Chiffre hit the shoe with a flat-handed slap that ht he took out his benzedrine inhaler and sucked the vapour up his nose