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Whistling under his breath the saay, empty melody, he opened the top drawer of his dresser, dropped in histhe drawer, pocketed the key He would have tih to read the letter when he went to bed; he did not just now feel exactly like skih the fond, foolish serh his mother's favouritein the sad old questions again--of repeating his assurances of good behaviour, of reiterating his pro his own self-confidence? Better that the letter await his bed time--his prayers would be the sincerer the fresher the ih to say the prayers that an iht, if prayer is any use, it takes only a few minutes to be on the safe side

So he went down-stairs leisurely, prepared to acquiesce in any suggestion fro to saunter across Sylvia Landis' path before being co beside the fire with Quarrier, one foot on the fender, apparently too preoccupied to notice hiun-room, which was blue with tobacco smoke and aromatic with the volatile odours from decanters

There were a feomen there, and the majority of the men Lord Alderdene, Major Belwether, and Mortimer were at a table by themselves; stacks of ivory chips and five cards spread in the centre of the green explained the nature of their ga Siward unoccupied, said wheezily: "Cut out that ',' and give Siward his stack! Anything above two pairs for a jack triples the ante Come on, Siward, there's a decent chap!"

So he seated hioddess balanced upon her winged wheel; and the cards ran high--so high that stacks dwindled or toppled within the half-hour, and Mortirew redder and redder, and Major Belwether blander and blander, and Alderdene's face wore a continual nervous snicker, showing every white hound's tooth, and the ice in the tall glasses clinked ceaselessly

It was late when Quarrier "sat in," with an expressionless acknowledgment of Siward's presence, and an ehbour's resources with the first hand dealt, in which he participated without drawing a card

And always Siward, eyes on his cards, seeers caressing his silky beard, the symmetrical po his smooth blank forehead