ch four men sat at cards.
Presently one of them rose to leave, and then another approached, and
Tarzan could see that he courteously offered to fill the vacant chair,
that the game might not be interrupted. He was the smaller of the two
whom Tarzan had seen whispering just outside the smoking-room.

It was this fact that aroused a faint spark of interest in Tarzan, and
so as he speculated upon the future he watched in the mirror the
reflection of the players at the table behind him. Aside from the man
who had but just entered the game Tarzan knew the name of but one of
the other players. It was he who sat opposite the new player, Count
Raoul de Coude, whom at over-attentive steward had pointed out as one
of the celebrities of the passage, describing him as a man high in the
official family of the French minister of war.

Suddenly Tarzan's attention was riveted upon the picture in the glass.
The other swarthy plotter had entered, and was standing behind the
count's chair. Tarzan saw him turn and glance furtively about the
room, but his eyes did not rest for a sufficient time upon the mirror
to note the reflection of Tarzan's watchful eyes. Stealthily the man
withdrew something from his pocket. Tarzan could not discern what the
object was, for the man's hand covered it.

Slowly the hand approached the count, and then, very deftly, the thing
that was in it was transferred to the count's pocket. The man remained
standing where he could watch the Frenchman's cards. Tarzan was
puzzled, but he was all attention now, nor did he permit another detail
of the incident to escape him.

The play went on for some ten minutes after this, until the count won a
considerable wager from him who had last joined the game, and then
Tarzan saw the fellow back of the count's chair nod his head to his
confederate. Instantly the player arose and pointed a finger at the
count.

"Had I known that monsieur was a professional card sharp I had not been
so ready to be drawn into the game," he said.

Instantly the count and the two other players were upon their feet.

De Coude's face went white.

"What do you mean, sir?" he cried. "Do you know to whom you speak?"

"I know that I speak, for the last time, to one who cheats at cards,"
replied the fellow.

The count leaned across the table, and struck the man full in the mouth
with his open palm, and then the others closed in between them.

"There is some mistake, sir," cried one of