, each
must now be afraid of going the least little bit too far and scaring the
others out.

"Mr. Congressman," Malone muttered, "there's this game called poker. You
play it with cards and money. Chiefly money."

That wasn't any good.

"You've been called," the dealer said to the first man, who'd opened the
hand a year or so before.

"Why, sure," the player said, and laid down a pair of aces, a pair of
threes--and a four. One of the threes, and the four, were clubs. That
reduced the already improbable chances of the Queen's coming up with a
flush.

"Sorry," said the second man, and laid down a straight with a single
gesture. The straight was nine-high and there were no clubs in it.
Malone felt devoutly thankful for that.

The second man reached for the money but, under the popeyed gaze of the
dealer, the fifth man laid down another straight--this one ten-high. The
nine was a club. Malone felt the odds go down, right in his own stomach.

And now the cowboy put down his cards. The King of diamonds. The King
of hearts. The Jack of diamonds. The Jack of spades. And--the Jack of
hearts.

Full house. "Well," said the cowboy. "I suppose that does it."

The Queen said: "Please. One moment."

The cowboy stopped halfway in his reach for the enormous pile of chips.
The Queen laid down her four clubs--Ace, King, Queen and ten--and for
the first time flipped over her fifth card.

It was the Jack of clubs.

"My God," the cowboy said, and it sounded like a prayer. "A royal
flush."

"Naturally," the Queen said. "What else?"

Her Majesty calmly scooped up the tremendous pile of chips. The cowboy's
hands fell away. Five mouths were open around the table.

Her Majesty stood up. She smiled sweetly at the men around the table.
"Thank you very much, gentlemen," she said. She handed the chips to
Malone, who took them in nerveless fingers. "Sir Kenneth," she said, "I
hereby appoint you temporary Chancellor of the Exchequer--at least until
Parliament convenes."

There was, Malone thought, at least thirty-five thousand dollars in the
pile. He could think of nothing to say.

So, instead of using up words, he went and cashed in the chips. For
once, he realized, the Government had made money on an investment. It
was probably the first time since 1775.

Malone thought vaguely that the Government ought to make more
investments like the one he was cashing in. If it did, the National Debt
could be wiped out in a matter of days.