what are you up to, Lynde?" exclaimed Lord, leaving Mrs.
Rhees and coming over. She followed. Strangers also were gathering.
The business of the place was at its topmost toss--it being two o'clock
in the morning--and the rooms were full.

"How interesting!" observed Miss Lanman, at the other end of the table,
pausing in her playing and staring. McKibben, who was beside her, also
paused. "They're plunging. Do look at all the money! Goodness, isn't
she daring-looking--and he?" Aileen's shining arm was moving deftly,
showily about.

"Look at the bills he's breaking!" Lynde was taking out a thick layer
of fresh, yellow bills which he was exchanging for gold. "They make a
striking pair, don't they?"

The board was now practically covered with Lynde's gold in quaint
little stacks. He had followed a system called Mazarin, which should
give him five for one, and possibly break the bank. Quite a crowd
swarmed about the table, their faces glowing in the artificial light.
The exclamation "plunging!" "plunging!" was to be heard whispered here
and there. Lynde was delightfully cool and straight. His lithe body
was quite erect, his eyes reflective, his teeth set over an unlighted
cigarette. Aileen was excited as a child, delighted to be once more
the center of comment. Lord looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He
liked her. Well, let her he amused. It was good for her now and then;
but Lynde was a fool to make a show of himself and risk so much money.

"Table closed!" called the croupier, and instantly the little ball
began to spin. All eyes followed it. Round and round it went--Aileen
as keen an observer as any. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright.

"If we lose this," said Lynde, "we will make one more bet double, and
then if we don't win that we'll quit." He was already out nearly three
thousand dollars.

"Oh yes, indeed! Only I think we ought to quit now. Here goes two
thousand if we don't win. Don't you think that's quite enough? I
haven't brought you much luck, have I?"

"You are luck," he whispered. "All the luck I want. One more. Stand
by me for one more try, will you? If we win I'll quit."

The little ball clicked even as she nodded, and the croupier, paying
out on a few small stacks here and there, raked all the rest solemnly
into the receiving orifice, while murmurs of sympathetic
dissatisfaction went up here and there.

"How much did they have on the board?" asked Miss Lanman of McKibben,