d, though, he took a letter from his pocket and wrote on the
back of it something for memorization. Then he told the boys he had
not yet eaten supper, and they excused him with good-natured remarks.
After indulging in a sandwich, a small bowl of rice-custard, and two
slices of brown bread, he went up to the boarding-house. As Robb was
not in, he was obliged to entertain himself. He hit on the form of
entertainment uppermost in his mind--cards. He took the memorandum he
had written above the bank, and dealing out a poker hand to four
imaginary players and himself, proceeded to create flushes and other
combinations. He was unfair in his playing, however, as he looked at
each man's hand and selected cards from it instead of the pack. In
this way he managed to deal himself a royal flush three times in fifty
minutes. The exercise was tiring, though, and he leaned back in his
chair. In that restful attitude a lethargy came upon him, and he
day-dreamed about poker.

It was a game of science and chance, but were not all other games also
dependent upon science and chance--even to a game of ball? There was
something in what Levison had said: in going to the Island one did buy
the _chance_ of having a good time. And as to the selfishness of the
game, did not the boys want him to join them? If they were going to
lose by having him with them it was not likely they would invite him.
As far as his own possible losses were concerned, Evan had seen enough
to feel sure he would break about even. Thus he would have all the fun
for nothing, and would be one among the other fellows. Being without
the money to participate much in a city's recreation, he welcomed the
opportunity of getting something for nothing, which it seemed he would
do in an odd game of poker at one penny ante.

The strain of daily work was severe; one could not think of spending
the evenings with a book--that was too much like more work. What one
needed was something with many laughs, a few cigarettes, and the
company of other bankclerks. But where did bankclerks, on salaries
varying from $300 to $800, congregate? At clubs? In the drawing-rooms
of society? Under the white lights of theatre facades? No--in a
shabby, lonely room somewhere, where a nickel looked like two bits.
That was where one must go to be among them, and to be one among them
he must buy, with his spare pennies, the chances of pleasure they
bought.

Evan's dreaming was bringing him