different
persons there expressed their amazement at Atlee's daring.

'Who's for a rubber of whist?' said Lord Kilgobbin, to relieve the awkward
pause. 'Are you, Curtis? Atlee, I know, is ready.'

'Here is all prepared,' said Dick. 'Captain Curtis told me before dinner
that he would not like to go to bed till he had his sergeant's report, and
so I have ordered a broiled bone to be ready at one o'clock, and we'll sit
up as late as he likes after.'

'Make the stake pounds and fives,' cried Joe, 'and I should pronounce your
arrangements perfection.'

'With this amendment,' interposed my lord, 'that nobody is expected to
pay!'

'I say, Joe,' whispered Dick, as they drew nigh the table, 'my cousin is
angry with you; why have you not asked her to sing?'

'Because she expects it; because she's tossing over the music yonder to
provoke it; because she's in a furious rage with me: that will be nine
points of the game in my favour,' hissed he out between his teeth.

'You are utterly wrong--you mistake her altogether.'

'Mistake a woman! Dick, will you tell me what I _do_ know, if I do not read
every turn and trick of their tortuous nature? They are occasionally hard
to decipher when they're displeased. It's very big print indeed when
they're angry.'

'You're off, are you?' asked Nina, as Kate was about to leave.

'Yes; I'm going to read to him.'

'To read to him!' said Nina, laughing. 'How nice it sounds, when one sums
up all existence in a pronoun. Good-night, dearest--good-night,' and she
kissed her twice. And then, as Kate reached the door, she ran towards her,
and said, 'Kiss me again, my dearest Kate!'

'I declare you have left a tear upon my cheek,' said Kate.

'It was about all I could give you as a wedding-present,' muttered Nina, as
she turned away.

'Are you come to study whist, Nina?' said Lord Kilgobbin, as she drew nigh
the table.

[Illustration: 'I declare you have left a tear upon my cheek,' said Kate]

'No, my lord; I have no talent for games, but I like to look at the
players.'

Joe touched Dick with his foot, and shot a cunning glance towards him, as
though to say, 'Was I not correct in all I said?'

'Couldn't you sing us something, my dear? we're not such infatuated
gamblers that we'll not like to hear you--eh, Atlee?'

'Well, my lord, I don't know, I'm not sure--that is, I don't see how a
memory for trumps is to be maintained through the fascinating charm of
mademoiselle's voice. And as