's a pity, for I have also, as it happens, a straight flush, but
mine is up to the ace."

Slowly, one after the other, he laid down his cards--ace of hearts, king
of hearts, queen of hearts, knave of hearts, ten of hearts. One single
exclamation of surprise came from the lips of the bystanders. None of
them had ever seen the coincidence of such an extraordinary sequence.

Captain Irwin sat motionless for a moment, fixing his unsteady eyes
straight upon his adversary's cards. Then he suddenly sprang up with a
wild laugh, and left the tent with jingling steps.

"This loss spells ruin for Irwin," said the Major gravely. "He is not in
a position to pay such a sum."

"With his wife's assistance he could," chimed in another; "but it would
eat up pretty well the rest of her fortune."

"I call you, gentlemen, to witness that it is not my fault," said
McGregor, who thought he perceived a certain degree of reproach in the
faces of the bystanders; but all agreed with him.

Lieutenant Temple, who alone of all those present kept up a certain
superficial friendship with Irwin, remarked, "Somebody must go after him
to see that he does not do something foolish in his first excitement."

He turned as if to leave the room, but a call from McGregor stopped him.

"It will be no use, Temple, unless you are able to calm him in some
way or other. In my opinion there is only one thing to do. He must be
persuaded that the whole affair is only a joke, and that the cards had
been shuffled beforehand."

The Lieutenant went back to the table.

"The suggestion of this way of putting it does you honour, Captain; only
I have my doubts if any of us would have the courage to go to him with
this manifest lie."

The silence of the others appeared to confirm this doubt, when the
decisive voice of the German guest interrupted with--

"Will you entrust me, gentlemen, with this mission? I know Captain Irwin
only slightly, it is true, and should have no reason to interfere with
his private concerns; but I hear that it is his wife's property which
has been at stake here, and as I consider Mrs. Irwin a very honourable
lady I would gladly do my best to save her from such a heavy pecuniary
loss."

McGregor held out his hand.

"You would place me under a great obligation, Mr. Heideck, if you could
succeed in this matter, but I warn you that there is no time to lose."

Heideck quickly left the tent, but when he had come out into the
delicious moonl