ree nicked surfaces, and took the pool.

Two or three more of the men who were waiting for the messenger's return
rose and drew near. Then others came, and, at last, all but Paul were
playing. The rules were simple enough: Any man who turned up three
blanks paid the whole of the pool. One nicked surface took a third, two
nicked surfaces two-thirds, three nicked surfaces the whole. Somebody
cleared the whole, and the game started afresh. Paul threw down a
halfpenny and joined in. As last comer he was last to play. The
first throw cleared the pool. It was renewed, and the next throw took
fourpence. Twopence remained. Three blanks doubled it--fourpence.
Three blanks doubled it again--eightpence. Again three blanks doubled
it--sixteenpence. A throw of one by common consent took sixpence. Three
blanks made the shilling two. Three more blanks made two shillings four.
Three more made it eight, and three more sixteen. Faces began to pale
and hands to tremble. A single took six shillings after a good deal of
wrangling, and ten shillings were left Paul threw for the ten shillings
and swept the pool In all his life he had never known such a sensation,
though the money as yet was mainly of paper slips.

The cashier had negotiated his cheque somehow and somewhere, and was
busy with the money. The men received their meagre wages, debts were
paid, and the game went on. The stakes never again rose so high as at
the first round in which Paul found himself engaged, but he still won
heavily in proportion to the game, and continued to win until the end.
He was then the only winner, and one of the losers asked him to pay for
drinks. Paul, with a certain feeling of splendour and magnanimity, threw
down half a sovereign.

'Take it out of that,' he said.

One of the despoiled poor devils clutched it, and they all went off
together, leaving Paul to struggle into his overcoat and follow, if he
pleased.

'You made a pretty good thing out of that,'said the pockmarked cashier,
swinging the key with which he waited to lock the door.

'I'll see,' Paul answered.

He emptied his pockets on the imposing-surface, and counted the pile. He
had some fifty shillings over and above the week's wages.

'You've been up their shirts to the tune of about six bob a man,' said
the cashier. 'They'll be sorry before the week's out.'

The winner was not affected by any consideration of that sort. He
pouched the money, and took his way with a farewell nod. He