One of these was the Hon.

John Emerson, a man of some five and thirty, with a languid air and a slight drawl.
"Glad to make your acquaintance, sir," he said to Mark.

"Have you been long in town ?" "Two or three months only," Mark replied.
"Is this your first visit here ?" "Yes, this is my first visit to any place of the sort, but I thought that I should like to go the rounds before I went home again." "Quite so.

Going to punt a few guineas, I suppose ?" "Yes, I suppose that is the right thing to do." "Well, everyone who comes is expected to do a little that way; there is no occasion to play high." "Oh, I should not like to do that," Mark said innocently; "indeed, I know very little about cards." "Oh, that is quite immaterial so long as you only play games of chance; in fact, you don't want to know anything about them.

You see others staking their money, some on one side of the table, and some on the other; you place your money whichever side you like, and take your chance.