The young man had lost four games in succession; he had grown very pale, but showed no other signs of agitation.

Presently he said: "You have your usual luck again; I will only play one more game tonight, but we may as well make it worth playing.

Shall we say five hundred ?" "At your service," Emerson replied.
This time the face of the man standing behind Cotter's chair was immovable, and Mark, placing himself behind a short man and straining his head forward, saw that Cotter scored four.

The next time there was still no sign.

Emerson showed a king and scored it, and then won every trick and the game.
"That makes nine hundred pounds," the young man said quietly, writing an IOU for that amount and handing it to Emerson.