I said I could, and took him up to the billiard-table.

I had played with him many times at the club, and knew that he could play billiards tolerably well--only tolerably well--but not any better than I could.

He and I were just a match.

He didn't know our table; he didn't know those balls; he didn't know those warped and headless cues; he didn't know the southeastern slant of the table, and how to allow for it.

I judged it would be safe and profitable to offer him a bet on my scheme.