Читать книгу Craven Fortune - Fred M. White - Страница 4

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With that uneasy feeling that something was going to happen, Wilfrid Bayfield followed the others to the library where the card-tables were set out. He was as much annoyed with himself as with Horace Bentley. He had allowed the other to anger him in quite an unnecessary fashion, and had promised to play for any stakes the lawyer liked. He could not retreat very well now, though he felt that had he been firm at first there would have been no pressure on the part of the others, and no reflection on his decision.

But there was that cynical, meaning smile on the face of Bentley. It would be hard to back out of it altogether. There were not enough men to make up three tables, and Wilfrid hoped sincerely that he would be cut out in the turn of the cards for partners.

But his luck was not going to stand him in such good stead. Not only did he cut in with Bentley, but he was the latter's antagonist. Bentley smiled as he took his seat.

"Lucky in love, unlucky at cards," he said with a smile that caused Wilfrid to grip his fingers together. "Never knew the old saying to fail, eh? Better draw in your horns when you get the chance and play half-a-crown a hundred."

"Not I!" laughed Wilfrid's partner. "Not much fun in that. I'm not much of a player, but I like to get something for my money."

It was a rich young man who spoke; in fact they were all wealthy men at the table with the exception of Wilfrid. The others nodded approval.

"What do you say to £5 a hundred?" another of the players suggested.

Bentley replied that he left the matter entirely to Bayfield. The man seemed bent upon making himself as disagreeable as possible. It was hard luck, too, that Wilfrid should have a partner who was notoriously a bad and reckless player. Common sense dictated a frank protest to that effect, and a refusal to play for high stakes with so great a handicap. But Wilfrid merely nodded as if he had no care in the world for money, and the game began.

The rubber was a fairly long one and from the first the cards were all against Wilfrid. He played cautiously and prudently, but his efforts were frustrated with a partner who had no self-control and dashed madly to retrieve what the cards had scored against him. A no-trump declaration was promptly doubled by Bentley, only to be redoubled again by Wilfrid's partner, and doubled again by Bentley.

"Don't go any further," Wilfrid suggested. "This is pure and simple gambling, and my purse will not stand that kind of thing."

His partner growlingly refused; there was a further redouble and the hand was played. With ill-concealed satisfaction Bentley made five tricks in spades and then proceeded to play two more aces. His partner having the other ace, the game was easily theirs.

Wilfrid choked down a desire to assault his partner. Nobody who knew anything about the game would have gone no trumps on a hand like that. But Wilfrid said nothing as he made up the score and found he had lost over forty pounds already. He would never be caught like that again, he told himself. He would lose his money this time and there would be an end of it. But could Wilfrid have foreseen what the result of that evening's amusement would be he would have risen from the table and resolutely refused to touch another hand.

"By Jove, what a lucky chap you'll be in your love affairs!" cried Bentley. "Nobody else will be in it with you, my dear fellow. But you don't get a partner like Jackson every day. I shall have to hire him to be my antagonist always."

"Didn't see that I made any mistake," Jackson said sulkily.

"You did no more than throw away something like thirty pounds," Wilfrid replied coldly. "No child of average intelligence would have declared on a hand like that. If you had only left it to me, I could have easily made the odd trick by my hearts. Have a little more consideration for a partner who is not altogether in a position to fling money about."

Jackson sullenly declared that he would play as he liked. The cards were thrown out on the table once more, and Wilfrid hoped from the bottom of his heart that he would be cut out to make room for one of the men who stood by watching the game. But Wilfrid was not cut out; that fate befell the man who had been playing with Bentley. Another man came in and cards were drawn again. It was all Wilfrid could do to check down the rage within him when he saw that he had once more been drawn with Jackson.

The latter dashed recklessly into the fray; his declarations were wild and absurd. The rubber was more disastrous than the last, for there were plenty of doubles and redoubles, and when the score came to be made up Wilfrid was another fifty pounds out of pocket.

"Cut for partners once more," said Bentley, who seemed to be pleased about something.

"No occasion to do anything of the kind," Wilfrid remarked between his teeth. "I can tell exactly what is going to happen. In any case neither Jackson nor myself will cut out and I shall be his partner again. Fate is dead against me."

Everybody smiled but Jackson, as cards were drawn once more; then there followed a shout of laughter as things fell out exactly as Wilfrid had prophesied. By the time that Wilfrid had to leave the table from sheer exhaustion he had lost close on two hundred pounds. From the first he had agreed to pay to Bentley, on his left hand. The latter looked at Wilfrid a little suspiciously as he rose from the table. Bentley was reported to be a wealthy man, but he also had the reputation of looking after every farthing of his money. It was pretty well known that Wilfrid's resources were slender ones.

"You are not going altogether?" Bentley asked.

"I'm not going," Wilfrid said with a determined look on his face. "I'll just stroll as far as the conservatory and smoke a cigarette."

"Better settle up as we go," Bentley suggested. "It's only a matter of two hundred pounds, a mere trifle to a doctor in a large practice. Only don't let people know that you gamble like this--it may do you harm in business."

The speech and the manner were very offensive. Wilfrid had thought of asking for a little time to pay the debt. He offered a cheque now.

"A cheque," Bentley sneered openly. "One does not pay in cheques in affairs like this; at least, I don't unless I have had other dealings with my man. Always seems to me that such things are very unsatisfactory. Still, if you persist----"

All the blood had rushed to Wilfrid's face, and for a moment it looked as if there would be a scene between the two men. But with a great effort Wilfrid recovered himself. He thrust his hand into his breast pocket and produced a flat Russia leather case.

"As you please," he said coldly. "You have done me the honour to question my integrity and to insinuate that I am prepared to win if I win and not to pay if I lose. A man in my position does not usually carry large sums in his pocket, but it so happens that I have money on me to-night. Will you please take it out of that?"

Without the slightest suggestion of apology, Bentley extracted a packet of notes from the case. They were five-pound notes, and he took forty of them and handed Wilfrid two sovereigns back, which made the transaction complete.

"Much obliged to you," he said. "As a matter of fact, Jackson should have paid your losses. If he had recouped you every penny of your outlay he would have done no more than was his due. 'Pon my word, I should sue him for it."

Wilfrid walked out of the room and into the hall beyond. He looked aged and haggard as he stood by the table. Instinctively he had come out into the hall with a hand of cards in his grip. He could not have looked more miserable had he stolen the money to pay Bentley. His lips were compressed as if he suffered physical pain.

"What a fool I have been!" he muttered to himself. "Worse than a fool, a criminal. And yet I had completely forgotten Saxby. And my sacred promise I gave him, a promise that I had pledged myself to fulfil in eight-and-forty hours. And to think that the poor fellow's future may be wrecked before I can save him. Why have I allowed myself to gamble? If only Freda----"

Wilfrid crept to the front door. It seemed as if the household and the servants had gone to bed, but the door was open. Wilfrid passed out into the garden and to the side of the house. One of the upper windows was open, for the night was warm and a light was burning. It was Freda's window as Wilfrid knew. He gave a soft whistle after he had scribbled a message on one of the cards and tossed it through the window. Then Freda looked out and whispered something about the conservatory. Wilfrid crept back into the house again, a house now quite silent save for the shuffle of cards and the muttered comments of the players in the library.

It was dim and sequestered in the conservatory; the fragrance was soothing. Wilfrid had not long to wait, for Freda came in the next moment. She looked white and scared, and Wilfrid's heart smote him with a new compunction. He had no business to bring the girl down like this. Suppose that any of the family came in, Grace, for instance. Wilfrid told himself bitterly that he had lost his head to-night.

"What is it?" Freda asked. "Wilfrid, what has happened?"

"I'll tell you everything," Wilfrid replied. "My dearest girl, I am not fit to touch you. After all I promised you, I have been gambling in that room yonder. True, I was unfortunate in my partner, but the blame is mine. Bentley taunted me into it, and I played for high stakes. Since I was with you last I am the poorer by two hundred pounds."

Freda's face grew pale, but no word of reproach escaped her. She merely asked how the thing had happened and where the money had come from. Wilfrid groaned as he proceeded to explain.

"It was all I had," he said; "all that I had saved. The loss of it renders me penniless. I had drawn the money out of the bank to lend to Frank Saxby. Frank has been robbed by that rascally young brother of his and the money was a client's money. He has to pay it over the day after to-morrow to Bentley's people. Bentley hates Frank, as you know, and if he gets an inkling of this he will have no mercy, and Frank will be struck off the roll of solicitors and perhaps go to gaol. The worst of it is that Frank is relying implicitly on me. I forgot all about him; I ought to have been dishonoured myself before I betrayed Frank. But I was mad with rage and parted with the money without thought of Frank. It was only when I came out of that hated room that the thing struck me like a blow. It's a dreadful, shameful confession to make, dearest, but I know you love me and forgive me for----"

"Oh, yes, yes," Freda said with quivering lips. "It would be no use to blame you now. This money must be found; there is no time to lose. I must get it, Wilfrid."

Wilfrid stared at the speaker in surprise. He could hardly believe his ears. He had not expected to look to Freda for assistance.

"You, darling," he said. "This thing is impossible. I would as soon expect to retrieve my position----"

"Hush!" Freda said; "I will get the money, or its equivalent in value. Wait here till I come back. Anything rather than that your honour should be shamed."

And Freda vanished, leaving Wilfrid in a blind, staggering state of utter astonishment.