d his plaques and turned to her.

"I am going to play on your principle," he declared. "I have always
thought it an interesting one. See, the last number was twenty-two. I am
going to back twenty and all the _carres_."

He covered the board around number twenty. There were a few minutes of
suspense, then the click as the ball fell into the little space.

"_Vingt-huit, noir, passe et pair!_" the croupier announced.

Hunterleys' stake was swept away. He only smiled.

"Our numbers are going to turn up," he insisted cheerfully. "I am
certain of it now. Do you know that this is the first time I have played
since I have been in Monte Carlo?"

She watched him half in fear. This time he staked on twenty-nine, with
the maximum _en plein_ and all the _carres_ and _chevaux_. Again the few
moments of suspense, the click of the ball, the croupier's voice.

_"Vingt-neuf, noir, impair et passe!"_

She clutched at his arm.

"Henry!" she gasped.

He laughed.

"Open your bag," he directed. "We'll soon fill it."

He left his stake untouched. Thirty-one turned up. He won two _carres_
and let the table go once without staking. Ten was the next number.
Immediately he placed the maximum on number fourteen, _carres_ and
_chevaux_. Again the pause, again the croupier's voice.

_"Quatorze rouge, pair et manque!"_

Hunterleys showed no exultation and scarcely any surprise. He gathered
in his winnings and repeated his stake. This time he won one of his
_carres_. The next time _quatorze_ turned up again. For half-an-hour he
continued, following his few chosen numbers according to the run of the
table. At the end of that time Violet's satchel was full and he was
beginning to collect mille notes for his plaques. He made a little
calculation in his mind and decided that he must already have won more
than the necessary amount.

"Our last stake," he remarked coolly.

The preceding number had been twenty-six. He placed the maximum on
twenty-nine, the _carres_, _chevaux_, the column, colour and last dozen.
He felt Violet's fingers clutching his arm. There was a little buzz of
excitement all round the table as the croupier announced the number.

_"Vingt-neuf noir, impair et passe!..."_

They took their winnings into the anteroom beyond, where Hunterleys
ordered tea. There was a little flush in Violet's cheeks. They counted
the money. There was nearly five thousand pounds.

"Henry!" she exclaimed. "I think that that last coup was the