o care for the refreshment, and impatiently bidding him
be off.

"It's a bad complaint that men ketches--that gambling," said Jerry; "and
when they've got it, they gives it to others, who have it worse. I've
no call to talk, for I've been bad enough. How precious white and seedy
young Mark looks! Anyone would think he had been up to some game of his
own. Every time I opened the door he give quite a jump in his chair,
and, though he laughed it off, he's as nervous as nerves. Wants to win,
I s'pose."

Jerry had a good long walk up and down the lobby--that is to say, he
walked up and down for a long time--and, feeling that he must rest
himself for a while, he slowly subsided into a chair, let his head sink
back, turned it sideways so as to arrange it comfortably, and then he
opened his eyes directly after--as it seemed to him--to find it was
daylight. The candles had burned down very low, and two of his master's
guests were standing at his side.

"Let us out, my lad," said the elder of the two; and as soon as he had
handed them their hats and coats, and closed the door, he gave his eyes
a rub.

"I wonder where S'Richard is?" he thought. "Why, I must have been
asleep a good two hours. Has young Mark gone?"

He went softly through the outer room, to find the door of the inner one
just ajar, and there, at a table, he could see his master writing.

"Young Mark must have let himself out," muttered Jerry. But he altered
his opinion directly, for Lacey turned the paper he had written, folded
it, and held it up to someone on the other side of the table and
invisible from where the man stood.

"There you are!" said Lacey.

"Really, dear boy, I'm almost ashamed to take it. But, there, I'm only
acting as your steward. You'll have to come to my quarters and win it
all back. The wheel of fortune goes round, eh?"

"Yes," said Lacey, laconically. "Take anything else?"

"No, really--no thanks!" said Mark. "Good-night--morning, or whatever
it is. Can I let myself out?"

"The man is there," said Lacey, coldly.

But Jerry did not remain there, to wait just outside, but made his way
quickly back into the lobby, where he stood, ready to hand Mark his
large Inverness cloak and hat, and then open the door.

"Looks as if he were going to be hanged," muttered Jerry very sourly, as
he stood watching the young officer descend in the grey morning light.
"Wonder how much he has won, and whether it makes him feel better?