went on. "But come now, who is
she? You started to call her 'Countess.' Since when have
countesses gone into secretarying? Tut! Tut! and again, my dear
man, Tut!"

"Sir," replied Carlisle, "I recall that when I was a youth, some of
us, members of the Sabbath-school class, occasionally would ask our
teacher a question on the Scriptures which he could not answer. In
that case he always said, 'My dear young friends, there are some
things which are not for man to know.'"

"I accept my temporary defeat," said Dunwody slowly. "We'll see.
But come, now, Captain, time is passing and the tables are yearning
for trouble. The army is distinguished not alone in love.
Draw-poker hath its victories, not less than war. I told Jones and
Judge Clayton and one or two others that I was pining for a little
game of draw. What do you say? Should not all lesser questions be
placed in abeyance?"

"That," said the other, "comes to me at the present moment in the
nature of an excellent compromise measure. I am agreed!"

Fencing thus, neither sure of his adversary, they now made their
way to one of the larger saloons, which ordinarily was devoted to
those who preferred to smoke, mayhap to chew, perhaps even to do
worse; for the door leading to the bar-room of the boat was near at
hand. A darky boy stood grinning, arranging a table, offering
cards and tobacco in a tempting tray. The two drew up leisurely to
the table, and presently were joined by the gentlemen whom Dunwody
had mentioned. For the time, then, as two of the four reflected,
there was a truce, a compromise.

CHAPTER IV

THE GAME

They made a group not uninteresting as they gathered about the
table in the deck saloon. The youngest of the four received the
deference generally accorded the uniform he wore, and returned the
regard due age and station in the civilian world. For the moment
rid of one annoying question, he was quite his better self, and
added his quota in the preliminary badinage of the game. Across
the table from him sat Judge Henry Clayton of New Madrid, a tall
and slender gentleman with silky white mustaches and imperial,
gentle of speech, kindly of countenance, and with soft, white
hands, whose long fingers now idly raised and let fall some of the
parti-colored tokens of the game.

[Illustration: They made a group not uninteresting.]

At Clayton's side, Dunwody, younger, larger and more powerful, made
something of a contrast. Both t