ing perceived that patience would achieve as much,
perhaps, as impetuosity. He had ridden many a waiting race, and had won
some of them. He was never so sure of his hand at billiards as when the
score was strong against him. "Always fight while there's any fight left
in you," was a maxim with him. He never surrendered a bet as lost, till
the evidence as to the facts was quite conclusive, and had taught
himself to regard any chance, be it ever so remote, as a kind of
property.

"Never say die," was his answer to Archie's remark. "You see, Clavvy,
you have still a few good cards, and you can never know what a woman
really means till you have popped yourself. As to what she did when she
was away, and all that, you see when a woman has got seven thousand a
year in her own right, it covers a multitude of sins."

"Of course, I know that."

"And why should a fellow be uncharitable? If a man is to believe all
that he hears, by George, they're all much of a muchness. For my part I
never believe anything. I always suppose every horse will run to win;
and though there may be a cross now and again, that's the surest line to
go upon. D'you understand me now?" Archie said that of course he
understood him; but I fancy that Doodles had gone a little too deep for
Archie's intellect.

"I should say, drop this woman, and go at the widow yourself at once."

"And lose all my seventy pounds for nothing!"

"You're not soft enough to suppose that you'll ever get it back again, I
hope?" Archie assured his friend that he was not soft enough for any
such hope as that, and then the two remained silent for a while, deeply
considering the posture of the affair. "I'll tell you what I'll do for
you," said Doodles; "and upon my word I think it will be the best
thing."

"And what's that?"

"I'll go to this woman myself."

"What; to Lady Ongar?"

"No; but to the spy, as you call her. Principals are never the best for
this kind of work. When a man has to pay the money himself he can never
make so good a bargain as another can make for him. That stands to
reason. And I can be blunter with her about it than you can; can go
straight at it, you know; and you may be sure of this, she won't get any
money from me, unless I get the marbles for it."

"You'll take some with you, then?"

"Well, yes; that is, if it's convenient. We were talking of going two or
three hundred pounds, you know, and you've only gone seventy as yet.
Suppose you hand me ove