"No, I can honestly say I haven"t," replied McKibben, with a bland smile. "I may have thought I was gambling, but I admit I don"t know how. Now Polk, here, wins all the time, don"t you, Polk? Just follow him."

A wry smile spread over Lynde"s face at this, for it was on record in certain circles that he had lost as much as ten and even fifteen thousand in an evening. He also had a record of winning twenty-five thousand once at baccarat at an all-night and all-day sitting, and then losing it.

Lynde all through the evening had been casting hard, meaning glances into Aileen"s eyes. She could not avoid this, and she did not feel that she wanted to. He was so charming. He was talking to her half the time at the theater, without apparently addressing or even seeing her. Aileen knew well enough what was in his mind. At times, quite as in those days when she had first met Cowperwood, she felt an unwilled t.i.tillation in her blood. Her eyes brightened. It was just possible that she could come to love a man like this, although it would be hard.

It would serve Cowperwood right for neglecting her. Yet even now the shadow of Cowperwood was over her, but also the desire for love and a full s.e.x life.

In the gambling-rooms was gathered an interested and fairly smart throng--actors, actresses, clubmen, one or two very emanc.i.p.ated women of the high local social world, and a number of more or less gentlemanly young gamblers. Both Lord and McKibben began suggesting column numbers for first plays to their proteges, while Lynde leaned caressingly over Aileen"s powdered shoulders. "Let me put this on quatre premier for you," he suggested, throwing down a twenty-dollar gold piece.

"Oh, but let it be my money," complained Aileen. "I want to play with my money. I won"t feel that it"s mine if I don"t."

"Very well, but you can"t just now. You can"t play with bills." She was extracting a crisp roll from her purse. "I"ll have to exchange them later for you for gold. You can pay me then. He"s going to call now, anyhow. There you are. He"s done it. Wait a moment. You may win." And he paused to study the little ball as it circled round and round above the receiving pockets.

"Let me see. How much do I get if I win quatre premier?" She was trying to recall her experiences abroad.

"Ten for one," replied Lynde; "but you didn"t get it. Let"s try it once more for luck. It comes up every so often--once in ten or twelve.

I"ve made it often on a first play. How long has it been since the last quatre premier?" he asked of a neighbor whom he recognized.

"Seven, I think, Polk. Six or seven. How"s tricks?"

"Oh, so so." He turned again to Aileen. "It ought to come up now soon.

I always make it a rule to double my plays each time. It gets you back all you"ve lost, some time or other." He put down two twenties.

"Goodness," she exclaimed, "that will be two hundred! I had forgotten that."

Just then the call came for all placements to cease, and Aileen directed her attention to the ball. It circled and circled in its dizzy way and then suddenly dropped.

"Lost again," commented Lynde. "Well, now we"ll make it eighty," and he threw down four twenties. "Just for luck we"ll put something on thirty-six, and thirteen, and nine." With an easy air he laid one hundred dollars in gold on each number.

Aileen liked his manner. This was like Frank. Lynde had the cool spirit of a plunger. His father, recognizing his temperament, had set over a large fixed sum to be paid to him annually. She recognized, as in Cowperwood, the spirit of adventure, only working out in another way. Lynde was perhaps destined to come to some startlingly reckless end, but what of it? He was a gentleman. His position in life was secure. That had always been Aileen"s sad, secret thought. Hers had not been and might never be now.

"Oh, I"m getting foozled already," she exclaimed, gaily reverting to a girlhood habit of clapping her hands. "How much will I win if I win?"

The gesture attracted attention even as the ball fell.

"By George, you have it!" exclaimed Lynde, who was watching the croupier. "Eight hundred, two hundred, two hundred"--he was counting to himself--"but we lose thirteen. Very good, that makes us nearly one thousand ahead, counting out what we put down. Rather nice for a beginning, don"t you think? Now, if you"ll take my advice you"ll not play quatre premier any more for a while. Suppose you double a thirteen--you lost on that--and play Bates"s formula. I"ll show you what that is."

Already, because he was known to be a plunger, Lynde was gathering a few spectators behind him, and Aileen, fascinated, and not knowing these mysteries of chance, was content to watch him. At one stage of the playing Lynde leaned over and, seeing her smile, whispered:

"What adorable hair and eyes you have! You glow like a great rose. You have a radiance that is wonderful."

"Oh, Mr. Lynde! How you talk! Does gambling always affect you this way?"

"No, you do. Always, apparently!" And he stared hard into her upturned eyes. Still playing ostensibly for Aileen"s benefit, he now doubled the cash deposit on his system, laying down a thousand in gold. Aileen urged him to play for himself and let her watch. "I"ll just put a little money on these odd numbers here and there, and you play any system you want. How will that do?"

"No, not at all," he replied, feelingly. "You"re my luck. I play with you. You keep the gold for me. I"ll make you a fine present if I win.

The losses are mine."

"Just as you like. I don"t know really enough about it to play. But I surely get the nice present if you win?"

"You do, win or lose," he murmured. "And now you put the money on the numbers I call. Twenty on seven. Eighty on thirteen. Eighty on thirty. Twenty on nine. Fifty on twenty-four." He was following a system of his own, and in obedience Aileen"s white, plump arm reached here and there while the spectators paused, realizing that heavier playing was being done by this pair than by any one else. Lynde was plunging for effect. He lost a thousand and fifty dollars at one clip.

"Oh, all that good money!" exclaimed Aileen, mock-pathetically, as the croupier raked it in.

"Never mind, we"ll get it back," exclaimed Lynde, throwing two one-thousand-dollar bills to the cashier. "Give me gold for those."

The man gave him a double handful, which he put down between Aileen"s white arms.

"One hundred on two. One hundred on four. One hundred on six. One hundred on eight."

The pieces were five-dollar gold pieces, and Aileen quickly built up the little yellow stacks and shoved them in place. Again the other players stopped and began to watch the odd pair. Aileen"s red-gold head, and pink cheeks, and swimming eyes, her body swathed in silks and rich laces; and Lynde, erect, his shirt bosom snowy white, his face dark, almost coppery, his eyes and hair black--they were indeed a strikingly a.s.sorted pair.

"What"s this? What"s this?" asked Grier, coming up. "Who"s plunging?

You, Mrs. Cowperwood?"

"Not plunging," replied Lynde, indifferently. "We"re merely working out a formula--Mrs. Cowperwood and I. We"re doing it together."

Aileen smiled. She was in her element at last. She was beginning to shine. She was attracting attention.

"One hundred on twelve. One hundred on eighteen. One hundred on twenty-six."

"Good heavens, what are you up to, Lynde?" exclaimed Lord, leaving Mrs.

Rhees and coming over. She followed. Strangers also were gathering.

The business of the place was at its topmost toss--it being two o"clock in the morning--and the rooms were full.

"How interesting!" observed Miss Lanman, at the other end of the table, pausing in her playing and staring. McKibben, who was beside her, also paused. "They"re plunging. Do look at all the money! Goodness, isn"t she daring-looking--and he?" Aileen"s shining arm was moving deftly, showily about.

"Look at the bills he"s breaking!" Lynde was taking out a thick layer of fresh, yellow bills which he was exchanging for gold. "They make a striking pair, don"t they?"

The board was now practically covered with Lynde"s gold in quaint little stacks. He had followed a system called Mazarin, which should give him five for one, and possibly break the bank. Quite a crowd swarmed about the table, their faces glowing in the artificial light.

The exclamation "plunging!" "plunging!" was to be heard whispered here and there. Lynde was delightfully cool and straight. His lithe body was quite erect, his eyes reflective, his teeth set over an unlighted cigarette. Aileen was excited as a child, delighted to be once more the center of comment. Lord looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He liked her. Well, let her he amused. It was good for her now and then; but Lynde was a fool to make a show of himself and risk so much money.

"Table closed!" called the croupier, and instantly the little ball began to spin. All eyes followed it. Round and round it went--Aileen as keen an observer as any. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright.

"If we lose this," said Lynde, "we will make one more bet double, and then if we don"t win that we"ll quit." He was already out nearly three thousand dollars.

"Oh yes, indeed! Only I think we ought to quit now. Here goes two thousand if we don"t win. Don"t you think that"s quite enough? I haven"t brought you much luck, have I?"

"You are luck," he whispered. "All the luck I want. One more. Stand by me for one more try, will you? If we win I"ll quit."

The little ball clicked even as she nodded, and the croupier, paying out on a few small stacks here and there, raked all the rest solemnly into the receiving orifice, while murmurs of sympathetic dissatisfaction went up here and there.

"How much did they have on the board?" asked Miss Lanman of McKibben, in surprise. "It must have been a great deal, wasn"t it?"

"Oh, two thousand dollars, perhaps. That isn"t so high here, though.

People do plunge for as much as eight or ten thousand. It all depends."

McKibben was in a belittling, depreciating mood.

"Oh yes, but not often, surely."