And never once hastibe secret-service
been able to tottchA Her rtfor
fleecing tender s it all known
games of chance. He's:a cardsharp,
one of the best of them. He tried to
teach me, but I never could cheat a
man at cards. Never makes any false
moves, but waits for the quarry to of
fer itself. That poor child has always
been wondering and wondering, but
she never succeeded in finding out the
truth. Brother and sister have made
a handsome living, and many a time I
have helped them out. There; you
have me in the ring, too. But who
cares? The father, so I understand,
married Fortune's mother for love;
she married 'him for his money, and
he hadn't any. Drink and despair dis
patched him quickly enough. She is a
remarkable woman, and if she had a
heart, she would be the greatest of
them all. She has as much heart as
this beetle," as he flipped the green iri
descent shell into the fire. "But, after
all, she's lucky. It's a bad thing to
have a heart, Percival, a bad thing.
Some one is sure to come along and
wring it, to Jab it and stab it."
"The poor little girl!"
"Percival, I'm no fool. I've been
watching you. Go in and win hef; and
God bless you both. She's not for me,
she's not for me!"
"But what place have I in all this?"
evasively.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Why did Mrs. Chedsoye pay me
back, when her original intention had
been not to pay me?"
"You'll find all that written in the
book of fate, as Mahomed would say.
