"I think he did understand your position," said Gilderman, almost dryly. Pilate looked at him for a little while with his keen, steady eyes. Perhaps he did not know just what construction to place on Gilderman's phrase. Gilderman wondered whether he looked guilty of the double meaning he had intended. "Wouldn't you like to play a game of billiards?" he said. "Certainly," said Pilate. And then to the club servant, as he arose from where he sat: "Tell Abraham to fetch the soda-and-whiskey up to the billiard-room when he brings it. You'll have to allow me ten or a dozen points, Mr. Gilderman," he said. "I can't play billiards with you young fellows." And then they went off together to the billiard-room. Some little time after midnight the men began dropping in from the Dorman-Websters' until there was quite a number present. About one o'clock a party of six or eight began playing poker, and in a little while afterwards Gilderman joined the game. They had been playing maybe not over a quarter of an hour when those hands were dealt to Gilderman and Latimer-Moire which were afterwards so much talked about. Ryan was dealing at the time, and Gilderman drew three cards to a pair of queens. The first card he turned up was a third queen, the next was an ace. He wondered passively how it would feel to draw a fourth queen, and then he turned up the card. It was the queen of clubs. He felt struck almost as with a physical shock. He closed his cards slowly and laid them face down upon the table, and he was conscious as he did so that he had been able to infuse a perfect and complete expression of indifference into his face and action. Oh, if it were only possible now for some one to hold a hand to play against him! Then the play began, and he saw almost immediately that even this desire was to be gratified. One by one the other men dropped out of the game until only Latimer-Moire and himself remained. The betting went steadily on and on, each time being to the full limit. The stakes doubled and quadrupled again and again. It passed through Gilderman's mind, what if his opponent should, after all, have four kings? Such a chance was almost impossible, but the thought of it caused him a pang as it went through his mind. The rumor of the betting flew through the club, and quite a little crowd presently gathered around the table. Gilderman kept his cards face down upon the board. The men, as they came, went one by one around back of Latimer-Moire and looked into his hand. Nearly all of them laughed when they saw it. "Let's see what you've got, Gildy?" said Stirling West, over Gilderman's shoulder. "No, by George!" said Gilderman, without looking around. He put his hand over his cards as he spoke. "I'm playing this hand alone," he said, "and I'll play it till the crack of doom, if need be." As he spoke another sudden, dull spark of apprehension passed through his heart. What if Latimer-Moire should have four kings, after all?