So as to keep ourselves to ourselves a 'ouse 'ad been taken near the docks; it wos only 'arf furnished, but that didn't matter. Morgan took it for a month on trial, and give the name o' Mollison. The agent arst for a reference, and one wos sent 'im from London, I don't know by who. We took possession without anybody noticin' us. There wos a room on the fust flore pritty well stocked with chairs, tables, sideboard, lamps, lookin' glass over the mantelpiece, and all that. We smuggled in grog, and wine, and cigars, and when we built up a big fire the room looked cosy and comfortable. We used to go there after dinner, and smoke, and drink, and play. One night I told Louis that I meant to have a dash at Maxwell single-'anded. "We ain't lucky as pardners," I sed, "I'm goin' to tackle 'im alone." By that time Louis 'ad dropped a matter of three thousand quid, accordin' to 'is reckonin', and 'e wos mad to git it back. I never found out where the money went to; Maxwell wos always swearin' 'e 'adn't a shillin'. I'll do 'im the justice to say that 'e threw it away right and left at the races, but 'e never showed us any account of 'ow 'e got rid of it. "Yer'll give me my revenge, yer'll give me my revenge!" That wos allus Louis's cry when 'e settled up. "Give yer yer revenge!" said Maxwell. "In course we will. We don't want yer tin." And perhaps the next time Louis 'ud win two or three pound. That wos the way 'e wos led on. Maxwell knew 'ow to play 'is fish. Well, Maxwell took up my challenge to play single-'anded, and we set down to our match. Louis and Morgan wos playin' the same game--piquet it wos--in another part of the room, but 'earin' the big talk atween me and Maxwell they left off and come to our table. "D'yer mind my lookin' over yer 'and?" sed Louis to me. "Not a bit," I answered. "I'm winnin', and I ain't sooperstitious." In course I palmed the cards, but it'd 'ave took a cleverer chap nor Louis to ketch me. I ought to be rollin' in money. "Rubicon'd agin!" cried Maxwell with a oath, dashin' 'is fist on the table. "Keep yer 'air on," I said with a larf as I picked up the cards. "I'll give yer a chance. What d'yer say to two-pound points?" "Done with you," sed Maxwell, wery eager. "'Ow much 'ave yer won?" arst Louis. "Count it up for me," sed I, givin' 'im the paper where the score was marked down. "It's over a thousand," 'e cried with blazin' eyes. "It's my night," I sed. "Didn't I tell yer? I've got 'im on toast." "'Oller when yer out o' the wood," growled Maxwell. We went on playin', and I kep' on winnin'. Over two thousand wos now the figger. Louis could 'ardly keep still. There was no mistake about 'is bein' in dead earnest, but as for us--well, we wos all larfin' in our sleeves at 'im. It didn't turn out a larfin' matter in the end. It was gittin' late, and I orfered to leave off.