THE OLD CARD THE OLD CARD BY ROLAND PERTWEE [Illustration] BONI AND LIVERIGHT NEW YORK 1919 PUBLISHED, 1919, BY BONI & LIVERIGHT, INC. _Printed in the U.S.A._ TO MY SON AND HIS GODFATHER HENRY AINLEY CONTENTS PART I A FEW ELEMENTS CHAPT PAGE ER I. THE BIG CHANCE 1 II. PISTOLS FOR TWO 20 III. A CURE THAT WORKED WONDERS 40 IV. THE ELIPHALET TOUCH 64 V. GETTING THE BEST 96 VI. QUICKSANDS OF TRADITION 113 VII. GAS WORKS 135 PART II AND A ROUGH COMPOUND VIII. MORNICE JUNE 155 IX. A REVERSIBLE FAVOUR 178 X. THE DEAR DEPARTED 198 XI. CLOUDS 227 XII. THE LAST CURTAIN 253 FOREWORD A visit to any modern French Art Gallery will reveal a number of canvases daubed all over with little patches of primary colours, almost as though the picture had been painted with confetti. Assuming you are unaccustomed to this form of application, you will declare against it with insular promptitude. But give the picture a chance—step back and view it from the far wall, and like as not you will find that these chaotic colours have blended and commingled, have ceased to exist as individual items and become merged in a single statement of meaning the artist intended to convey. It is not always want of a single material that persuades the fashioning of a patchwork quilt. Patchwork, in its way, is as complete as are the green plush curtains that hang so soberly from the lacquered pole in your neighbour’s parlour.