The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, February 1904, No. 159.Various
General
The Strand Magazine, Vol. 27, February 1904, No. 159.
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
The map, which was drawn in lead-pencil, was on a piece of ruled paper,
yellow with age and cracked in the folds. The island was in shape a
rough oval, the coast-line being broken by small bays and headlands.
Mr. Chalk eyed it with all the fervour usually bestowed on a holy
relic, and, breathlessly reading off such terms as "Cape Silvio,"
"Bowers Bay," and "Mount Lonesome," gazed with breathless interest at
the discourser.
"And is that the grave?" he inquired, in a trembling voice, pointing to
a mark in the north-east corner.
The captain removed it with his fingernail. "No," he said, briefly.
"For full details see the other side."
For one moment Mr. Chalk hoped; then his face fell as Captain Bowers,
displaying for a fraction of a second the writing on the other side,
took up the map and, replacing it in the bureau, turned the key in the
lock and with a low laugh resumed his seat. Miss Drewitt, glancing over
at Edward Tredgold, saw that he looked very thoughtful.
"You've lost your bet," she said, pointedly.
"I know," was the reply.
His gaiety had vanished and he looked so dejected that Miss Drewitt was
reminded of the ruined gambler in a celebrated picture. She tried to
quiet her conscience by hoping that it would be a lesson to him. As she
watched, Mr. Tredgold dived into his left trouser-pocket and counted
out some coins, mostly brown. To these he added a few small pieces of
silver gleaned from his waistcoat, and then after a few seconds' moody
thought found a few more in the other trouser-pocket.
"Eleven and tenpence," he said, mechanically.
"Any time," said Mr. Chalk, regarding him with awkward surprise. "Any
time."
"Give him an I O U," said Captain Bowers, fidgeting.
"Yes, any time," repeated Mr. Chalk; "I'm in no hurry."
"No; I'd sooner pay now and get it over," said the other, still
fumbling in his pockets. "As Miss Drewitt says, people who make bets
must be prepared to lose; I thought I had more than this."
There was an embarrassing silence, during which Miss Drewitt, who
had turned very red, felt strangely uncomfortable. She felt more
uncomfortable still when Mr. Tredgold, discovering a bank-note and a
little collection of gold coins in another pocket, artlessly expressed
his joy at the discovery. The simple-minded captain and Mr. Chalk
both experienced a sense of relief; Miss Drewitt sat and simmered in
helpless indignation.
"You're careless in money matters, my lad," said the captain,
reprovingly.
"I couldn't understand him making all that fuss over a couple o'
pounds," said Mr. Chalk, looking round. "He's very free, as a rule; too
free."
Mr. Tredgold, sitting grave and silent, made no reply to these charges,
and the girl was the only one to notice a faint twitching at the
corners of his mouth. She saw it distinctly, despite the fact that her
clear, grey eyes were fixed dreamily on a spot some distance above his
head.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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