A Little Game of Cards

Southland Times, Issue 11750, 1 June 1891, Page 4

A Little Game of Cards

Hjr Dear Uncle.— Come and dine with

tw quietly, sod play the rubber which y oar soul lovetb, ob Tuesday. The dinner is herbs where love is, and quite se eood whist risfyoa get on the housetops of the United Baffera. We have been lent a fist at 222 Moaat street, by a kind friend fora month or two. — Your affectionate niece, Kitty CrOLISHTXT.

; Whan Mr Proby's affectionate niece is unusually loving, it generally means that her dressmaker's bill is abnormally long'; bat as dining with bar and h<sr fcoafeand could not,to a man able to hold r-Ais-Owa at whist, be more expensive '•baa a walk down Bond street to a man wnable lo resist the pleading of a wo* Ban 'absolutely without a rag to her baok. uncle/ he accepted and went. ' ;: Mr Proby is grey-headed and a Q.C, oat nis heart is as young as the heart of thejoungest junior whom he ever led to victory in the courts ; and he justifies

• mild flirtation with his deceased wife's aister'a daughter on the ground that it lathe nearest approach he can reason--ably make to marrying her mother, which thr law will not permit him (o do. * Isn't it a duck of a flat V said Lady Golightly at dinner; 'how I wish it was ours. Yon moat not look at the pictores like that, though, uncle.' Mr Proby was looking round the walls in the shaded light, and preparing to put on his gold -rimmed eyeglasses. 'Captain Skinner's taste in pictures is rather modem, and he lives in France a good deal' •Captain Skinner, of 222, Mount itreet T* said Mr Proby absently,thongh he seemed to take some interest in the pictures — •Charles Lamb Skinner. Does he own the flat V ! 'Yes, be ient it to us. Do you know himf * No,* said Mr Proby. 'How do yon know his name V 'I was wondering/ said Mr Proby rather dryly, 'whether he was a dec . soandant of Elia.' > It was not an answer to Lady Goligfatly's question, but it gave Major Battenby, who made pp the party, an opportunity for saying that Captain Skinner had owned a plater descended from and an in-and-out shifty «oek it was, if that was what Mr Proby alluded to. Mr Proby nodded and smiled in his kindly polite way,and Mid, * No doubt, no doubt ' 'It's a seven-roomed flat,' said Lady ' Golightly , looking round the rather ■mall apartment with a contented air ; •and the drawingroom is such a nice large room, and—' 'Never mind the details,' interrupted her ancle, who had lost his rather puttied look; 'the bedroom ;is sixteen ' met by twelve, and is entered by a door tan feet from the door of the drawingream.'

'Uncle, how can yon know V 'I am practising the gift of second - tight In my old age, my dear.' 'Nonsense, uncle, you are alwa s laughing at os, I believe, because you know such a lot,' said Lady Golightly. ?I believe you know Captain Skinner ; it was very kind of him to lend us his flat, bat it waa only fair, for he has cleaned Harry oat for the year.' Sir Harry Golightly looked rather grave at the allusion, and there was a pane* in ths conversation, 'A penny for your thoughts, uncle,' ■aid Lady Golightly to break it. 'I was thinking what very nice friends yon have,' said Mr Probv, wbo really had been wondering how he came to be ao familiar with the ground-plan of Captain Skinner's tenement, and was trying to recall more fully the contents of a brief he had in chambers instructing him to appear for a substantial fee before the President of tba Probate Division. They had capital whist after dinner. The Golightlys are born card-players ; and Major Battersby, though unacquainted with Elia, has never missed . aaaing a trump call since be left Sandhurst. Mr Proby was in his element, aad told some of his beßt stories betwe* therfbbera. He had just finished on •bout some men he bad defended against a charge of practising the three- card trick in a Newmarket special, when Major Battersby, who was opening the soda-water, let tbe stopper of the whisky-bottle roll under the table. •I'll reach it,' said Mr Proby, and be stooped down over tbe arm of his chair amd felt sunder the table. He looked rather funny with . his gold-rimmed r glasses just 'above the level of tbe green cloth looking up at Lady Golightly, as be felt aboufc on tbe floor. * Tou don't think I'm going to have in apoplectic fit from stooping, do you?' he said, laughing and rolling his eyes. They are very sharp-looking eyes, and as for the glasaos,he says he wears them to impress the jary and frighten the Judge. 'No more Parisian pictures in here V he said, as be laid the stopper on the table and glanced round the walls. 1 No,' said Lady Golightly — ' no pictares here; only blue china and mirrors.' - And Mr Proby finished his interrupted •tory. 'I am a bit of a sharper my eel f, you kiow,' he said as he ended it, * not that I have any sleigbt-of-hand though. It'a that sort of curious second eight Of which I gave you an instance at dinner.'

'Oh uncle 1' said bis niece, as be tried to pot on what be imagined to le • dreamy te away look behind bis pince-nez. •My dear child,' be said, ' I will play you three hands at nap,and beat you by sheer second sight.' 4 Djne, and 1 bet you a sovereign the others or I will catch you.' And thej played. > 1 Don't be nervous, Mr Proby,' Baid -Major Battersby, who was examining Him through bis eyeglass as if be was •orutinisinfr a curious and active insect through a microscope. Mr Proby bad quailed visibly under his glance, and dropped his cigar, 4 Kap !' said Mr Proby as ke picked it tp again. ' Make it,' sbe answered. And he made it, leading the queen of diamonds and going on with the two and some •mall clubs. Bis opponent bad the k&ave of diamonds and four spades, headed by the ace, so she could only look surprised and laugh. * Not much of a hand to go nap on,' said Sir Harry. < Watch bis deal, . Battersby.' Mr Proby 's band trembled so much fbtt J* fet fee iMt «r4 he dealt btmitJf

fall on the floor. Down went Major Battersby on his knees to watch him as he stooped to pick it up. ' He's as nervous as Skinner was when he raised me a thousand/ said Sir Harry Golightly. • Nice game, poker !' murmured Mr Proby ; 4do you play it with Captain Skinner V

Sir Harry Golightly smiled grimly, and Mr Proby led. He had defied his adversary to make four, and he stopped her very luckily ; if he had not thrown away the ace of hearts and kept three small diamonds to the laßt he could not have done it. 'Last round. Watch him, Battersby, he's in a blue funk,' said Sir Harry, as his wife dealt ; but Major Battersby's attention seemed to be wandering. A violent irritation seemed to hay*) been ser up soixehow in Mr Proby 's righ ankle ; for be beut down and scratched his silk stocking violently. ' Got him,' said Major Battreshy ; who was not, however, looking at him, but was stooping and peering across the table and at the opposite wall, ' What do mean, sir V cried Mr Proby. ' You hold four diamonds beaded by the Queen, and two clubs, Lady Golightly,' said Major Bottersby. 'He spots them in that looking-glass.' Mr Proby was puffing his cigar tranquilly as he laid a sovereign on the table. ' Captain Skinner does not win every hand, I suppose/ he said. 'My dear sir,' said Major Battereby, 'do you suppose Charlie Skinner——' ' I suppose nothing/ said Mr Proby emphatically ; I only know tnat in a particular position which I can assume if I stoop to pick something off the floor, I can see every card held by the person sitting opposite me in a looking-glass, which, by the- by, has a Louis XVI. frame which I greatly admire. You said Captain hkinner frequents Paris ; no donbs he got it there. I also know that in Reg. v. Sharpies the existence of a glass similarly placed was proved by the prosecution.' ' But what are we to do " cried Lady Golightly. 'He won two thousand from Harry in that very chair. What are we to do uncle ?' ' My dear/ said Mr Proby, ' when I obtained the acquittal, without a stain upon her character, of Mrs Moloney, who was charged with poisoning her third husband, she asked what she could do to show her gratitude ; and I said to her, ' Madam, you are welcome to do anything but cook for me.' My client h harpies was acquitted too, by a jury of his less intelligent countrymen ; so if you take my advice, you will live in Captain Skinner's flat as long as you can, and do — well, do anything but play cards with him.' And then Mr Proby, Q.C,, went home to bed.