He had also very observant
eyes, and was free from the excitement of those who had a risk on the
game. Still, when the cards were dealt, it was the gambler's face he
watched. For a brief space nobody moved, and then the lad flung down
his cards and stood up with a grayness in his cheeks and his hands
shaking.
"You've got all my money now," he said. "But I'll play you doubles if
you'll take my paper."
The gambler nodded and flung down a big pile of bills. "I guess I'll
trust you. Mine are here."
The bystanders waited motionless, and none of them made a bet, for any
stakes they could offer would be trifles now; but they glanced at the
lad, who stood tensely still, while Winston watched the face of the man
at the table in front of him. For a moment he saw a flicker of triumph
in his eyes, and that decided him. Again, one by one, the cards went
down, and then while everybody waited in strained expectancy the lad
seemed to grow limp suddenly and groaned.
"You can let up," he said hoarsely. "I've gone down!"
Then a hard brown hand was laid upon the table, and while the rest
stared in astonishment, a voice which had a little stern ring in it
said, "Turn the whole pack up, and hand over the other one."
In an instant the gambler's hand swept beneath his jacket, but it was a
mistaken move, for as swiftly the other hard brown fingers closed upon
the pile of bills, and the men, too astonished to murmur, saw Winston
leaning very grim in face across the table.
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