The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 282: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

| | | THE STEAM PACKET. 217 was the focus for some dozen pair of eyes, only gazed vacantly around him, and then very wisely examined the point of his cue. ‘¢ The gentleman wants the chalk,” exclaimed a bystander. ‘Ah! so hedoes!”? said Mr. Bambross; and the chalk was accord- ingly handed to Mr. Pifpaf, who immediately proceeded to apply it to the wrong end of the cue. “‘ Here ’s a lark !”’ whispered the tailor to the captain. ““T see your friend doesn’t understand the game, gentlemen,” ob- served Mr. Slummers to the Luminaries in a whisper: “ will either of you take the cue?” ‘<'With pleasure,” cried the captain ; and Mr. Pifpaf was persuaded without much difficulty to resign to the gallant officer the implement whose use he did not very well comprehend. ‘¢ Suppose we make a rubber of four?”’’ said Mr. Bambross. “‘ Suppose we do,” cried Mr. Buckram. ‘¢T and Mr. Slummers will play his lordship and you, if you like?”’ continued Mr, Bambross. This proposal was agreed to; and it was also ade that the game should be played for the sum of thirty francs. Now it was very evident that Mr. Slummers and Mr, Bambross.in- tended to fill their own empty purses at the expense of the Lumin- aries ; for, with a considerable deal of finesse they concealed their play—or in other words, did not put forth all their skill; so that the captain and the tailor were allowed to win the first game. But it also happened that the said captain and tailor also disguised their play ; it was therefore a regular case of “diamond cut diamond;” or, as the French would say, ‘* £%2 contre fin.” “Well, you’ve beaten us this rub,” said Mr. Slummers, as he handed over his share of the losses—an example also followed by Mr. Bambross—on the principle of a “‘ sprat thrown out to catch a whale :” ‘¢ but I am not afraid of you either. Come—what say you, Bambross ? Shall we play them for five Naps ?” Captain Pentonville replied, that he should be happyto play them for ten Napoleons a-side, if they chose. Mr. Slummers appeared to reflect . for a few moments; but he at length consented to the proposal; and under these circumstances did the second rubber commence. As so large a sum was at stake, the French officers and the players at chess and draughts, and all the loungers in the café now crowded round the billiard-table. ‘The most intense interest was evidently manifested ; and, when the play commenced, it was very easy to perceive that Messieurs Slummers and Bambross conducted their proceedings with much more caution and attention than on the former occasion. In a Gomicbooks (€(0)