第10章

Lieutenant Temple, who alone of all those present kept up a certain superficial friendship with Irwin, remarked, "Somebody must go after him to see that he does not do something foolish in his first excitement."He turned as if to leave the room, but a call from McGregor stopped him.

"It will be no use, Temple, unless you are able to calm him in some way or other.In my opinion there is only one thing to do.He must be persuaded that the whole affair is only a joke, and that the cards had been shuffled beforehand."The Lieutenant went back to the table.

"The suggestion of this way of putting it does you honour, Captain;only I have my doubts if any of us would have the courage to go to him with this manifest lie."The silence of the others appeared to confirm this doubt, when the decisive voice of the German guest interrupted with--"Will you entrust me, gentlemen, with this mission? I know Captain Irwin only slightly, it is true, and should have no reason to interfere with his private concerns; but I hear that it is his wife's property which has been at stake here, and as I consider Mrs.Irwin a very honourable lady I would gladly do my best to save her from such a heavy pecuniary loss."McGregor held out his hand.

"You would place me under a great obligation, Mr.Heideck, if you could succeed in this matter, but I warn you that there is no time to lose."Heideck quickly left the tent, but when he had come out into the delicious moonlight night the first thing that met his eye was Captain Irwin, some twenty yards distant, standing by his horse.

The servant held the animal by the bridle, and Captain Irwin was about to mount.On coming nearer he saw the servant move off and perceived that Irwin held a revolver in his hand.With a quick motion he seized the officer's wrist.

"One moment, Captain Irwin."

Irwin started, turned round, and looked with fury at Heideck.

"I beg your pardon," said the German, "but you are labouring under a mistake, Captain.The game was all a jest; they were playing a trick upon you.The cards were arranged beforehand."Irwin made no reply, but whistled to his servant and went back into the tent, revolver still in hand, without a single word to Heideck.

Heideck followed.Both gentlemen stepped up to the card-table, and Irwin turned to McGregor.

"You tell me the game was all a got-up thing, do you?" he asked.

"As a lesson to you, Irwin--you who always plunge as a madman, and imagine yourself a good player, when you have not the necessary cold blood for gambling.""Well," said Irwin, "that is a story that I will take care goes the round of all the garrisons in India, as an instance of kind comrade-like feeling, so that everyone may be warned against coming along here and being induced to take a hand.I never in my life came across a more despicable story; but it certainly is a lesson for me, that only honourable persons should be--""No, Captain Irwin," said McGregor, standing bolt upright, levelling at his insulter a withering look from his great blue eyes, "you should rather think of your poor wife, whom you would have made a pauper if this game had not been all a hoax."Irwin reeled back; the revolver fell from his grasp.

"What," he gasped--"what do you mean? It was, then, no joke, after all.I, then, really lost the money? Oh, you--you-- But what do you take me for? Be quite certain that I will pay.But,"he cried, collecting himself, "I should like to know what the real truth is, after all.I ask this question of you all, and call you rogues and liars if you do not tell me the truth.Have I only really been played with, or has the game been a straightforward one?""Captain Irwin," replied the Major, advancing towards him, "I, as the senior, tell you, in the name of our comrades, that your behaviour would have been unpardonable unless a sort of madness had seized you.The game was a straightforward one, and only the generosity of Captain McGregor--"1