'Don't know it,' said Hargate.
'Great place,' said Jimmy. 'Mostly actors and writers, and so on.
The only drawback is that some of them pick up queer friends.'
Hargate did not reply. He did not seem interested.
'Yes,' went on Jimmy. 'For instance, a pal of mine, an actor named
Mifflin, introduced a man a year ago as a member's guest for a
fortnight, and this man rooked the fellows of I don't know how much
at billiards. The old game, you know. Nursing his man right up to
the end, and then finishing with a burst. Of course, when that
happens once or twice, it may be an accident, but, when a man who
poses as a novice always manages by a really brilliant shot--'
Hargate turned round.
'They fired this fellow out,' said Jimmy.
'Look here!'
'Yes?'
'What do you mean?'
'It's a dull yarn,' said Jimmy, apologetically. 'I've been boring
you. By the way, Dreever asked me to square up with you for that
game, in case he shouldn't be back. Here you are.'
He held out an empty hand.
'Got it?'
'What are you going to do?' demanded Hargate.
'What am I going to do?' queried Jimmy.
'You know what I mean. If you'll keep your mouth shut, and stand in,
it's halves. Is that what you're after?'
Jimmy was delighted. He knew that by rights the proposal should have
brought him from his seat, with stern, set face, to wreak vengeance
for the insult, but on such occasions he was apt to ignore the
conventions. His impulse, when he met a man whose code of behavior
was not the ordinary code, was to chat with him and extract his
point of view. He felt as little animus against Hargate as he had
felt against Spike on the occasion of their first meeting.
'Do you make much at this sort of game?' he asked.
Hargate was relieved. This was business-like.
'Pots,' he said, with some enthusiasm. 'Pots. I tell you, if you'll
stand in--'
'Bit risky, isn't it?'
'Not a bit of it. An occasional accident--'
'I suppose you'd call me one?'
Hargate grinned.
'It must be pretty tough work,' said Jimmy. 'You must have to use a
tremendous lot of self-restraint.'
Hargate sighed.
'That's the worst of it,' he admitted, 'the having to seem a mug at
the game. I've been patronized sometimes by young fools, who thought
they were teaching me, till I nearly forgot myself and showed them
what real billiards was.'
'There's always some drawback to the learned professions,' said
Jimmy.
