"Do you hear me?" he said in the same stubborn tone and with much the
same manner with which he would have spoken to a groom. "Come away."
Again the Frenchman tossed off his hand, this time with an execration,
and again he placed the rolls of gold coin on the red; and again the
red won.
"My God!" cried the girl, running her fingers over the rolls on the
table, "he has won half of the 20,000 francs. Oh, sir, stop him, stop
him!" she cried. "Take him away."
"Do you hear me!" cried the Plunger, excited to a degree of utter
self-forgetfulness, and carried beyond himself; "you've got to come
with me."
"Take away your hand," whispered the young Frenchman, fiercely. "See,
I shall win it all; in one grand _coup_ I shall win it all. I shall
win five years' pay in one moment."
He swept all of the money forward on the red and threw himself over
the table to see the wheel.
"Wait, confound you!" whispered the Plunger, excitedly. "If you will
risk it, risk it with some reason. You can't play all that money; they
won't take it. Six thousand francs is the limit, unless," he ran on
quickly, "you divide the 12,000 francs among the three of us. You
understand, 6,000 francs is all that any one person can play; but if
you give 4,000 to me, and 4,000 to your wife, and keep 4,000 yourself,
we can each chance it.
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