THE QUICKNESS OF THE HAND THERE WAS a moment’s silence at the table. It was broken by the agitated voice of Meyer. ‘Here I say,’ he said anxiously. ‘Don’t include me in on this, Hugger.’ He knew it was a private bet with Bond, but he wanted to show Drax that he was thoroughly nervous about the whole affair. He saw himself making some ghastly mistake that would cost his partner a lot of money. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Max,’ said Drax harshly. ‘You play your hand. This is nothing to do with you. Just an enjoyable little bet with our rash friend here. Come along, come along. My deal, Admiral.’ M. cut the cards and the game began. Bond lit a cigarette with hands that had suddenly become quite steady. His mind was clear. He knew exactly what he had to do, and when, and he was glad that the moment of decision had come. He sat back in his chair and for a moment he had the impression that there was a crowd behind him at each elbow, and that faces were peering over his shoulder, waiting to see his cards.
