Better not soil my hands!"
But the sense of jealously unsatisfied and of utter impotence still
oppressed him, and he returned home in deep dejection. Flinging himself
on his bed, he buried his face in the pillows and lay thus almost the
whole day long, bitterly conscious that he could do nothing.
"Shall we play makao?" asked Malinowsky.
"All right!" said Ivanoff.
The orderly at once opened the card-table and gaily the green cloth
beamed upon them all. Malinowsky's suggestion had roused the company,
and he now began to shuffle the cards with his short, hairy fingers.
The bright coloured cards were now scattered circle-wise on the green
table, as the chink of silver roubles was heard after each deal, while
on all sides fingers like spiders closed greedily on the coin. Only
brief, hoarse ejaculations were audible, expressing either vexation or
pleasure. Sarudine had no luck. He obstinately made a point of staking
fifteen roubles, and lost every time. His handsome face wore a look of
extreme irritation. Last month he had gambled away seven hundred
roubles, and now there was all this to add to his previous loss.
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