Venn lifted the box, and behold a triplet of sixes was disclosed.

Wildeve was full of fury.  While the reddleman was grasping the stakes Wildeve seized the dice and hurled them, box and all, into the darkness, uttering a fearful imprecation.  Then he arose and began stamping up and down like a madman.

“It is all over, then?” said Venn.

“No, no!” cried Wildeve.  “I mean to have another chance yet.  I must!”

“But, my good man, what have you done with the dice?”

“I threw them away—­it was a momentary irritation.  What a fool I am!  Here—­come and help me to look for them—­we must find them again.”

Wildeve snatched up the lantern and began anxiously prowling among the furze and fern.

“You are not likely to find them there,” said Venn, following.  “What did you do such a crazy thing as that for?  Here’s the box.  The dice can’t be far off.”

Wildeve turned the light eagerly upon the spot where Venn had found the box, and mauled the herbage right and left.  In the course of a few minutes one of the dice was found.  They searched on for some time, but no other was to be seen.

“Never mind,” said Wildeve; “let’s play with one.”

“Agreed,” said Venn.

Down they sat again, and recommenced with single guinea stakes; and the play went on smartly.  But Fortune had unmistakably fallen in love with the reddleman tonight.  He won steadily, till he was the owner of fourteen more of the gold pieces.  Seventy-nine of the hundred guineas were his, Wildeve possessing only twenty-one.  The aspect of the two opponents was now singular.  Apart from motions, a complete diorama of the fluctuations of the game went on in their eyes.  A diminutive candle-flame was mirrored in each pupil, and it would have been possible to distinguish therein between the moods of hope and the moods of abandonment, even as regards the reddleman, though his facial muscles betrayed nothing at all.  Wildeve played on with the recklessness of despair.

“What’s that?” he suddenly exclaimed, hearing a rustle; and they both looked up.

They were surrounded by dusky forms between four and five feet high, standing a few paces beyond the rays of the lantern.  A moment’s inspection revealed that the encircling figures were heath-croppers, their heads being all towards the players, at whom they gazed intently.

“Hoosh!” said Wildeve, and the whole forty or fifty animals at once turned and galloped away.  Play was again resumed.

Ten minutes passed away.  Then a large death’s head moth advanced from the obscure outer air, wheeled twice round the lantern, flew straight at the candle, and extinguished it by the force of the blow.  Wildeve had just thrown, but had not lifted the box to see what he had cast; and now it was impossible.

“What the infernal!” he shrieked.  “Now, what shall we do?  Perhaps I have thrown six—­have you any matches?”