McTeague sweated with terror; inarticulate sounds came from his crammed mouth; he waved his arms wildly; all the four dogs caught the excitement and began to bark.

A waiter rushed in, the two billiard players returned, a little crowd formed.

There was a veritable scene.
All at once the ball slipped out of McTeague's jaws as easily as it had gone in.

What a relief! He dropped into a chair, wiping his forehead, gasping for breath.
On the strength of the occasion Marcus Schouler invited the entire group to drink with him.
By the time the affair was over and the group dispersed it was after five.

Marcus and McTeague decided they would ride home on the cars.
But they soon found this impossible.