"And fifty," said he.

But there was a stir among the onlookers, and what was of more importance, Captain Trent had turned pale and visibly gulped.
"Pitch it in again, Jim," said I."Trent is weakening." "Three thousand," said Jim.
"And fifty," said Bellairs.
And then the bidding returned to its original movement by hundreds and fifties; but I had been able in the meanwhile to draw two conclusions.
In the first place, Bellairs had made his last advance with a smile of gratified vanity; and I could see the creature was glorying in the kudos of an unusual position and secure of ultimate success.

In the second, Trent had once more changed colour at the thousand leap, and his relief, when he heard the answering fifty was manifest and unaffected.

Here then was a problem: both were presumably in the same interest, yet the one was not in the confidence of the other.

Nor was this all.