Winston, who had seen many similar scenes, glanced with his usual cool indifference at the various groups of players, careless except in his search, and pressing straight through the vibrating, excited throng, regardless of the many faces fronting him.

He understood that Farnham dealt faro, and consequently moved directly down the long main room totally indifferent to all else.

He discovered his particular goal at last, almost at the farther end of the great apartment, the crowd gathered about the faro table dense and silent.

He succeeded in pressing in slowly through the outer fringe of players until he attained a position within ten feet of the dealer.

There he halted, leaning against the wall, the narrow space between them unoccupied.
He saw before him a slenderly built, fashionably dressed figure, surmounted by clear-cut, smooth-shaven features--a man of thirty, possibly, decidedly aristocratic, perfectly self-controlled, his eyes cool, calculating, his hands swift, unhesitating in play.