The crowd swayed eagerly forward, their heads craned over to see more clearly, their breathing hushed.

Willis was gasping, his whole body quivering; Slavin was watching Hampton's hands as a cat does a mouse, his thick lips parted, his fingers twitching nervously.

The latter smiled grimly, his motions deliberate, his eyes never wavering.
Slowly, one by one, he turned up his cards, never even deigning to glance downward, his entire manner that of unstudied indifference.
One--two--three.

Willis uttered a snarl like a stricken wild beast, and sank back in his chair, his eyes closed, his cheeks ghastly.

Four.
Slavin brought down his great clenched fist with a crash on the table, a string of oaths bursting unrestrained from his lips.