He observed the various faces at the tables--a habit one naturally forms who has desperate enemies in plenty--and then walked directly toward the rear of the room.

A thick, dingy red curtain hung there; he held back its heavy folds and stepped within the smaller apartment beyond.
Three men sat at the single table, cards in hand, and Hampton involuntarily whistled softly behind his teeth at the first glimpse of the money openly displayed before them.

This was apparently not so bad for a starter, and his waning interest revived.

A red-bearded giant, sitting so as to face the doorway, glanced up quickly at his entrance, his coarse mouth instantly taking on the semblance of a smile.
"Ah, Bob," he exclaimed, with an evident effort at cordiality; "been wondering if you wouldn't show up before the night was over.

You're the very fellow to make this a four-handed affair, provided you carry sufficient stuff." Hampton came easily forward into the full glow of the swinging oil lamp, his manner coolly deliberate, his face expressionless.