“You know,” said the bearded man, “we’ve been playing near an hour now and I’m afraid I haven’t introduced myself.” He looked at his new hand casually. “You can call me Hearst.”
“Very well, Mr. Hearst. My name is Violet. It’s a pleasure.”
Mr. Hearst beamed, and tossed a few chips into the pot. “It takes a keen sense of instinct to gamble the way you do, Miss Violet. Or are you just lucky?”
Violet chuckled and added two chips herself. “Not sure, really. Maybe both?”
“Mm.” The dealer went around the table, and Hearst decided to stay. “And your friends there? Are they the gambling sort?”
“Oh…” Violet glanced at her cards again, and hit. She stayed afterwards. “Not sure. We play dice or cards sometimes, but nothing with money. I can’t say.”
The dealer flipped his cards, as did the player
