فصل 09

CHAPTER NINE

It was two o’clock in the morning. This time Bond must not lose.

Two cards were pushed towards him. Le Chiffre watched him from the other side of the table. Bond took the cards and looked at them.

He had two picture cards. They were worth nothing.

‘A card,’ said Bond.

Le Chiffre turned over his own two cards. A picture card and a three.

‘Three,’ said the croupier.

Le Chiffre took a card and slowly turned it over. It was a nine. A lovely nine! The croupier pushed it to Bond.

Now it was Le Chiffre’s turn to decide. He needed a six to make a total of nine. It was a difficult decision. He did not know what Bond’s first two cards had been.

Le Chiffre looked at Bond’s cards. Then he looked at his own cards. His face was hot.

Finally, Le Chiffre took his card and turned it over. It was a wonderful card - a five.

‘The bank has eight,’ said the croupier.

Bond sat silently. Le Chiffre smiled. Le Chiffre was sure that Bond’s cards would add up to more than nine. Every person watching thought that Bond had lost.

The croupier turned over Bond’s first two cards. They were picture cards and worth nothing.

‘Nine,’ said the croupier.

The people around the table shouted with surprise. Bond was watching Le Chiffre. The big man fell back in his chair. His mouth opened and shut, and his face was grey.

The croupier pushed the plaques across to Bond. Then Le Chiffre took a packet of notes from his pocket. He threw them on the table. The croupier counted them.

‘A hank of ten million francs,’ the croupier said.

‘That’s all his money,’ thought Bond. ‘And if he loses now, no one will give him any more.’

‘Banco,’ said Bond. He looked straight at Le Chiffre.

Once more, the croupier pushed two cards across to him. Bond looked at them and turned them over.

‘Nine,’ said the croupier.

Le Chiffre looked at his own two cards. They were picture cards.

The croupier pushed the plaques across to Bond.

Le Chiffre watched the plaques, then he stood up slowly. He pushed past the other players. People moved to let him go past. They looked at him strangely.

He was like a man who carried the smell of death. Then he was gone.

Bond stood up. He asked the croupier to take his winnings to the cashier. The other players were getting up from their chairs. There could not be a game without a banker.

Bond said goodnight to them. Then he went to meet Vesper and Felix Leiter. They walked across to the cashier.

Bond took Felix Leiter’s money in notes, and took a cheque for the rest of his winnings. He walked over to the bar and gave Leiter his thirty-two million francs back. For a few minutes they drank champagne and talked about the game. Leiter took a bullet-I from his pocket.

‘It’s from the walking stick-gun,’ he said, I gave the gun to Mathis. The gunman escaped but they’ve got his fingerprints from the gun. Perhaps we’ll find out more about him in the morning.’

Bond touched his jacket pocket.

‘I’ll take my winnings to the hotel,’ he said. He turned to Vesper. ‘Would you like a glass of champagne in the nightclub? It’s called the Roi Galant.’

‘I’d like that,’ said Vesper. ‘I’ll meet you in the lobby.’

‘Will you come, too, Felix,’ asked Bond. But he was hoping to be alone with Vesper.

‘I would like to go to bed,’ Leiter said. He knew what Bond was thinking. ‘But I’ll come to the hotel with you.’

At the hotel, Leiter walked with Bond up to his room.

‘Will you and Vesper be OK,’ asked Leiter. ‘Or would you like me to stay with you?’

‘Go and get some sleep,’ said Bond. ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to hide the cheque. They won’t be interested in me without the money. Thanks for all your help.’

Leiter smiled. Then he went out and closed the door.

Bond went to the bathroom and washed his face in cold water. Twice that day he had nearly died. Would Le Chiffre’s men try to kill him again? Or was Le Chiffre already on a boat? Was he trying to escape from SMERSH?

Bond took the cheque from his pocket. Then he opened the door of his room. There was nobody outside. He began to work with a small screwdriver7.

Five minutes later, Bond closed and locked the door. Then he went down the stairs.