Constance Smedley and Pearl Humphrey

“ It's like Freemasonry or the Diplomatic; it has a secret language, and it brings people together, or separates them,” he added, in a parenthesis. “But it gives you a certain position, you know, if you can talk about the new Queen call, and that kind of thing, when the ordinary bridge-player has never heard of it.”
“All that may be very true,” observed Nelly, “but people do take it so fearfully seriously. There's no fun where they are all bridge-ites. After all, a game is but a game.”
“I should like to hear you tell that to old Lady Faljohnson,” rejoined the subaltern. ”

“ The subaltern telegraphed encouragement. The major and Nelly were now losing consistently and thoroughly, and the atmosphere was distinctly electric.
“Is it true,” said Nelly, with genuine thoughtlessness, and, indeed, with the object of starting an interesting subject which might dispel the somewhat constrained silence, “that girls are lured by experienced players to join them, and then are fleeced? One hears such ridiculous stories about hostesses not letting girls know what stakes they are playing for.” ”

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1941, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”