A snap! Incredible, thought Andrew. He could hardly wait to meet this man.

He'd

have to make a point to listen carefully to his each and every word. He'd

have

to see if he could steer the conversation around to these "laws of

probability,"

to see how Carfax saw them. Was it possible that one could apply the same

principles to trading in the market as one used in games of chance? Both were

a

form of gambling, after all, but to think that one could actually apply some

sort of system, as professional cardsharps did...

"Joey," Andrew said, "you never told me, how did you come to meet Lord

Carfax?"

"Oh, we just sort of ran into each other one night," said Joey with a smile.

"He

really changed my life, you know. Sort of took me under his wing, rather like

you've done, Andrew. Lord knows, you've been simply an amazing help to me,

sponsoring me and introducing me around—"

"Oh, posh, it was nothing," Andrew said with false humility. "One does what

one

can to help one's friends, you know."

"Yes," said Joey, "yes, indeed, that's as it should be, which is why I'm so

pleased to be able to introduce you and Nigel to each other, to bring

together

two of my closest friends. I think you'll have a lot in common. You both

enjoy

the finer things in life, eh?"

"Ah, yes, well," said Andrew, pouring himself a drink from the bar. "One must

cultivate one's tastes, mustn't one?"

"Indeed," said Joey.

"Indeed," said Andrew, thinking what a splendid chap young Lymon was, while

Joey

sat there thinking, What an incredible berk!

They chatted amiably till the car pulled up in front of the elegant

stone-faced

town house on Charles Street that was the home of Lord Nigel Carfax. Tall,

spiked wrought-iron railings surrounded the entrance, and they were admitted;

through the formidable-looking gate by a liveried footman who carefully

examined

their invitations before allowing them inside.

They climbed the short flight of stone steps leading to the ornately carved

front door with the tall and narrow leaded stained-glass windows framing.it

on

either side. The door was opened for them by a blond girl who made Andrew's

eyes

bug out. She couldn't have been a day over seventeen, with a

peaches-and-cream

complexion, freckles dusted lightly across her nose and delightful dimples,

the

sort of girl one might expect to see in church on Sunday morning in the

Yorkshire Dales, only this one was decked out in a black-and-crimson merry