BIG BANKERS 



get sick of play, but after a walk round the club, one 

 or two drinks, and perhaps five minutes' listening to 

 the theatraphone, he would return and throw down a 

 hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand francs and 

 let them have a go at it again. As a rule he was 

 accompanied by two or three friends, who would for 

 the chief part look on ; they may have been in with 

 him in certain proportions. 



At the Cercle de I'Escrime, where M. Bloch of 

 Dieppe fame was the responsible head, Jenks was the 

 great holder of the banks. Mr Jenks is well known to 

 everyone as the proprietor of many London properties, 

 including the now demolished Long's Hotel. Mr Jenks 

 had, and may have still, curious views concerning the 

 run of his banks. It was not capriciousness, but 

 simply fancy, which v'ould make him throw in the 

 cards, after the second coup, on occasions, although 

 he may have paid an expensive fee to the cagnotte. 

 Of course a gambler like this would have special sums 

 charged him by the house, but still, it took a lot of 

 courage to make a salade of the cards because he 

 didn't like the look of the "run." He wouldn't get 

 up disgusted ; in fact, never show in his face what he 

 was feeling, but simply pause for a moment and then 

 with a turn of his hand indicate that he wasn't going on. 



The real history of many men in those clubs was a 

 mystery. It was at one of them that the syndicate 

 was formed to enable a certain member of the French 

 nobility to visit New York in style and marry a very 

 wealthy American woman. The marriage didn't turn 

 out well. The head of the family was an inveterate 

 punter when he had any money, and the problem was, 

 how was it apparently inexhaustible ? There was not 

 a daily supply, but he would come in nearly every day 

 to one club or the other. Then there was the late 



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