ten o'clock
His blue eyes remained coldly expressionless whether he won or lost the hand ; his crisp , curly brown hair remained neatly combed and untouched by a nervous hand ; his lips parted occasionally in a quiet smile : he was the perfect gambler , never excited , always in absolute control of himself . Hugh marveled at the control as the evening wore on . He was excited , and , try as he would , he could not keep his excitement from showing . Luck , however , was with him ; by ten o'clock he was seventy-five dollars ahead , and most of it was Allen 's money . Hugh passed by three hands in succession , unwilling to take any chances . He had decided to `` play close , '' never betting unless he held something worth putting his money on . Allen dealt the fourth hand .