“It’s a hellish outrage,” said Bush, and then he made his offer. He offered his money, even though he knew as he offered it that it meant most certainly that he would go hungry, and that his sisters, if not exactly hungry, would hardly have enough to eat. But Hornblower shook his head.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll never forget that. But I can’t accept it. You know that I couldn’t. But I’ll never cease to be grateful to you. I’m grateful in another way, too. You’ve brightened the world for me by saying that.”
Even in the face of Hornblower’s refusal Bush repeated his offer, and tried to press it, but Hornblower was firm in his refusal. Perhaps it was because Bush looked so downcast that Hornblower gave him some further information in the hope of cheering him up.
“Things aren’t as bad as they seem,” he said. “You don’t understand that I’m in receipt of regular pay — a permanent salarium from our friend the Marquis.”
“I didn’t know that,” said Bush.
“Half a guinea a week,” explained Hornblower. “Ten shilling and sixpence every Saturday morning, rain or shine.”
“And what do you have to do for it?” Bush’s half pay was more than twice that sum.
“I only have to play whist,” explained Hornblower. “Only that. From twelve midday until two in the morning I’m here to play whist with any three that need a fourth.”
“I see,” said Bush.
“The Marquis in his generosity also makes me free of these rooms I have no subscription to pay. No table money. And I can keep my winnings.”
“And pay your losses?”
Hornblower shrugged.
“Naturally. But the losses do not come as often as one might think. The reason’s simple enough. The whist players who find it hard to obtain partners and who are cold-shouldered by the others, are naturally the bad players. Strangely anxious to play, even so. And when the Marquis happens to be in here and Major Jones and Admiral Smith and Mr Robinson are seeking a fourth while everyone seems strangely preoccupied he catches my eye — the sort of reproving look a wife might throw at a husband talking too loud at a dinner party — and I rise to my feet and offer to be the fourth. It is odd they are flattered to play with Hornblower, as often it costs them money.”
“I see,” said Bush again, and he remembered Hornblower standing by the furnace in Fort Samaná organizing the firing of red‑hot shot at the Spanish privateers.
“The life is not entirely one of beer and skittles, naturally,” went on Hornblower; with the dam once broken he could not restrain his loquacity. “After the fourth hour or so it becomes irksome to play with bad players. When I go to Hell I don’t doubt that my punishment will be always to partner players who pay no attention to my discards. But then on the other hand I frequently play a rubber or two with the good players. There are moments when I would rather lose to a good player than win from a bad one.”
“That’s just the point,” said Bush, harking back to an old theme. “How about the losses?”
Bush’s experiences of gambling had mostly been of losses, and in this hard‑headed moment he could remember the times when he had been weak.
“I can deal with them,” said Hornblower. He touched his breast pocket. “I keep ten pounds here. My corps de réserve, you understand. I can always endure a run of losses in consequence. Should that reserve be depleted, then sacrifices have to be made to build it up again.”
The sacrifices being skipped meals, thought Bush grimly. He looked so woebegone that Hornblower offered further comfort.
“But five more months,” he said, “and I’ll be on half pay again. And before that — who knows? Some captain may take me off the beach.”
“That’s true,” said Bush.
It was true insofar as the possibility existed. Sometimes ships were recommissioned. A captain might be in need of a lieutenant; a captain might invite Hornblower to fill the vacancy. But every captain was besieged by friends seeking appointments, and in any event the Admiralty was also besieged by lieutenants of great seniority — or lieutenants with powerful friends — and captains were most likely to listen to recommendations of high authority.