XX

AGNES (WITH ONE WHIST PACK)

THIS is a good but difficult game, which has not been published in any previous book, though it has been known and practised for at least the last five or six years. The lay-out bears a resemblance to "Triangle" Patience.

After dealing out the top twenty-eight cards of the pack, row by row, in a triangular form (as shown below), the twenty-ninth card (which, in this case, turns out to be the 3 of hearts) is taken as our first foundation card, and is therefore placed apart from the triangle. The lowest card of each of the seven columns is "exposed." Any exposed card can either be built on a foundation packet upward, according to suit, or may be moved on to another exposed card in the triangle, building downward, red on red, or black on black. The other three cards of the same denomination as the first foundation card (in this case, the three other threes) are put out as soon as they are available, to be built on in suit, in the same way as the 3 of hearts. Since the 3 of spades is "exposed" in the above lay-out, it is put out at once. The 4 of spades is put out on the 3. The 8 of hearts is moved on to the 9 of diamonds.

AGNES PATIENCE: THE LAY-OUT.

It is a rule of the game that sequences (or portions of sequences) may be shifted bodily, but only so long as the same suit runs uninterruptedly. Although we might now pack the queen of diamonds on to the king of hearts, we will refrain, at any rate for the present, from doing so, as we are desirous of getting out the hearts early, so as to ensure a clear run for the diamonds.

We have now to deal seven more cards, one at the foot of each column, and all the seven must be dealt before any card is moved. Suppose the cards dealt turn out to be queen of hearts, 10 of diamonds, knave of hearts, 5 of spades, queen of clubs, 9 of hearts, and 8 of spades. The 5 of spades is put out on the spade packet. The queen of hearts is packed on to the king, the knave of hearts on to the queen, the 10 of diamonds on to the knave of hearts, the 9 of hearts on to the 10 of diamonds. The 6, 7, 8, and 9 of spades go out. The queen of clubs is packed on the king of spades; the 8 of hearts on the 9 of hearts; the knave of diamonds on the queen of diamonds; the knave of spades on the queen of clubs; the 10 of clubs on the knave of spades. We are not obliged to fill space 3 before we deal again, though we may do so, if we please, by shifting into it any exposed card, or any sequence of cards of the same suit.

Suppose the next seven cards dealt, in their order, are the 7 of hearts, the 9 of clubs, the 7 of clubs, the 10 of hearts, the 3 of clubs, the 10 of spades, and the 2 of hearts.

The 3 of clubs and 10 of spades go out. The 9 of clubs is packed on the 10 of clubs, the 9 of diamonds on the 10 of hearts, the 8 of clubs on the 9 of clubs, the 7 of clubs on the 8 of clubs. The 9 of diamonds is moved into the space. The 10 of hearts is packed on the knave of diamonds, the 9 of diamonds on the 10 of hearts, the 7 of hearts on the 8 of hearts, the ace of hearts on the 2 of hearts. The 9 of diamonds is again moved into the space; the 7, 8, 9 of hearts are shifted on to the 10 of hearts; the 9 of diamonds is put on the 10 of diamonds; the 7, 8, 9, 10 of hearts are moved into the space. The 9 and 10 of diamonds are put on the knave of diamonds; the 7, 8, 9, 10 of hearts on the knave of hearts; the king of diamonds is moved into the space, and on him are put the 9, 10, knave and queen of the same suit. (Observe the way in which the heart and diamond sequences have been consolidated.)

Now the 6 of clubs is put on the 7 of clubs, the 5 of clubs on the 6 of clubs, and we are at length enabled to get out the 4 of hearts on to its foundation packet. We have thus disentangled the smaller hearts and diamonds, which threatened to block the game irretrievably.

Pack the 8 of diamonds on the 9; put out the 5 of hearts; move the ace and 2 of spades into space 2; then all the hearts run out from the 6 upwards.

Put the 4 of diamonds into space 1, the 2 of clubs into space 7, and the ace of clubs on to the 2. Now the 3 of diamonds goes out as a foundation, followed by the 4; the 7 of diamonds is packed on to the 8.

Deal seven more cards out of the remaining nine. Suppose that their order is knave of clubs (into space 1), ace of spades (into space 2), king of clubs, 6 of diamonds (into space 4), 2 of spades, 5 of diamonds, and 2 of diamonds. The 5 and 6 of diamonds go out; the king of clubs is moved into space 4; the diamonds all go out as far as the king; the ace of spades is packed on the 2.

The remaining two cards of stock, which are the ace of diamonds and the 4 of clubs, can be dealt at once, since the ace and 2 of diamonds will complete the diamond packet, and the clubs will run out up to the knave. Then the knave of spades and the last four clubs run out; and by moving the ace and 2 of spades into a space, that suit can also be completed.

AGNES PATIENCE.
(Completed)

No second deal is permitted in the same game; and it is estimated that you will not succeed more than once in six or seven trials. In dealing out by seven at a time, there will always be two cards left over at the end (as shown above), and these may be at once looked at, in order to save time.