coffin,' he answered slowly.

'In his coffin?' I echoed, my beautiful pictures all vanishing. 'How was
it?'

'Through my cursed folly,' he groaned bitterly.

'What happened?' I asked. But ignoring my question, he said: 'I must see
his children. I have not slept for four nights. I hardly know what I
am doing; but I can't rest till I see his children. I promised him. Get
them for me.'

'To-morrow will do. Go to sleep now, and we shall arrange everything
to-morrow,' I urged.

'No!' he said fiercely; 'to-night--now!'

In half an hour they were listening, pale and grief-stricken, to the
story of their father's death.

Poor Graeme was relentless in his self-condemnation as he told how,
through his 'cursed folly,' old Nelson was killed. The three, Craig,
Graeme, and Nelson, had come as far as Victoria together. There they
left Craig, and came on to San Francisco. In an evil hour Graeme met a
companion of other and evil days, and it was not long till the old fever
came upon him.

In vain Nelson warned and pleaded. The reaction from the monotony and
poverty of camp life to the excitement and luxury of the San Francisco
gaming palaces swung Graeme quite off his feet, and all that Nelson
could do was to follow from place to place and keep watch.

'And there he would sit,' said Graeme in a hard, bitter voice, 'waiting
and watching often till the grey morning light, while my madness held me
fast to the table. One night,' here he paused a moment, put his face in
his hands and shuddered; but quickly he was master of himself again, and
went on in the same hard voice--'One night my partner and I were playing
two men who had done us up before. I knew they were cheating, but could
not detect them. Game after game they won, till I was furious at my
stupidity in not being able to catch them. Happening to glance at Nelson
in the corner, I caught a meaning look, and looking again, he threw me
a signal. I knew at once what the fraud was, and next game charged the
fellow with it. He gave me the lie; I struck his mouth, but before
I could draw my gun, his partner had me by the arms. What followed I
hardly know. While I was struggling to get free, I saw him reach for his
weapon; but, as he drew it, Nelson sprang across the table, and bore him
down. When the row was ever, three men lay on the floor. One was Nelson;
he took the shot meant for me.'

Again the story paused.

'And the man that shot him?'

I started at the intense fierc