He backed his luck for more than it was worth, and his luck deserted him on the spot.

Yes, poor old devil!" sighed the sympathetic Crofts: "he thought he was going to make his pile out of hand, but in another week he would have been a bankrupt." "Had you known him long, Mr.Crofts ?" "Not six months; it was down at Brighton we met, quite by chance, and got on talking about Westralians.

It was I put him on to his one good spec.

His wife was with him at the time--couldn't stand the woman! She was much too good for me and my missus, to say nothing of her own husband.

I remember one night on the pier--" "I won't trouble you about Brighton, Mr.Crofts," Langholm interrupted, as politely as he could.