he matter
leniently. It will, no doubt, be a painful story to tell, but it will be
far better told by you."

"I will do it, sir; as you say, the lesson has been a heavy one, and
henceforth my father shall have no reason to complain of me. May I call
and see you tomorrow evening?"

"Certainly. I shall be at home from seven to eight, after which hour I
have an engagement. Good night."

Cotter walked on, and Mark fell back, and joined Dick and Boldero, who
had fallen behind when they saw him speaking to Cotter.

"Well, Mark, I congratulate you," Dick Chetwynd said. "You did it
wonderfully, though how on earth you knew that fellow had a card in his
hand is more than I can guess."

"I felt sure he was going to cheat," Mark said quietly; "I saw that
Cotter's hand was a very strong one, and knew that Emerson would be
aware that it was so, because he would receive no signal from Flash,
therefore this was the time, if any, that he would cheat. He had been
playing with both hands upon the table. I saw him withdraw one, there
was a little pause, and then it came up again, and I had not a doubt
in the world that there was a card in it, and that it had been
hidden somewhere in his breeches, which is one of the best places of
concealment, for his hand being under the table while getting at the
card, no one present who was not behind the scenes, as I was, could
detect him doing it."

"The wonder to me is," Boldero said, "that while there were a number
of men looking on closely, for Emerson has long been suspected of not
playing fair, you, just fresh from the country, if I may say so, should
have spotted him."

"That is easily explained," Mark said. "Not wishing to fall a victim, I
have of late been put up to a great many of these sharpers' tricks by a
man who at one time had been in the trade himself."

"That was a capital idea, Mark," Dick said. "I wish you would introduce
me to him."

"I won't do that, Dick, but I shall be very glad to teach you all I know
myself about it; but I fancy that after this you will be in no great
hurry to enter a gambling hell again."

"That is so, Mark. I have never had any great inclination for play;
but after this you may be quite sure that I will light shy of cards
altogether. Still, I shall be glad if you will put me up to some of
these tricks, for I may be able to some day save a victim of card
sharpers, as you have done this evening."

The next morning, when those who had been presen