"Yes, we were both there. You were living with your paramour—the woman Audie—this fellow's mother. I was with my partner, Charlie. He was sick to death. We'd got a big wad of gold from the creek, and because Charlie was sick——"
"And you'd got enough gold to suit your purposes," put in Hendrie quietly.
"We decided to return to civilization." Leyburn went on, ignoring the interruption. "I hoped to get him cured."
"So you made him face the winter trail." Hendrie's addition was made quite without passion.
"We set out down country with our dogs, and all our goods, and gold, and got held up by a blizzard. We were camped in a bluff. Charlie could not stand the weather. He got so weak we couldn't travel. Then before we struck camp he died. I didn't know he was dead, and I had gone to gather firewood. Meanwhile, this man and your mother made up their minds to return to civilization. He had a big wad of gold. You were to be born before winter was out, and your mother was scared to have you born up there. So she made this man bring her down. She reckoned he was honest, and would marry her. She reckoned like that because she was a woman," he added, with burning contempt.
He waited for Hendrie's comment, which came promptly.
"She reckoned that way because she knew it was my purpose," he said coldly.
"But you didn't marry her, did you?" Leyburn cried tauntingly.
"I didn't marry her because she was dead when I finally found her whereabouts."
"But she did not die till after you deserted her," cried Leyburn, with venomous triumph.