Now thoroughly sobered, he hurriedly dressed,
stumbled down the rickety staircase, and opened the door, to himself
confronted by Miss Ada Lester. Her face was flushed, and the angry light
Jasper Vermont had called up by his sneers at her vulgarity the previous
evening still shone in her dark eyes.
"Where is the gal?" she asked abruptly.
"The gal!" he repeated, staring at her in stolid amazement.
"Yes--Jessica!" retorted Miss Lester, her jewels flashing in a chance
ray of sunlight which had found its way through the dingy court. "Where
is she?"
"She is not at home," said Mr. Wilfer. "She and Martha 'ave gone out for
the day to Greenwich. If you'd wrote a-sayin' you was goin' to call I'd
have made 'em stay till you came."
Miss Lester looked at him keenly.
"If you don't believe me," said Wilfer, "go upstairs and look at her
room."
Ada ran past him up the stairs, and quickly returned.
"It's locked," she said.
"Of course; she's quite the lady--keeps the keys 'erself," sneered
Johann. "Look 'ere, 'ere's her hat and coat; there's one of 'er boots,
so she must be comin' back afore long."
Miss Lester appeared convinced.
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