Consequences--an unsteady hand this morning, a hasty push at
the last rise, and a clear loss of the race, not to mention the colossal
sum in bets. All his own fault! If he will be so recklessly generous,
what is to be done? But, as I said before, I blame myself for not
watching him more closely."
"No one blames you, Mr. Vermont," said Lord Standon coldly, for even he,
the least suspicious of men, seemed to detect the false sorrow in the
speaker's voice.
Lady Constance looked at him gratefully; and Lord Standon was encouraged
thereby to proceed:
"Adrien is generous to a fault; and if in this case it has had
disastrous results, it is usually a fault which few imitate."
Jasper raised his eyebrows; then, with a low bow to Lady Constance, and
a gentle, deprecatory shrug of his shoulders, walked away.
The girl waited till he was out of earshot, then turned impulsively to
Lord Standon.
"I hate that man," she said in a low voice; "and sometimes I believe he
hates Adrien too."
"So do I," returned Lord Standon, looking with intense admiration into
her lovely, troubled face.
"Do you?" she murmured. "Oh, if you would only try to open my cousin's
eyes to his friend's falseness--I know he's false, but Adrien is so
blind.
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