It had so amused him to torment his victim, that
he had never questioned Wilfer's statement that the girl, Jessica, was
his niece. Had he known her identity, subsequent events might have
proved far different; but man, with all his gifts, is blind as to the
future; he sees as in a glass darkly, trusting and believing in his own
feeble powers, as if he were omnipotent.
Meanwhile, Jasper trudged gaily along.
"Strange," he murmured, "how things work round for me. That princely
idiot plays into my hands at every turn. What luck that I should just
have followed him to-night--I'll live to see him humbled and disgraced
yet!" With which pleasant thought he hummed Miss Lester's latest song
and pursued his way to the theatre.
Some few hours later, he stood beside Adrien before the latter's motor.
"Are you coming with me, Jasper?" said Leroy heartily. "I'm afraid I've
taken up a lot of your time to-night."
"My dear Adrien, does not my whole life belong to you?" replied the
arch-hypocrite.
Adrien waved the suggestion aside.
"By the way, what is the time?" he said, feeling for his watch.
"I don't know," answered his friend, "mine has stopped.
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