Adrien Leroy

His reasons for this were twofold. If Adrien married Constance, Ada

Lester would--whether with or without cause--hold him responsible, and

was more than capable of carrying out her threat to unmask him to his

patron. Moreover, Jasper looked upon Lady Constance with an appreciative

and covetous eye, and felt that if he could ever ingratiate himself with

her sufficiently for her to promise to become his wife, the summit of

his ambition would be reached.

Adrien was easily deceived; for, with all his faults, he was not

conceited. He did not guess that Constance's very openly expressed

pleasure in the company of Lord Standon was to prevent the discovery of

her real and passionate longing for that of her cousin.

Henceforth, he told himself, he must do his best to hide the pain that

was gnawing at his heart. Henceforward, the pleasure of life would be as

Dead Sea fruit to him. His hand fell on the balustrade in his

unconscious despair; and at that moment, another window farther down the

long balcony opened, and the figure of Lord Barminster stepped out into

the moonlight.

Adrien was in no humour to meet even his father; he was too weary in

spirit to confront the old man's satire with his usual calm; so he

shrank back into the shadow of the buttress against which he leaned. But

Lord Barminster's eyes were quick to perceive him; and, striding

forward, he laid his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Well, Adrien," he commenced, "what is wrong? Can't you sleep, or are

you given to spending the small hours in star-gazing?"

"I might retort in kind, sir," returned Adrien, pulling his scattered

thoughts together, and smiling faintly.

"Ah! I am old," said his father. "Age has its penalties as well as its

privileges; and the freedom to speak plainly is one of the latter. Come,

my boy, what is wrong? At your age I was happy enough; but you seem to

have taken the troubles of the world on your shoulders. Are you ill?"

"No, sir, I am well enough," returned Adrien quietly.

"Then are you worrying over your debts through that unlucky horse?

Because, although, as you know, I do not interfere with your money

matters as a rule, you are quite at liberty to draw on my bank if you

care to do so."

His son turned to him affectionately.

"No, no, sir," he said gratefully. "I don't suppose they are as bad as

all that. Jasper will see to them."

The words were scarcely out of his mouth when he regretted them. His

father's face darkened; his eyes grew fierce.