It does not make his mysterious departure the less cruel to me, it
is true; but it relieves it of cruelty to her.'
Mr. Grewgious could not but assent to this.
'And even as to me,' continued Jasper, still pursuing the new
track, with ardour, and, as he did so, brightening with hope: 'he
knew that you were coming to me; he knew that you were intrusted to
tell me what you have told me; if your doing so has awakened a new
train of thought in my perplexed mind, it reasonably follows that,
from the same premises, he might have foreseen the inferences that
I should draw. Grant that he did foresee them; and even the
cruelty to me--and who am I!--John Jasper, Music Master, vanishes!'
-
Once more, Mr. Grewgious could not but assent to this.
'I have had my distrusts, and terrible distrusts they have been,'
said Jasper; 'but your disclosure, overpowering as it was at first-
-showing me that my own dear boy had had a great disappointing
reservation from me, who so fondly loved him, kindles hope within
me. You do not extinguish it when I state it, but admit it to be a
reasonable hope. I begin to believe it possible:' here he clasped
his hands: 'that he may have disappeared from among us of his own
accord, and that he may yet be alive and well.'
Mr. Crisparkle came in at the moment. To whom Mr. Jasper repeated:
'I begin to believe it possible that he may have disappeared of his
own accord, and may yet be alive and well.
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