The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

6 THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. to get him discharged, but in vain ; the old man mocked at his anger, and continued his usual course. There was evidently a feeling in the breast of the head of the house which pleaded for him; but whether of love or fear, time will show. Next in the commercial hierarchy were the three sons of Mr. Small—Matthew, Mark and John. Their respectable parent often used to regret—for he was a religious man, and gave all his children scriptural names —that their brother Luke had not survived, else he had had the four Evangelists for godfathers in his family. His daughters were named Judith, Mary and Ann— prim, matronly-looking girls, who had each set their hearts on becoming the wife of Henry Beacham, the nephew and presumed heir of Gilbert Grindem, a young gentleman nominally employed in the business; we say nominally, for his uncle, who, at the request of his dying sister, had received the orphan, at first treated him with coldness and distrust, but had gradually be- come so attached to him, that he allowed him to do pretty much as he liked, always provided that he made his appearance at Guilbert’s dinner hour, to enliven, with his rattling conversation and cheerful smile, the solitary meal of his wealthy relative. Perhaps the uncle had a less selfish motive in indulging his nephew’s distaste for trade: he loved the frank, open-hearted young man— loved him like his own son—and did not wish him to obtain too clear an insight into the nature of the tran- sactions of the firm; which, though perfectly legal in COniiclooecl SS (SO