The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASON’S DAUGHTER. 201 knocking was heard at the outward door of the cellar, and several voices were heard, calling on him by name to open. To have refused might have excited suspi- clon, so, after closing the door of the inner room, into which his customers never had occasion to enter, he admitted his, for once, unwelcome customers; deter- mining to complete the design against the life of his sagacious little enemy as soon as they were gone. It is true the door of communication between the two dens was shut; but there was a window to afford a sort of light from the gas in the coffee-room. Flin in his calculations had forgotten that. ‘© What be’st at? demanded the first man, who entered the cellar; ‘taking a snooze or saying thee prayers ?” ‘‘Neither,” replied Flanagan; “I was only rat- hunting.” “ Rat-hunting ?”’ “Ay, I am eaten up we’un; I have borrowed a rare dog—Tim’s Dick’s—see how the varmint has bitten 93 ° me. The speaker held out his hand, which was still bleeding, and showed the wound to his customers as he spoke. ‘That be an ugly bite,” observed another of the men; ‘I would not have it for the weight of the dog in gowd.”” “Why not?” demanded Flin, evidently very much surprised. COUN Goo! SS (SO