The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. 207 back entrance to the premises of a manufacturer. They were always closed at nine, but the gaslight over the door was lefi burning all night. “First,” said Flin, “the thousand pounds ?” ‘No, first the papers, that I may see if they are all right ?” | Neither party seemed disposed to trust the other. There was a mutual hesitation, which the coffee-house keeper at last undertook to settle in his own peculiar way; deliberately taking a clasp knife from his side pocket, he opened the pointed blade with his teeth— for his left hand was too painful, from the bites he had received, to use it—and placed himself before Small, who was directly under the doorway. ‘‘Good God!” exclaimed the terrified merchant, ‘you don’t intend to murder me, my good fellow, do you ?”’ ‘That will depend upon yourself,” replied Flin, coolly, at the same time giving him the papers. *‘ There they are—read—examine them, and, when you have done so, hand me over the thousand pounds, without a word! Mark!” he added, in a whisper, which sounded very like a hiss, between his clenched teeth, “if you but open your lips, unless in answer to me, more than is necessary to breathe, till I have got the money, and examined your token in my turn, I'll cut your throat, if I swing for it at next ’size.”’ The only fear of Small’s risking the execution of the speaker’s threat was from a species of involuntary COniiclooecl SS (SO