The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 269: what you’re looking at

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

262 THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER, hat and gloves, buttoned his coat up to his chin, eyeing his victim with a sardonic smile all the while. When he had arranged his toilette to his entire satis- faction, he gave a half-contemptuous nod, such as he had frequently received himself, and strutted out of the office. No sooner was Grindem left alone than he gave way to the pent-up rage which was consuming him. In his mad fury he cursed Small, Gridley, Lawrence, himself, and all the world. What did it signify to him now that he possessed half-a-million—was the dictator of the exchange—when his reputation and liberty depended on the breath of a malignant hypocrite, who felt a fiend-like pleasure in adding insult to extortion ? Bitterly did he regret that he had refused to listen to the old clerk’s suggestion—marriage between his nephew and Amy Lawrence would have atoned for all. Providence seemed to have placed this plank of safety over the abyss of crime, and, like a fool, he had spurned it from him. In his despair his eye glanced more than once at the brace of pistols which hung over the chimneypiece; but his heart failed him—he felt that he was not fit to die. | ‘* The wretch was right!”? he murmured, “Iam a coward, too, or with one slight pressure of my finger I could end my troubles and disappoint his avarice. No, I dare not die!” he added, with a shudder. ‘Perhaps there is a future state—a judge—a stern and just avenger! There lies my fear; I must submit, and COniiclooecl SS (SO