The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

20 THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. seat. Indeed the old man often doubted whether what followed was a reality, or the result of that mental phantasmagoria which delirium tremens presents. He saw his master, Gilbert Grindem, the head of the firm, bearing a dead body down the narrow staircase which led from the counting-house to the vaults. The only circumstance which convinced him of the reality of what he had seen was, that the firm, which up to that time had been in difficulties, became sud- denly prosperous, and, Gilbert Grindem a rich man. Our readers will perceive, as Mr. Small said, when Gridley left the private room of his partner— There was a mystery. ecomnuicloooks (SO