The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 63: what you’re looking at

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

54 THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. Seeing that the old man was calm, two of the keepers walked up to him, and, taking him by the arms, at- tempted to lead him away. “Yes!” said Gridley, with a violent effort mastering his anger, for he felt how necessary it was to avoid even the appearance of excitement. ‘ I am quite calm and reasonable. I make no resistance. You will send the doctor to me?” ** Certainly.” “To-day? ” Crab bowed his head in token of assent, and the speaker suffered himself to be led to his cell, in the hope of being visited by the medical men. He even permitted the door to be barred upon him without a word of remonstrance; but no sooner was he alone than the horror of his situation broke upon him, and he burst into tears. At times he imagined that he was really mad, or laboured under the frightful antici- pation of becoming so. The nameless dread —the creeping horror—which the consciousness of approach- ing insanity conveys, is far more terrible than insanity itself. Days rolled on, and still the keeper of the madhouse failed to perform his promise. No medical attendant was admitted to see him, and Gridley became convinced at last that he was the victim of a scheme of villany of which Grindem was the author. With the iron reso- lution of despair, he resolved, if possible, not to give way to the influences, by which he was surrounded—to COniiclooecl SS (SO