The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 64: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. 55 close his ears to the shrieks which at intervals broke the silence of night— but the effort was too much for his mind to bear. From gradually listening, with nervous excitement for the cries of the maniacs who were con- fined near him, he began to feel an irresistible desire to shriek too; and at last howled with them, re-echoed their idiot shouts of laughter and despairing yells, broken alternately by tears, by prayers, or blasphe- mies, as hope or despair predominated. His prayers at last were answered. Before reason became extinguished, the angel of mercy sent a minister to his relief, to console and strengthen him: that minister was a child—the kind-hearted and intelligent daughter of the keeper—his young friend Lizzy. COniiclooecl SS (SO