The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. 67 “Did I ever do so?”’ “No.” . ““Then why imagine I am trying to do so pow ? You know,” said the young man, “that for several years the house of Mrs. Lawrence was my second home—Richard like a brother, Amy like a little sister to me ; is there anything extraordinary in my resenting an insult to her? I should have done the same,” he added, ‘* had I never exchanged a word with her.” ‘< You love her?” said his uncle. “TI told you, when last we spoke upon the subject, that I considered her as a child—as a child, had I been let alone, I should have still considered her; but, faith, since you force the conviction upon me, I begin to think that she 1s really a very lovely young woman.” There was a frankness in the young man’s tone and manner which allayed his uncle’s suspicions, if it did not entirely disarm them. Although, strictly speak- ing, a mercantile man, he knew something of the human heart—knew that nothing was more likely to create a feeling of interest in the breast of a young man than being continually tormented about a girl; he therefore wisely resolved to drop that subject, to Henry’s great relief, who was too ingenuous to have denied his love, had the question been closely pressed. ‘Bad boy—foolish boy!” said his uncle; “I must one day think of providing you with a wife to put an end to these follies.”’ , F 2 COniiclooecl SS (SO