The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASON’S DAUGHTER. 83 despite all her confidence in her husband’s honesty, was uneasy and excited, and felt that it would require but little to throw her entirely off her guard. } ‘‘ Bad affair,” he muttered, “ very bad affair |” “What zs the matter ?”’. demanded Meg, bursting into tears. The poor creature had not broken her fast that morning, and the cries of her children, amongst whom she had ‘divided the remains of her last loaf, were still ringing in her ears. ‘ Has anything happened to my husband? I know,” she added, “ it is not for a trifle that you have come out of your way to visit poor creatures like us.” “‘ A robbery has been committed.” ** Robbery ?” c¢ Ay.” “‘ But not by Tim,” exclaimed the woman ; “ not by my husband. No one will believe that; ask all the town—our neighbours—they will tell you that he is as honest as the day—and honester, too: for that can’t be an honest day which sees the poor who are willing to work starving for want of employment, and poor folk suspected, simply because they are poor.” ** No one accuses your husband of robbery.” Twas sure not,’ exclaimed the woman, triumphantly. ‘* But certain papers, deeds of importance, are miss- ing from the firm of Grindem and Small—abstracted, it is supposed, by old Gridley, their clerk, who has gone mad; and it is more than suspected that Tim knows something about them.” @ 2 COniiclooecl SS (SO