Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 196: what you’re looking at

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

186 OCTAVIA’S PRIDE cause you had some injurious LOBE which might have been elicited by cross-questioning.” Mathew Merle looked up into the speaker’s face vith a sardonic smile. ‘“It does look that, bestbomey And that chap, that Felix, was a shrewd one.’ ‘“What do you mean?” exclaimed Maurice, angrily. ‘<I mean that I was drugged, and’ put on board a South American ship just as she was casting off the tug-boat, and _™my passage was paid by a man in a long cloak and slouched cap, and the man had gray eyes, and a hatchet face; and this Felix is such a man.” Maurice sat with his forehead on his hand, thinking back . with all his power. Felix had warned him to leave the search alone. felix had known about the presence of Mathew Merle on board the Lively Jane. Felix had bungled in his management of the case, and that witness whose testimony had been worthless had been of his getting up. It came upon _him with startling conviction, and he did not say a word, but.in his heart he echoed Mathew Merle’s exclamation: ‘“Helix is the man who sent off your witness! If you have any warrant to serve, take it to him!” The keen, black eyes were watching his face sharply. “Well, sir,” said Mathew Merle, sneeringly, ‘‘ what is your opinion of the case?” “‘T am exceedingly puzzled. I only know that all this is news tome. Will you be good enough to tell me over the circumstances? ven if it was a plot, it seems to me it was a very stupid one, for one might be sure you would find your way back.” | “Tf I bore the wear and tear of the voyage. I have guessed sometimes that there were hopes it would make an end of an old fellow like me. But it was reckoning ule otha due knowledge,” he added, with a chuckle. ’ comicboo co