Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 240: what you’re looking at

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

230 OCTA VIA'S PRIDE, _ Just own up, and you will save yourself ¢ a - deal of trouble, now, I can tell you.” ““Humph! ‘There’s other folks can tell, too. You're ver y much worried about your poor Mina now. ‘Time was you hadn’t too much compassion.” ‘‘ You won't make anything by that game. I’m the girl’s guardian, and if she is stubborn and bad behaved, it’s my place to help it. What I want to know of you is who that fellow was in the cloak, the fellow with the hatchet face and the gray eyes, and | want you to own up that it’s not Mina Merle who is buried in the pauper’s grave. A sharp game somebody meant to play.” They wasn’t gray eyes at all,” said the woman, promptly. ‘‘ The eyes were great big blue ones, and looked oddly with the whiskers. I don’t mind owning up, Mathew, if you promise it will be safe for me.” ‘‘A good deal safer than the other way. But I want to know that aper You don’t remember; the eres must have been gray.” “No, they were not; [ll stake my life on that; and if you don’t mean to be cross, I can tell you more. He Booted a ring here—pulled it out of his pocket somehow—and there’s a mark inside of it.” «Let me have it,” said Mathew Merle, setting his lip orimly. She laughed slyly. ‘But first I want you to say that I shall get see of the trouble. Ill take your word for it, Mathew Merle.” ‘““Of course you will. And if you'll make a clean breast of it. and help me to prove the dead girl was not my niece. I won’t mind rewarding you, besides insuring your safety.” ‘All right. Ask your questions as fast as you like, and V’ll answer true—honor bright.” me «First, then, who do you think that fellow was in the cloak and cap and false whiskers? I know you fora woman comicboo eS) ] (ele) ny ‘ th if mn ~~ . og pee