Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 270: what you’re looking at

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

260° OCTAVIA’'S PRIDE years—and now George was come—and this strippling had outwitted his spies, and married her. It was well the latter did not come within his reach. Even in the midst of his fury, he saw how his own cunning overreached itself. He never hinted to his agents that such a marriage would ruin his plans. He only claimed before them a guardian’s power, nor whispered a word of his son’s coming to marry an heiress. And this was the result. He cursed his own folly and their stupidity, and only soothed his lowering forehead when he reached the dock and saw the Comet safely moored. He rushed aboard and met one of the owners, who had shared his impatience for his son’s arrival. A look came eacross the man’s face as he recognized him, which went to Mathew Merle’s heart like a dagger. Now, all at once, his fury and rage at bafiled plans dropped away before a dead- her pang. ““My son!” exclaimed he—‘‘ what has Happen to my boy?” yp ‘he man brushed his hand across his eyes and called to the captain, who, when he knew who it was, came tardily and reluctantly, and hemmed, and cleared his voice, and choked again, and finally could only falter brokenly: ‘It’s very bad, sir. I’m sorry for you, sir. ‘here was only two cases aboard, and the other got well nicely.” ‘“What is it?” demanded Mathew Merle, hoarsely. ‘“ Your son, sir, was taken down with the cholera before we got out of the Hooghly, or rather right down by the mouth. We had a doctor from Diamond Harbor, and we did everything, but he died the second day.” There came no further word of questioning. A con- vulsive shivering went through the limbs, the eyes glared wildly. ‘Then down at the startled shipmaster’s feet fell a stiffened, helpless form. They picked him up, worked over him ciiusncaesindll and then carried him on a stretcher to the hospital. He ~~ comic walk cS