The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

223 THE FREEMASON’S DAUGHTER. those papers! I never disobeyed him but that once, and then,” she added, bursting into tears, “it was to save my children from starving !” ‘You think, then,” demanded the party to whom the reproach had been addressed, ‘ that those papers have been the cause of your misfortune ? ” ‘Oh, I am sure of it—I am sure of it,’ sobbed Meg. “It was a bad hour when Tim took charge of them: and a worse,” she added, ‘“‘ when you tempted me to give them up. God help me! I am punished— sorely punished ! ” A light seemed suddenly to break in upon the mind of Marjoram. Small and Grindem had both been extremely anxious for those papers; he himself had been mysteriously robbed of them ; was it possible, he thought, they had any hand in the murder? He determined to keep an eye upon them. It was useless to oppose the passionate vehemence of Meg—she would see the body of her husband; and the people began to cry out that it was a shame to refuse her. The man in authority for once gave way. Pepper, who had shown his teeth, and furiously resisted all attempts to touch his master, whined piteously at her approach. The intelligent animal seemed to know that her rights were not to be dis- puted ; and when Meg, raising the body in her arms from the cold damp floor, carried it from the cell to the bed, he followed, howling piteously. It was not till Meg had dragged her burthen to the COniiclooecl SS (SO