The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. $1 CHAPTER III. Rocks melt with years, and stones are worn By hermit knees in prayer. The human heart, Harder than rocks or stones, alone remains Insensible. AT an early hour the following morning, as soon as Mr. Gilbert Grindem was seated in his private room, the old clerk, with an air of calm resolution, widely different from his usual nervous, excited manner, tapped at the door. Come in!” exclaimed the master. Gridley did as he was requested, carefully closing the green-baized doer after him. For a few moments the principal of the firm and his subordinate gazed on each other in silence. The man of money felt intuitively that a disagreeable explanation was about to take place between himself and his servant; and bitterly did he curse the weakness which had yielded to a first temptation, and placed his repu- tation and liberty in the power of so indiscreet a con- fidant. The sum, at the present distance of time, appeared every way unworthy of the risk: he would have gladly paid if three times over to have cancelled COniiclooecl SS (SO