The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. 85 speak to him, and if he has the papers you shall have them.” ** But why not give them up yourself? ”’ “<I have never seen them.” “But you know where they are to be found?” insinuated the officer. Meg hesitated. ‘‘ Has your husband no hiding-place? He is a curious sort of fellow—I believe an honest one, too. I dare say, now, he has some quiet, quaint nook, where he stows away odds and ends, and which, hke a good housewife, you have never pretended to find out, but which you have, in fact, hunted over a thousand times 2” This time the poor creature smiled; the cunning officer had hit the truth. Tim certainly had such a nook in the house—a secret, as he deemed, from his better half? but who, as the officer hinted, had long since discovered it, and frequently, while he was at his work, examined its contents. She knew that the papers confided by the old clerk to the keeping of her husband were concealed there. Stillshe hesitated ; for though Tim was an excellent husband, lke most little men he had very decided notions on the subject of conjugal obedience. She knew exactly how far she might proceed with immunity, and no farther. The dread of seriously angering him alone made her hesitate. She had, previous to the visit of the officer, almost made up her mind to the slaughter of one of the inmates of the hutches, and was balancing within COniiclooecl SS (SO