The Freemason's Daughter: A Novel — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

THE FREEMASONS DAUGHTER. 87 “Ts this it?” she exclaimed, holding it at arm’s length. “How should I know without examining it?” replied the officer. ‘ And how shall I know,’ answered the woman, | ‘that 1t is when you have examined it. No, no, Mr. Marjoram. IfI break my faith to Tim it must not be, on the security of your word. Money down before I part with it.” ““ What mean you? ” “‘ That if this is not the thing you seek, it is not in Tim’s possession; whether it is or no, I break my husband’s secret alike. So the ten sovereigns down, or I put it back in the hiding place again.” The officer paused. He saw that the woman was not inclined to trust the packet, which she continued to hold at arm’s length, out of her possession, and that the opportunity, once lost, might not occur again. Besides, he had already received a very handsome sum from the two partners on account; so he resolved, for once, tospeculate. To use a common phrase, it was not often that gentlemen of his profession consented to buy a “ pig in a poke.” “‘ There is the money,” he said. “‘ And there the papers,” replied the woman, grasp- ing with tremulous joy the coveted gold, and re- luctantly resigning the packet ; for at the very moment that she did so her heart misgave her-—she felt that she was doing wrong, COniiclooecl SS (SO mn