Octavia's Pride; or, The Missing Witness — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

36 : , OCTAVIA'S PRIDE. looks, one would know that you and he had different mothers. But he is my son, and your half-brother, and in his own line we must give him credit for smartness and ability. He has earned his full share of the family income, though he keeps his absurd, quixotie neétions, in spite of my lectures. But now let us talk of business. So you have seen old Mathew Merle yourself.” | Felix knit his forehead again. ‘“Yes, I have seen him. A wily old Fox, that’s what he is; and you must set a watch upon him, or he willslip away without having given the testimony we need. I wish he could be trapped somehow into making his statements be- fore a witness. ‘That would be better than to have him on the stand.” | ‘How can that be? I don’t understand.” Se OW EY ah ve case we have pune the testimony we de- sire, and no more.’ ‘‘Do you think there is anything he could say to damage us?” asked the elder Mr. Middleton, with a startled look. ‘‘T don’t care ‘to give expression to all my iret pra ” was the rather ambiguous answer of Mr. Helix. His father stood twirling nervously at the seal on his watch-chain, now and then lifting his eyes, and glancing uneasily at the moody face before him. ‘I can t see a possibility of harm in his power, except from withholding the testimony,” ventured he. ‘JT wish I couldn’t,”, returned Felix. ‘*‘ However, Fhe’ thing is to put it out of the man’s power to do harm. I think you agree with me that the affair must go on at any cost.” ‘‘ Certainly, certainly,” replied the senior, with decided empahsis. _ Yes,” repeated Felix, clenching the hands thrust under the skirts of his coat, and setting his teeth till they left co comicbooks