Ruby's Reward — page 354: what you’re looking at

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

CHAPTER XLVI, RUBY’S RELEASE EXPLAINED. Edmund Carpenter’s face had grown absolutely ghastly while the ofticer was speaking. He saw that he was hedged about on every side— everything was known, and it would need but a word from Mr. Conant to throw him into prison to await a trial upon charges that were liable to result in a sen- tence of penal servitude for perhaps twenty yeurs. Death would be preferable to that; his haughty spirit could never brook confinement; and, turning his white face to the architect, he demanded, sullenly : “What are your terms : “That bank-note first,” was the relentless reply. Without another word, the young man drew from an inner pocket a sinall Russia leather covered diary, and taking from it a bank-bill, passed it to Mr. Conant. : He unfolded it, and after a moment’s examination, he said: “his is all right—the number is 805.” Then Mr, Conant took from the table near which he was standing a small package of crisp new bills, and passed them to Mr. Carpenter, adding : “We have no intention of robbing you, sir; you will find the equivalent of this bill here. He nodded to the officer as he spoke, and the man withdrew, much to Edmund Carpenter’s relief, But at the same moment adoor on the opposite side of the room opened, and he saw his father’s old lawyer, Mr. Fairbanks, enter, followed adwords. Coxon. x