as far as circumstances permitted, like a
gentleman, had shown no intention of taking the papers either stealthily
or violently. It must be with her consent. He had laid the package down
upon the table, waiting for her to give him leave to take it. But just
as he spoke these last words, Cynthia, whose eye had been glancing
furtively at it while he was thinking out his axiom, and taking her
bearings to it pretty carefully, stretched her hand out, and, seizing the
package, thrust it into the sanctuary of her bosom.
"Mr. Penhallow must see those papers, Miss Cynthia Badlam," Mr. Gridley
repeated calmly. "If he says they or any of them can be returned to your
keeping, well and good. But see them he must, for they have his office
seal and belong in his custody, and, as you see by the writing on the
back, they have not been examined. Now there may be something among them
which is of immediate importance to the relatives of the late deceased
Malachi Withers, and therefore they must be forthwith submitted to the
inspection of the surviving partner of the firm of Wibird and Penhallow.
This I propose to do, with your consent, this evening. It is now
twenty-five minutes past eight by the true time, as my watch has it.
At half past eight exactly I shall have the honor of bidding you good
evening, Miss Cynthia Badlam, whether you give me those papers or not. I
shall go to the office of Jacob Penhallow, Esquire, and there make one of
two communications to him; to wit, these papers and the facts connected
therewith, or another statement, the nature of which you may perhaps
conjecture."
There is no need of our speculating as to what Mr. Byles Gridley, an
honorable and humane man, would have done, or what would have been the
nature of that communication which he offered as an alternative to the
perplexed woman. He had not at any rate miscalculated the strength of
his appeal, which Cynthia interpreted as he expected. She bore the
heart-screw about two minutes. Then she took the package from her bosom,
and gave it with averted face to Master Byles Gridley, who, on receiving
it, made her a formal but not unkindly bow, and bade her good evening.
"One would think it had been lying out in the dew," he said, as he left
the house and walked towards Mr. Penhallow's residence.
CHAPTER XXXI.
MASTER BYLES GRIDLEY CONSULTS WITH JACOB PENHALLOW, ESQUIRE
Lawyer Penhallow was seated in his study, his day's work over, his feet
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