Haunted Lives Author:Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. AD MISERICORDIAM. They did not sit down, they remained standing, everyone did, Miss Gray included; and Mr. Larkin, in parliamentary phrase, la... more »id upon the table a paper with a series of signatures attached, which he, in his most engaging manner, informed Miss Gray, who stood near the other end of the table, with Gryston at one side and Charles Mannering at the other, was a consent signed by the creditors, for the release of Monsieur de Beaumirail, on the sole condition that their rights were not to be prejudiced by that step. " I act in this matter, and I believe I may speak for Mr. Levi and his eminent and influential partner, entirely from motives of compassion, and I will say humanity." " Humanity?that'sh it?and compassion," echoed Mr. Levi, standing at his elbow, and eyeing the party with a sulky glare. " Quite so, a Christian feeling, we hope; that is," said Mr. Larkin, suddenly recollecting Mr. Levi's faith?" a feeling of perfectly disinterested charity and commiseration." " Coramishera-a-tion," assented Mr. Levi, with emphasis. "And we are actuated," continued Mr, Larkin, " in this, I will say, melancholy case, by no other motive." " I'll take my oath of that," said Mr. Levi, to place the matter quite beyond doubt. "And really, thrown professionally into contact with that unhappy though sadly misguided young man, I will say that it is impossible to contemplate his great, and I will add, his?a?a?eminent privations? without a sentiment of pity. ' Sick and in prison'?I take the liberty, Miss Gray, of quoting?' and ye visited me.' " " Vishits him twishe a week,"?" and always finds him at home," he mentally added. But of course this latter was but an unspoken jocularity of Mr. Levi, who looked especially hang-dog, as he always did when h...« less