all free? Did you think his release a triumph over me? Not so, my good
cousin; not so, by any means! The furthest possible from that! No; but
it was the accomplishment of a purpose long entertained on my part. I
set him free!"

"You!" answered Hepzibah. "I never will believe it! He owed his
dungeon to you; his freedom to God's providence!"

"I set him free!" reaffirmed Judge Pyncheon, with the calmest
composure. "And I came hither now to decide whether he shall retain
his freedom. It will depend upon himself. For this purpose, I must
see him."

"Never!--it would drive him mad!" exclaimed Hepzibah, but with an
irresoluteness sufficiently perceptible to the keen eye of the Judge;
for, without the slightest faith in his good intentions, she knew not
whether there was most to dread in yielding or resistance. "And why
should you wish to see this wretched, broken man, who retains hardly a
fraction of his intellect, and will hide even that from an eye which
has no love in it?"

"He shall see love enough in mine, if that be all!" said the Judge,
with well-grounded confidence in the benignity of his aspect. "But,
Cousin Hepzibah, you confess a great deal, and very much to the
purpose. Now, listen, and I will frankly explain my reasons for
insisting on this interview. At the death, thirty years since, of our
uncle Jaffrey, it was found,--I know not whether the circumstance ever
attracted much of your attention, among the sadder interests that
clustered round that event,--but it was found that his visible estate,
of every kind, fell far short of any estimate ever made of it. He was
supposed to be immensely rich. Nobody doubted that he stood among the
weightiest men of his day. It was one of his eccentricities,
however,--and not altogether a folly, neither,--to conceal the amount
of his property by making distant and foreign investments, perhaps
under other names than his own, and by various means, familiar enough
to capitalists, but unnecessary here to be specified. By Uncle
Jaffrey's last will and testament, as you are aware, his entire
property was bequeathed to me, with the single exception of a life
interest to yourself in this old family mansion, and the strip of
patrimonial estate remaining attached to it."

"And do you seek to deprive us of that?" asked Hepzibah, unable to
restrain her bitter contempt. "Is this your price for ceasing to
persecute poor Clifford?"

"Certainly not, my dear cousin!" answer