D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 222: what you’re looking at

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

To the Rescue. 209 “No; the soldiers are mingling with the crowd and ex- cusing their retirement on the ground that visions ap- peared on the battlement during the night.” “Visions of the paymaster with bags of coin?” “No, a dread apparition.” “Just my fortune,” moaned Porthos, in burlesque. “I | would I had arrived over night. Never yet have I seen a ghost, and a Portuguese one must be uncommon,” “It was a decidedly native one—none less than the spirit of an ancient king, Don Sebastian, a monarch when little Portugal was a nursery of memorable rul- ers.” “IT never heard of the gentleman,” said the other, airily, as if his royal acquaintances were all reigning. ‘He was a Crusader, and went off into the Holy Land, where he was killed.” “Then I consider him an extraordinary spirit to come all the way across seas and Sahara to persuade a sentinel into yielding what it takes a quarter-million to induce a governor to give up.” “Ah, but the story goes that he was not slain in Africa, but came back ‘here, to be put in durance by the King of Spain.” “This Philip seems a nice imprisoning sort of sov- erel “Not this Philip, but the one of his times.” “But if he was only imprisoned, why should his spirit leave the rest of him to promenade Libson walls?’ “That Philip was the Second one, reigning fifty years ago.”’ “Oh!” said Porthos, with the air of one profoundly stored with demonology, “it could be his spirit, then.” “They knew it was.” “Hem!” said the doubter, “how was any to recognize the ghostly-returning king?” “Certainly, no one was a living witness, but—what do you say, Quaqua? for this gentleman puts more ques- tions to me than I can answer.” “The apparition bore the likeness, all a-shining, of Don Juan de Braganza, who resembles his ancestor, and the celestial light proved it was unearthly, while the arms of Braganza proved the identity.” (CONMIE OOO KS,(e) im