I Forbid the Banns! — page 316: what you’re looking at

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

306 “7 FORBID THE BANNS!” in need of cash, and as Mr. Abed Nego had usually the control of large sums, it was generally assumed that he could purchase the souls of the entire Levant population, even allowing one soul to every man, woman, and child, which is certainly ‘a more liberal allowance than the experience of such persons as are thoroughly conversant with that quarter of the world would be disposed to con- cede to the population. Mr. Abed Nego did very much better. The Levantine soul, though admittedly an article of commerce, does not rank highas a negotiable security. A tramway concession, when it relates to a popuious district, does ; and Mr. Abed Nego had obtained not merely tramway concessions, but tele- graph, telephone, and electric lighting concessions, all of which offered magnificent possibilities in the way of floating companies in England. By the judicious disposal of his claims it was reported that Mr. Abed Nego had cleared a trifle over two millions of pounds—-not Egyptian, but English. He had, at the same time, become a person to be considered in any scheme that might be devised for solving the Eastern question. It was said that even Russia had offered to buy him, but without success, Mr. Abed Nego feeling that his hands would be more free if he remained unbought—a conclusion that did credit to his sagacity. He was in parliament, where again he displayed his sagacity by remaining silent session after session. He had, however, helped the government in some of their Eastern difficulties—for a consideration, this being that royalty was to be present at one of Mme. Abed Nego’s parties. Royalty had been, as usual, obedient. Some thousands of (nominal) Christians in Asia Minor had been emanci- pated from the thraldom: of Mussulman rule, and Mme. Abed Nego had become a personage in society. It was understood that both Mr, and Mme. Abed Nego were greatly interested in the progress of Christianity in the Gomichbooksico