The King's Talisman — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

108 THE KINGS TALISMAN. old man concluded; and then bending upon Al- Bassa a. searching look, he continued: ‘Was it murder that Modad wished thee to perform?” Al-Bassa started at the quesiion, but he did not answer ere Moran added: ‘«‘T have reason for asking i question—a most potent reason. Was it not the murder of the old dervise, Abdah Nazor, that the king wished thee to do?” At this question Al-Bassa hesitated but a moment, for he saw that the censor had by some means become possessed of more knowledge than he had thought for, and quickly clearing away his reserve, he answered: ‘Since it appears that you have obtained a clew to what I supposed was not even suspected by any one save Modad and myself, I may as well tell thee the truth. I1t was be- cause I refused to murder that old man that the monarch sought my life.” ‘<So I thought,” Moran said, while the peculiar expres- sion of his countenance grew deeper; ‘‘but perhaps that was only a pretext of the king’s. IfI mistake not, Modad had ere that resolved upon your death.” Al-Bassa gazed up into the face of the censor in blank astonishment. He could not conceive how it was possible for them to have become possessed of a knowledge with re- gard to himself which must have been even prior to his own suspicions, for not until the preceding evening had the thought ever entered his mind that his king meditated per- sonal harm against himself. Had he suspected such a thing, he would have sooner cast off the timid fear that had so long marked his old age, and which had been noticed by all who knew him. ‘You need not be surprised, Al-Bassa,” continued Moran, ‘‘for we know of many things that transpire within the royal palace, which perhaps you, even, are ignorant of. Velorus and myself have not been idle in our seats, and Eomichbooks.co