The King's Talisman — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 139 ‘“Then you shall have it,” the king answered, highly ex- cited at the coolness of the censors. ‘‘You have had the doors of your temple locked against the citizens, and that, too, while you held converse with my minister.” “You speak truly, sire.” ‘“* Ha! and dost own it, traitors?” ‘That the temple was locked, and that we held converse with Al-Bassa—yes; but ’twas for your sake that the citizens were excluded.” Moran stood with folded arms, and as he spoke, he gazed steadily into the face of his monarch. Modad started at the remark, for not only the words were deep in their meaning, but the manner of him who uttered _ them gave them the clear color of truth. ‘“My sake, did you say?” at length, uttered the king. «¢ Yes, sire.” ‘¢Then I am threatened. Then there is a scheme on foot against me.” | | ‘No, your majesty. “Iwas Al-Bassa who needed protec- tion. The only thing we feared against the king was his own conduct, whereby the royal character might suffer re- proach. For this we kept the doors fast.” ‘‘Didst learn from whom the counselor needed protec- tion?” asked Modad, while he trembled beneath tke steady gaze of the men before him. » ‘¢ We did, sire.”’ «< And who was it?” «His king.” — «¢ And you offered him what-he sought?” cried the mon- arch, giving way to his rage, now that he found Al-Bassa had betrayed him. ‘©No, sire—we bade him return to his own dwelling, assuring him that you would not dare openly to molest him,” Eomicbooks (E(o)