The King's Talisman — page 162: what you’re looking at

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

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 153 when his eye fell upon the youth. ‘The moment he saw that noble form, and those varying, speaking features, he stopped suddenly as though he had seen a specter. Nou- reddin still held his unsheathed sword in his hand, but notic- ing the stranger’s perturbation, he replaced it in his scab- bard, saying as he did so: “Start not, good sire, I only meant my trusty steel for protection.” ‘That voice, too!” murmured the aged soldier, still gaz ing, almost entranced, upon the youth. ‘‘ Baal Hernon,” spoke the dervise, ‘‘let us disperse the -crowd, for I would be on my way elsewhere.” “But that youth,” uttered the old soldier, hardly com- prehending what Abdah Nazor had said, ‘‘ who is he?” “Mine, Baal Hernon—mine, Heaven gave him to me in trust. Be you satisfied with that for the present.” Then turning to the people, he cried: ‘“Now, good citizens, let us to our homes. You have _ done me a service for which I will ere long repay you ten- fold. Go peaceably away, and let your business demand your attention, for remember, you are yet citizens.” ‘The censors! ‘The censors!” came from a hundred voices. ‘*‘ We want them for the city!” «‘And you shall have them,” exclaimed the venerable der- vise. ‘They shall again move among you unharmed, and you shall fear nomore. I promise it by my hopes of im- mortality.” A hundred different shouts mingled confusedly together in the air. ‘The king,” ‘“ Al-Bassa,” ‘‘Abdah Nazor,” and ‘‘ the censors,” were upon the lips of the people, while a cloud of caps and crimson scarfs waved above their heads. Gradually the crowd began to break—the sea of human beings swept off into waves, and each rolled away into the city; but yet a considerable number remained fixed upon Gomicbooks (Efe)