The King's Talisman — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

Si 84 THE KING'S TALISMAN. talisman, I must surely fall. That talisman must have either been lost or stolen, and it may be even now in Petra.” ‘¢ But this calamity, sire—what is its nature?” asked Al- Bassa, with surprise. , ‘«¢That is more than I can tell thee now,” answered Mo- dad, while a slight trembling seized his limbs, ‘‘for to my- self I cannot define it. Still I feel it hanging about me, and at every step some hidden pitfall seems yawning for me. But one thing I would have thee do,” the king continued, with a sudden start, and seeming for the moment to forget his talisman. ‘*Do you know that old sooth- sayer?”’ “ Abdah Nazor?” ‘The same.” ‘¢ Yes, sire.” “Then I would have him removed from my path.” “Well?” uttered the old counselor, gazing calmly at his monarch, as if he understood not the hint. | ‘*T would have thee do it, Al-Bassa.” Al-Bassa may have given a sudden start, but its effects were hardly perceptible, for almost on the instant he an- swered: | «Sire, I will serve you in all that is just and honorable, so long as we may both live, but I will not sacrifice more of my honor to your will.” | Modad at first failed to comprehend the full import of the old man’s words, and. in a smothered tone, he said: ‘*You do not understand me. I said that I wished thee to remove Abdah Nazor from my way. You have trusty servants, and the thing may be easily done, for the old soothsayer almost daily, sol am told, visits the city from his mountain retreat.” A1-Bassa’s first step in moral independence had been taken, Eomichooks (E(0)