D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 161: what you’re looking at

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

[50 King of Portugal. per deposit of its Prime Minister, whose warrant to cover you and me you here see—to the King of Portu- gal!’ “The K-K-King of Portugal!” “Be ye all witness that I am the foremost to hail the Duke of Braganza as the King of Portugal,” proceeded D’Artagnan, in his inexhaustible vein. He went down on one knee and held out his sword, hilt first, toward the astonished and overjoyed noble- man. The latter took it, with his hand tremulous, and went through the performance of knighting the kneeling cap- tain, saying: “Rise, Louis d’Artagnan, hidalgo, grandee, Knight Commander of the Holy Cross of Portugal! And as for your companion, who brings such good tidings, I make him grandee!” “A grandee! What will madame say?” gasped Por- thos. “Long live the King of Portugal!’’ shouted he, as if to be heard at San Sebastian at least. “As for this courageous and talented Soleiman,” con- tinued Braganza, who had fallen into this bestowal of gifts, which cost him nothing, with truly royal facility, “IT appoint him my private privy pursebearer, with a seat at the Council of State for financial matters. For further honors, let us not anticipate time!” His wife looked at him admiringly. This was to be areal king! Her pupil was promising! Jacinta gazed on D’Artagnan. Soleiman might be wealthy and cunning, the duke gracious and generous, the duchess correct in her presage; but, to her, all turned on her hero—D’Artagnan was the hand spinning the ball which, by its course upon the dais of state and its fall into the winning pit, or off the board, was to decide everything. “Death of my life!’ said the musketeer, to Porthos, in a dazzled state, “look at this! Over a million in the strong box, two such swords as ours, this petty nucleus of an army—less than this has conquered a kingdom! But,” with a sigh, “I miss that brave, sensible Pedro and his brethren of the coast!” There could not have been an eavesdropper in those Eomicbooks..co SS Pr. eS