The King's Talisman — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

\ THE KINGS TALISMAN, — 161 of them was easily lifted from its place. From the small cavity thus revealed, the operator drew forth a piece of vellum, an ink-horn, and a reed, and then laying the stone carefully back to its place, he arose to his feet and sidled along to the niche within which burned the taper. Here he seated himself upon a spare ottoman, spread the vellum upon his knee, took the stopper from the ink-horn, and having examined the point of his reed, the poor mute began rapidly to write. Ah, Modad, little dreamest thou that thy mute, whose ears your trumpet could not shake, has a power of compre- hending half of all you say. Not-a name of any of those whom you have once called in your slave’s presence can escape thy lips a second time without his knowing it. Those keen, piercing eyes, that once made thee start with such a fearful suspicion, have learned the motion of thy lips with a dread certainty, and he can translate thy look, even when perhaps thine own heart knew not the thoughts that moved it. For half an hour the mute wrote uninterruptedly, and then leaned back from his work. He replaced his writing ma- terials back from whence he had taken them, and then went to the couch and lay down by the side of his com- panion. He had not iain long upon his bed ere a slight movement was perceptible in one of the cedar panels on. the opposite side from the door, and in a moment it slid noiselessly from its place, while from the aperture thus made, Abdah Nazor stepped into the room. The mute made a nod of recognition, and pointed to the niche where stood the taper. The old man moved as one who was well acquainted with the place, as well as used to the business in which he was now engaged, and turning to- the spot thus designated, he took the vellum which the slave Gomichoo SS (Elo)