The King's Talisman — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

— 72 | THE KING'S TALISMAN. ‘No, no, good Ali—you mistake.” ‘‘Mistake? And is he safe? Is Noureddin still alive?” ‘«¢ Ay—or if he is not it is his own fault,” returned the dervise, ‘‘ for he knows all his danger, and none better than he knows how to avoid it.” | ‘‘But where, where has he gone, and why ?” ‘‘He is on a message for the king.” «‘The king!’ uttered Ali Kinah, exhibiting a degree of surprise mixed with paternal pride; ‘‘and has the king looked with fayor upon the son of the poor corn-seller?” A bitter smile rested upon the dervise’s features as he re- plied: «<*Tis even so. Modad has chosen thy boy from out all his subjects as the one best fitted for his embassy. But list thee, Ali Kinah,” continued the old man, while his face assumed a deeper expression, ‘‘ I have come, not only to tell thee this— to assure thee that thy boy is safe, but also to warn thee that thou most not speak of his absence to a living soul. Let not a word fall from thy lps that can betray any knowledge of Noureddin’s whereabouts, for if thou shouldst, it might be the worse for thee.” Ali Kinah gazed into the face of his companion with an expression of startled wonder. A vague sense of some hid- den danger went through his mind, but it was beyond his powers to comprehend or define it. ‘Tell me, Abdah Nazor,” he at length said, ‘‘wherein liesmy danger. If the king has looked with favor upon my boy, why can there be danger for me?” _**T have told thee there was danger,” remarked the old _ man, ‘“‘and I have also told thee how to escape it. Perhaps the king’s business is somewhat secret, and such as he would not like that you should know of, nor that you should ever know that the youth had been sent on it.” ‘‘ But surely, the king knows that Noureddin possesses the Gomicbooks (Eo)