The King's Talisman — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 81 gentle Selina, is lost to me forever! She upon whom my heart was fixed as the unfledged eagle to its nest, has been torn from me, and upon the wide earth not a tie exists to bind me to myself. “Oh, if angels look forth from yonder stars, let them pity me in my distress, and let them shed one ray of hope into my soul, for soon, very soon, that soul must be a wanderer among their gentle beams. Earth cannot much longer be the home of such a spirit as is mine. Crushed! broken! cast down beneath mine own contempt!” For a moment, Al-Bassa stopped in his walk. The tears which had been starting forth were dried in their course, and the trembling of the muscles was stilled to an iron calm- ness. Soon a simple word broke from his lips. ‘* Modad!” he uttered, and then clenched his hands with a sort of sudden determination that sent its tone through every nerve in his system. ‘‘ Modad, I have served thee long and faithfully, but I will serve thee no longer, and would to heaven that my heart had been steeled against thy ‘ wickedness ere the shaft of misery was sent to my bosom.” - The old man walked on fora time, .and at length he turned toward the dwelling. Half the distance had he traversed back when he was met by one of his slaves. «* Master,” said the slave, bowing low before the coun- selor, ‘‘a messenger from the king awaits you in your dwelling.” ‘‘From the king, said you?” exclaimed the old man start- ing as though his foot had trodden upon a scorpion. ‘«“Yes, my master.” ‘‘He gave not his errand?” ‘Only that the king desired your immediate attend- ance at the palace.” «©Go back and tell the messenger that I can Al-Bassa hesitated for a moment, and bent his eyes thoughtfully upon the ground. ‘The first flash of indigna- Eomichooks (Eo)