And, as he seized it, the whole scene vanished from his sight!
Hours or years might have passed away, so far as the sufferer was
concerned, when Alroy again returned to self-consciousness. His eyes
slowly opened, he cast around a vacant stare, he was lying in the cavern
of Genthesma. The moon had set, but the morn had not broken. A single
star glittered over the brow of the black mountains. He faintly moved
his limbs; he would have raised his hand to his bewildered brain, but
found that it grasped a sceptre. The memory of the past returned to him.
He tried to rise, and found that he was reposing in the arms of a human
being. He turned his head; he met the anxious gaze of Jabaster!
CHAPTER VII.
_Conquest of the Seljuks_
YOUR face is troubled, uncle.' 'So is my mind.' 'All may go well.'
'Miriam, we have seen the best. Prepare yourself for sorrow, gentle
girl. I care not for myself, for I am old, and age makes heroes of us
all. I have endured, and can endure more. As we approach our limit, it
would appear that our minds grow callous. I have seen my wealth, raised
with the labours of a thoughtful life, vanish in a morn: my people, a
fragile remnant, nevertheless a people, dispersed, or what is worse.
Pages:
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141