The Master Key, an Electrical Fairy Tale Founded Upon the Mysteries of ElectricityL. Frank Baum
Taschenbuch
Excerpt: . . . the person upon his forehead. If a letter ' G' appears, you may be sure his disposition is good; if his forehead is marked with an ' E' his character is evil, and you must beware of treachery. " The king saw the " E" plainly marked upon his minister's forehead, but he said nothing except " Thank you, " and returned the spectacles to Rob. But the minister, who from the first had been ill at ease, now became positively angry. " Do not believe him, your Majesty!" he cried. " It is a trick, and meant to deceive you. " " I did not accuse you, " answered the king, sternly. Then he added: " I wish to be alone with this young gentleman. " The minister left the room with an anxious face and hanging head. " Now, " said Rob, "let's look over the record of the past day and see if that fellow has been up to any mischief. " He turned the cylinder of the Record to " England, " and slowly the events of the last twenty-four hours were reproduced, one after the other, upon the polished plate. Before long the king uttered an exclamation. The Record pictured a small room in which were seated three gentlemen engaged in earnest conversation. One of them was the accused minister. " Those men, " said the king in a low voice, while he pointed out the other two, "are my avowed enemies. This is proof that your wonderful spectacles indicated my minister's character with perfect truth. I am grateful to you for thus putting me upon my guard, for I have trusted the man fully. " " Oh, don't mention it, " replied the boy, lightly; " I'm glad to have been of service to you. But it's time for me to go. " " I hope you will favor me with another interview, " said the king, "for I am much interested in your electrical inventions. I will instruct my guards to admit you at any time, so you will not be obliged to fight your way in. " " All right. But it really doesn't matter, " answered Rob. " It's no trouble at all to knock 'em over. " Then he remembered his manners and bowed low before the king, who seemed to him "a. . .
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