to the shadow of a Court, he had appointed his officers, and
regulated his household, with all the precision and etiquette of a petty
sovereign. The mansion which he now inhabited had apparently belonged to
some more wealthy person of the town of Alhacen, and had been studiously
decorated with all the tapestry and other ornaments which could be
collected together; but the faded and tattered condition of the
materials, evidently indicated that the days of their splendour had
long since passed.

Caneri was at this moment exhibiting the capricious disposition of a
vain and would-be despot. Some half dozen miserable looking figures, who
surrounded his couch, constituted his whole retinue, and appeared
completely subservient to the ridiculous fancies of their master. But
amongst these desperate ruffians, there was a man whose countenance and
demeanor were calculated more particularly to attract the notice of a
stranger. He sat at the right of Caneri, and seemed, by the freedom of
his language and manner, to possess the unlimited confidence of that
chief. On what plea he could found his claim to such a distinction,
would have been no easy matter to determine; his countenance being
remarkable only for a larger share of calm resolution, deep malignity,
and ill-boding ferocity, than those of his companions. A broad and
strongly built frame, dark and lowering features, black shaggy beard,
and the savage glitter of an eye that scowled gloomily under its heavy
brow, gave to his whole appearance a most forbidding and sinister
expression. Even when his features occasionally relaxed from their
sternness, they only seemed to writhe into a peculiar sneer, which could
not be contemplated without an involuntary shudder of terror and
repugnance. Yet, even amidst this repulsive exterior, at times there
could be traced a few sad remains of noble lines in that countenance,
which spoke of hateful passions, long cherished within the breast. There
was enough to induce the belief that this man had originally been
capable of better feelings, and worthy a more honorable career.

This mysterious being, like the rest of Caneri's train, was apparelled
in a Moorish garb, remarkable only for its poverty and simplicity. But,
though his appearance and attire bespoke the Moor, yet the expression of
his features by no means corresponded with his exterior; and a
penetrating eye could easily discover, that whatever might now be his
profession, he had formerl