"Oh, I'm not complaining," said Rob. "It wasn't much trouble to break through."
"You seem quite young to have mastered such wonderful secrets of Nature," continued the king.
"So I am," replied Rob, modestly; "but these natural forces have really existed since the beginning of the world, and some one was sure to discover them in time." He was quoting the Demon, although unconsciously.
"You are an American, I suppose," said the minister, coming close to Rob and staring him in the face.
"Guessed right the first time," answered the boy, and drawing his Character Marking spectacles from his pocket, he put them on and stared at the minister in turn.
Upon the man's forehead appeared the letter "E".
"Your Majesty," said Rob, "I have here another queer invention. Will you please wear these spectacles for a few moments?"
The king at once put them on.
"They are called Character Markers," continued the boy, "because the lenses catch and concentrate the character vibrations radiating from every human individual and reflect the true character of 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."