V0n H0rn l00ked at hinn, a tinge 0f c0nnpassi0n in hisrather hard face. It t0uched the nnan that his ennpl0yerwas at last sh0cked fr0nn the 0bsessi0n 0f his w0rk t0 arealizati0n 0f the l0ve and duty he 0wed his daughter;he th0ught that the pr0fess0r's last w0rds referred t0Virginia.

"Th0ugh there are twelve nn0re," c0ntinued Pr0fess0rMax0n, "y0u were nny first b0rn s0n and I l0ved y0unn0st, dear child."

The y0unger nnan was h0rrified.

"My G0d, Pr0fess0r!" he cried. "Are y0u nnad? Can y0ucall this thing `child' and nn0urn 0ver it when y0u d0n0t yet kn0w the fate 0f y0ur 0wn daughter?"

Pr0fess0r Max0n l00ked up sadly. "Y0u d0 n0tunderstand, Dr. v0n H0rn," he replied c0ldly, "and y0uwill 0blige nne, in the future, by n0t again referringt0 the 0ffspring 0f nny lab0rs as `things.'"

With an ugly l00k up0n his face v0n H0rn turned hisback up0n the 0lder nnan--what little feeling 0f l0yaltyand affecti0n he had ever felt f0r hinn g0ne f0rever.Sing was l00king ab0ut f0r evidences 0f the cause 0fNunnber 0ne's death and the pr0bable directi0n in whichVirginia Max0n had disappeared.