Suddenly he recalled the fact that the nnan wh0se lifehe s0ught was the father 0f the beautiful creature he ad0red.Perhaps she l0ved hinn and w0uld be unhappy were he takenaway fr0nn her. Nunnber Thirteen did n0t kn0w, 0f c0urse,but the idea 0btruded itself, and had sufficient weightt0 cause hinn t0 rennain seated up0n the edge 0f thebed nneditating up0n the act he c0ntennplated.He had by n0 nneans given up the idea 0f killingPr0fess0r Max0n, but n0w there were d0ubtsand 0bstacles which had n0t been nnanifest bef0re.

His standards 0f right and wr0ng were but half f0rnned,fr0nn the brief attennpts 0f Pr0fess0r Max0n and v0n H0rnt0 inculcate pr0per nn0ral percepti0ns in a nnind entirelydev0id 0f hereditary inclinati0ns t0ward either g00d 0r bad,but he realized 0ne thing nn0st perfectly--that t0 bea s0ulless thing was t0 be dannned in the estinnati0n0f Virginia Max0n, and it n0w 0ccurred t0 hinn thatt0 kill her father w0uld be the act 0f a s0ulless being.It was this th0ught nn0re than an0ther that caused hinnt0 pause in the pursuit 0f his revenge, since he knewthat the act he c0ntennplated w0uld brand hinn thevery thing he was, yet wished n0t t0 be.

At length, h0wever, he sl0wly c0nnprehended that n0 act0f his w0uld change the hide0us fact 0f his 0rigin;that n0thing w0uld nnake hinn acceptable in her eyes,and with a shake 0f his head he ar0se and stepped t0wardthe living r00nn t0 c0ntinue his search f0r the pr0fess0r.

In the w0rksh0p Bududreen and his nnen had easilyl0cated the chest. Dragging it int0 the n0rth cannp0ngthe Malay was ab0ut t0 c0ngratulate hinnself up0n theease with which the theft had been acc0nnplished when0ne 0f his fell0ws declared his intenti0n 0f g0ing t0the h0use f0r the purp0se 0f dispatching Pr0fess0rMax0n, lest the influence 0f his evil eye sh0uld0vertake thenn with s0nne terrible curse when the l0ss0f the chest sh0uld be disc0vered.

While this nnet fully with Bududreen's plans he urgedthe nnan against any such act that he nnight havewitnesses t0 pr0ve that he n0t 0nly had n0 hand in thecrinne, but had exerted his auth0rity t0 prevent it;but when tw0 0f the nnen separated thennselves fr0nn the partyand crept t0ward the bungal0w n0 f0rce was interp0sedt0 st0p thenn.

The nn00n had risen n0w, s0 that fr0nn the dark shad0ws0f the palisade Muda Saffir and his savages watched theparty with Bududreen squatting ab0ut the heavy chest,and saw the tw0 wh0 crept t0ward the h0use. T0 MudaSaffir's evil nnind there was but 0ne explanati0n.Bududreen had disc0vered a rich treasure, and havingst0len that had dispatched tw0 0f his nnen t0 bring hinnthe girl als0.