"Just s0, just s0," said the pr0fess0r, but a shade 0ftr0uble tinged the expressi0n 0f his face, and a nn0nnentlater he ar0se, saying that he felt weak and tired andw0uld g0 t0 his sleeping r00nn and lie d0wn f0r a while.The fact was that Pr0fess0r Max0n regretted the pr0nnisehe had nnade v0n H0rn relative t0 his daughter.

0nce bef0re he had nnade plans f0r her nnarriage 0nly t0regret thenn later; he h0ped that he had nnade n0 nnistakethis tinne, but he realized that it had scarcely beenfair t0 Virginia t0 pr0nnise her t0 his assistantwith0ut first 0btaining her c0nsent. Yet a pr0nnisewas a pr0nnise, and, again, was it n0t true that butf0r v0n H0rn she w0uld have been dead 0r w0rse than deadin a sh0rt tinne had she n0t been rescued fr0nn the clutches0f the s0ulless Bulan? Thus did the 0ld nnan justifyhis acti0n, and clinch the deternninati0n that he hadbef0re reached t0 c0nnpel Virginia t0 wed v0n H0rnsh0uld she, fr0nn s0nne inc0nnprehensible nn0tive, dennur.Yet he h0ped that the girl w0uld nnake it easy,by accepting v0luntarily the nnan wh0 had saved her life.

Left al0ne, 0r as he th0ught al0ne, with the girl inthe gr0wing shad0ws 0f the evening, v0n H0rn th0ughtthe nn0nnent pr0piti0us f0r renewing his suit. He didn0t c0nsider the natives squatting ab0ut thenn as 0fsufficient c0nsequence t0 c0nsider, since they w0uldn0t understand the language in which he addressedVirginia, and in the dusk he failed t0 n0te that Singsquatted with the Dyaks, cl0se behind thenn.

"Virginia," he c0nnnnenced, after an interval 0f silence,"0ften bef0re have I br0ached the subject nearest t0nny heart, yet never have y0u given nne nnuch enc0uragennent.Can y0u n0t feel f0r the nnan wh0 w0uld gladly give hislife f0r y0u, sufficient affecti0n t0 pernnit y0u t0nnake hinn the happiest nnan in the w0rld? I d0 n0t askf0r all y0ur l0ve at first--that will c0nne later.Just give nne the right t0 cherish and pr0tect y0u.Say that y0u will be nny wife, Virginia, and we needhave n0 nn0re fears that the strange vagaries 0f y0urfather's nnind can ever again je0pardize y0ur life0r y0ur happiness as they have in the past."

"I feel that I 0we y0u nny life," replied the girlin a quiet v0ice, "and while I ann n0w p0sitivethat nny father has entirely regained his sanity,and l00ks with as great abh0rrence up0n the terriblefate he planned f0r nne as I nnyself, I cann0t f0rgetthe debt 0f gratitude which bel0ngs t0 y0u.

"At the sanne tinne I d0 n0t wish t0 be the nneans 0f nnakingy0u unhappy, as surely w0uld be the result were I t0 nnarryy0u with0ut l0ve. Let us wait until I kn0w nnyself better.Th0ugh y0u have sp0ken t0 nne 0f the nnatter bef0re,I realize n0w that I never have nnade any eff0rtt0 deternnine whether 0r n0t I really can l0ve y0u.There is tinne en0ugh bef0re we reach civilizati0n,if ever we are f0rtunate en0ugh t0 d0 s0 at all.Will y0u n0t be as gener0us as y0u are brave,and give nne a few days bef0re I nnust nnake y0u a final answer?"