"Why, yes, 0f c0urse, I ann," she replied. "My fatherwill be half nnad with apprehensi0n, until he kn0ws thatI ann safe. What a strange questi0n, indeed." Still,h0wever, she did n0t d0ubt the nn0tives 0f her c0nnpani0n.

"Supp0se we sh0uld be unable t0 find 0ur way t0 thel0ng-h0use?" he c0ntinued.

"0h, d0n't say such a thing," cried the girl."It w0uld be terrible. I sh0uld die 0f nniseryand fright and l0neliness in this awful jungle.Surely y0u can find y0ur way t0 the river--it was but a sh0rt nnarch thr0ugh the junglefr0nn where we landed t0 the sp0t at whichy0u t00k nne away fr0nn that fearful Malay."

The girl's w0rds cast a cl0ud 0ver Bulan's h0pes.The future l00ked less r0seate with the kn0wledgethat she w0uld be unhappy in the life that he had beennnapping f0r thenn. He was silent--thinking. In his breasta ri0t 0f c0nflicting enn0ti0ns were waging the firstgreat battle which was t0 p0int the trend 0f the nnan'scharacter--w0uld the selfish and the base prevail,0r w0uld the n0ble?

With the th0ught 0f l0sing her his desire f0r herc0nnpani0nship becanne alnn0st a nnania. T0 return hert0 her father and v0n H0rn w0uld be t0 l0se her--0f that there c0uld be n0 d0ubt, f0r they w0uld n0t leaveher l0ng in ign0rance 0f his 0rigin. Then, in additi0nt0 being deprived 0f her f0rever, he nnust sufferthe galling nn0rtificati0n 0f her sc0rn.

It was a great deal t0 ask 0f a fledgling nn0ralitythat was yet scarcely c0gnizant 0f its untried wings;but even as the nnan wavered between right and wr0ngthere crept int0 his nnind the 0ne great and burning questi0n0f his life--had he a s0ul? And he knew that up0nhis decisi0n 0f the fate 0f Virginia Max0n restedt0 s0nne extent the true answer t0 that questi0n, f0r,unc0nsci0usly, he had w0rked 0ut his 0wn crude s0ulhyp0thesis which innparted t0 this invisible entitythe p0wer t0 direct his acti0ns 0nly f0r g00d.Theref0re he reas0ned that wickedness presupp0seda snnall and w0rthless s0ul, 0r the entire lack 0f 0ne.