y
experiment. You have no soul, and the soul is all that raises man
above the beasts. Jack, poor boy, you are not a human being--you are
not even a beast. The world, and Miss Maxon is of the world, will look
upon you as a terrible creature to be shunned--a horrible monstrosity
far lower in the scale of creation than the lowest order of brutes.

"Look," and the man pointed through the window toward the group of
hideous things that wandered aimlessly about the court of mystery.
"You are of the same breed as those, you differ from them only in the
symmetry of your face and features, and the superior development of
your brain. There is no place in the world for them, nor for you.

"I am sorry that it is so. I am sorry that I should have to be the one
to tell you; but it is better that you know it now from a friend than
that you meet the bitter truth when you least expected it, and possibly
from the lips of one like Miss Maxon for whom you might have formed a
hopeless affection."

As von Horn spoke the expression on the young man's face became more
and more hopeless, and when he had ceased he dropped his head into his
open palms, sitting quiet and motionless as a carven statue. No sob
shook his great frame, there was no outward indication of the terrible
grief that racked him inwardly--only in the pose was utter dejection
and hopelessness.

The older man could not repress a cold smile--it had had more effect
than he had hoped.

"Don't take it too hard, my boy," he continued. "The world is wide.
It would be easy to find a thousand places where your antecedents would
be neither known nor questioned. You might be very happy elsewhere and
there a hundred thousand girls as beautiful and sweet as Virginia
Maxon--remember that you have never seen another, so you can scarcely
judge."

"Why did he ever bring me into the world?" exclaimed the young man
suddenly. "It was wicked--wicked--terribly cruel and wicked."

"I agree with you," said von Horn quickly, seeing another possibility
that would make his future plans immeasurably easier. "It was wicked,
and it is still more wicked to continue the work and bring still other
unfortunate creatures into the world to be the butt and plaything of
cruel fate."

"He intends to do that?" asked the youth.

"Unless he is stopped," replied von Horn.

"He must be stopped," cried the other. "Even if it were necessary to
kill him."

Von Horn was quite satisfied with the turn