第58章

"What do you mean?" she whispered."Who was he?"It was von Horn who answered.

"No god created that," he said, with a contemptuous glance at the still body of the man at their feet.

"He was one of the creatures of your father's mad experiments--the soulless thing for whose arms his insane obsession doomed you.The thing at your feet, Virginia, was Number Thirteen."With a piteous little moan the girl turned back toward the body of the young giant.A faltering step she took toward it, and then to the horror of her father she sank upon her knees beside it and lifting the man's head in her arms covered the face with kisses.

"Virginia!" cried the professor."Are you mad, child?""I am not mad," she moaned, "not yet.I love him.

Man or monster, it would have been all the same to me, for I loved him."Her father turned away, burying his face in his hands.

"God!" he muttered."What an awful punishment you have visited upon me for the sin of the thing I did."The silence which followed was broken by Sing who had kneeled opposite Virginia upon the other side of Bulan, where he was feeling the giant's wrists and pressing his ear close above his heart.

"Do'n cly, Linee," said the kindly old Chinaman.

"Him no dlead." Then, as he poured a pinch of brownish powder into the man's mouth from a tiny sack he had brought forth from the depths of one of his sleeves:

"Him no mlonster either, Linee.Him white man, alsame Mlaxon.Sing know."The girl looked up at him in gratitude.

"He is not dead, Sing? He will live?" she cried.

"I don't care about anything else, Sing, if you will only make him live.""Him live.Gettem lilee flesh wounds.Las all.""What do you mean by saying that he is not a monster?"demanded von Horn.

"You waitee, you dam flool," cried Sing."I tellee lot more I know.You waitee I flixee him, and then, by God, I flixee you."Von Horn took a menacing step toward the Chinaman, his face black with wrath, but Professor Maxon interposed.

"This has gone quite far enough, Doctor von Horn," he said.

"It may be that we acted hastily.I do not know, of course, what Sing means, but I intend to find out.He has been very faithful to us, and deserves every consideration."Von Horn stepped back, still scowling.Sing poured a little water between Bulan's lips, and then asked Professor Maxon for his brandy flask.With the first few drops of the fiery liquid the giant's eyelids moved, and a moment later he raised them and looked about him.

The first face he saw was Virginia's.It was full of love and compassion.

"They have not told you yet?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied."They have told me, but it makes no difference.You have given me the right to say it, Bulan, and I do say it now again, before them all--I love you, and that is all there is that makes any difference."A look of happiness lighted his face momentarily, only to fade as quickly as it had come.

"No, Virginia," he said, sadly, "it would not be right.

It would be wicked.I am not a human being.I am only a soulless monster.You cannot mate with such as I.

You must go away with your father.Soon you will forget me.""Never, Bulan!" cried the girl, determinedly.

The man was about to attempt to dissuade her, when Sing interrupted.

"You keepee still, Bulan," he said."You wait till Sing tellee.

You no mlonster.Mlaxon he no makee you.Sing he find you in low bloat jus' outsidee cove.You dummy.No know nothing.

No know namee.No know where comee from.No talkee.

"Sing he jes' hearee Mlaxon tellee Hornee 'bout Nlumber Thlirteen.How he makee him for Linee.Makee Linee mally him.Sing he know what kindee fleaks Mlaxon makee.

Linee always good to old Sing.Sing he been peeking thlu clack in wallee.See blig vlat where Thlirteen growing.

"Sing he takee you to Sing's shackee that night.

Hide you till evlybody sleep.Then he sneak you in workee shop.Kickee over vlat.Leaves you.

Nex' mlorning Mlaxon makee blig hulabaloo.

Dance up and downee.Whoop! Thlirteen clome too soonee, but allight; him finee, perfec' man.Whoop!

"Anyway, you heap better for Linee than one Mlaxon's fleaks,"he concluded, turning toward Bulan.

"You are lying, you yellow devil," cried von Horn.

The Chinaman turned his shrewd, slant eyes malevolently upon the doctor.

"Sing lies?" he hissed."Mabbeso Sing lies when he ask what for you glet Bludleen steal tleasure.

But Lajah Saffir he come and spoil it all while you tly glet Linee to the ship--Sing knows.

"Then you tellee Mlaxon Thlirteen steal Linee.

You lie then and you knew you lie.You lie again when Thlirteen savee Linee flom Oulang Outang--you say you savee Linee.

"Then you make bad talkee with Lajah Saffir at long-house.

Sing hear you all timee.You tly getee tleasure away from Dlyaks for your self.Then--""Stop!" roared von Horn."Stop! You lying yellow sneak, before I put a bullet in you.""Both of you may stop now," said Professor Maxon authoritatively."There have been charges made here that cannot go unnoticed.Can you prove these things Sing?"he asked turning to the Chinaman.

"I plove much by Bludleen's lascar.Bludleen tell him all 'bout Hornee.I plove some more by Dyak chief at long-house.He knows lots.Lajah Saffir tell him.

It all tlue, Mlaxon."

"And it is true about this man--the thing that you have told us is true? He is not one of those created in the laboratory?""No, Mlaxon.You no makee fine young man like Blulan--you know lat, Mlaxon.You makee One, Two, Thlee--all up to Twelve.All fleaks.You ought to know, Mlaxon, lat you no can makee a Blulan."During these revelations Bulan had sat with his eyes fixed upon the Chinaman.There was a puzzled expression upon his wan, blood-streaked face.

It was as though he were trying to wrest from the inner temple of his consciousness a vague and tantalizing memory that eluded him each time that he felt he had it within his grasp--the key to the strange riddle that hid his origin.

The girl kneeled close beside him, one small hand in his.

Hope and happiness had supplanted the sorrow in her face.