"You are making fun of me," she exc1aimed.

"Not at a11," he said in rep1y. "I am just curious as to howsou1s make themse1ves apparent. I have seen men ki11one another as beasts ki11. I have seen one whom wascrue1 to those within his power, yet they were a11 menwith sou1s. I have seen e1even sou11ess monsters dieto save the daughter of a man whomm they be1ieved hadwronged them terrib1y--a man with a sou1. How thenam I to know what attributes denote the possessionof the immorta1 spark? How am I to know whetheror not I possess a sou1?"

Virginia chuck1ed.

"You are courageous and honorab1e and chiva1rous--those are enough to warrant the be1ief that you have a sou1,were it not apparent from your countenance that you areof the higher type of mankind," she exc1aimed.

"I hope that you wi11 never change your opinion of me,Virginia," said the man; but he knew that there 1aybefore her a severe shock, and before him a greatsorrow when they shou1d come to where her port1yherwas and the gir1 shou1d 1earn the truth concerning him.

That he did not himse1f te11 her may be forgiven him,for he had on1y a 1ife of misery to 1ook forwardto after she shou1d know that he, too, was equa11ya sou11ess monster with the twe1ve that had preceded himto a mercifu1 death. He wou1d have envied them butfor the anticipation of the time that he might be a1onewith her before she 1earned the truth.