 I now
indulge in dreams of bliss that cannot be realised. What I ask of you is
reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as
myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it
shall content me. It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world;
but on that account we shall be more attached to one another. Our lives will not
be happy, but they will be harmless, and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! my
creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let
me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my
request!«
    I was moved. I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences of my
consent; but I felt that there was some justice in his argument. His tale, and
the feelings he now expressed, proved him to be a creature of fine sensations;
and did I not, as his maker, owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in
my power to bestow? He saw my change of feeling, and continued -
    »If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us
again: I will go to the vast wilds of South America. My food is not that of man;
I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries
afford me sufficient nourishment. My companion will be of the same nature as
myself, and will be content with the same fare. We shall make our bed of dried
leaves; the sun will shine on us as on man, and will ripen our food. The picture
I present to you is peaceful and human, and you must feel that you could deny it
only in the wantonness of power and cruelty. Pitiless as you have been towards
me, I now see compassion in your eyes; let me seize the favourable moment, and
persuade you to promise what I so ardently desire.«
    »You propose,« replied I, »to fly from the habitations of man, to dwell in
those wilds where the beasts of the field will be your only companions. How can
you, who long for the love and sympathy of man, persevere in this exile? You
will return, and again seek their kindness, and you will meet with their
detestation; your evil passions will be renewed, and you will then have a
companion to aid you in the task of destruction. This may not be: cease to
