Chapter 20

           Isatoneeveninginmylaboratory;thesunhadset,andthemoonwasjustrisingfromthesea;Ihadnotsufficientlightformyemployment,andIremainedidle,inapauseofconsiderationofwhetherIshouldleavemylabourforthenightorhastenitsconclusionbyanunremittingattentiontoit.AsIsat,atrainofreflectionoccurredtomewhichledmetoconsidertheeffectsofwhatIwasnowdoing.Threeyearsbefore,Iwasengagedinthesamemannerandhadcreatedafiendwhoseunparalleledbarbarityhaddesolatedmyheartandfilleditforeverwiththebitterestremorse.IwasnowabouttoformanotherbeingofwhosedispositionsIwasalikeignorant;shemightbecometenthousandtimesmoremalignantthanhermateanddelight,foritsownsake,inmurderandwretchedness.Hehadsworntoquittheneighbourhoodofmanandhidehimselfindeserts,butshehadnot;andshe,whoinallprobabilitywastobecomeathinkingandreasoninganimal,mightrefusetocomplywithacompactmadebeforehercreation.Theymightevenhateeachother;thecreaturewhoalreadylivedloathedhisowndeformity,andmighthenotconceiveagreaterabhorrenceforitwhenitcamebeforehiseyesinthefemaleform?Shealsomightturnwithdisgustfromhimtothesuperiorbeautyofman;shemightquithim,andhebeagainalone,exasperatedbythefreshprovocationofbeingdesertedbyoneofhisownspecies.EveniftheyweretoleaveEuropeandinhabitthedesertsofthenewworld,yetoneofthefirstresultsofthosesympathiesforwhichthedaemonthirstedwouldbechildren,andaraceofdevilswouldbepropagatedupontheearthwhomightmaketheveryexistenceofthespeciesofmanaconditionprecariousandfullofterror.HadIright,formyownbenefit,toinflictthiscurseuponeverlastinggenerations?IhadbeforebeenmovedbythesophismsofthebeingIhadcreated;Ihadbeenstrucksenselessbyhisfiendishthreats;butnow,forthefirsttime,thewickednessofmypromiseburstuponme;