Острів доктора Моро

           Themenaboard-ship,hetoldme,seemedatfirstjustasstrangetohimastheBeastMenseemedtome,—unnaturallylongintheleg,flatintheface,prominentintheforehead,suspicious,dangerous,andcold-hearted.Infact,hedidnotlikemen:hishearthadwarmedtome,hethought,becausehehadsavedmylife.Ifanciedeventhenthathehadasneakingkindnessforsomeofthesemetamorphosedbrutes,avicioussympathywithsomeoftheirways,butthatheattemptedtoveilitfrommeatfirst.

           M’ling,theblack-facedman,Montgomery’sattendant,thefirstoftheBeastFolkIhadencountered,didnotlivewiththeothersacrosstheisland,butinasmallkennelatthebackoftheenclosure.ThecreaturewasscarcelysointelligentastheApe-man,butfarmoredocile,andthemosthuman-lookingofalltheBeastFolk;andMontgomeryhadtrainedittopreparefood,andindeedtodischargeallthetrivialdomesticofficesthatwererequired.ItwasacomplextrophyofMoreau’shorribleskill,—abear,taintedwithdogandox,andoneofthemostelaboratelymadeofallhiscreatures.IttreatedMontgomerywithastrangetendernessanddevotion.Sometimeshewouldnoticeit,patit,callithalf-mocking,half-jocularnames,andsomakeitcaperwithextraordinarydelight;sometimeshewouldill-treatit,especiallyafterhehadbeenatthewhiskey,kickingit,beatingit,peltingitwithstonesorlightedfusees.Butwhetherhetreateditwellorill,itlovednothingsomuchastobenearhim.