He told her how his ideal had been to fight for Helen, for Lorna, for her, and all American girls.  And then he talked about what he had come home to—­of the shock—­the realization—­the disappointment and grief.  He spoke of his sister Lorna—­how he had tried so hard to make her see, and had failed.  He importuned Bessy to help him as only a girl could.  And lastly, he brought the conversation back to her and told her bluntly what he thought of the vile verses, how she dragged her girlhood pride in the filth and made of herself a byword for vicious boys.  He told her the truth of what real men thought and felt of women.  Every man had a mother.  No war, no unrest, no style, no fad, no let-down of morals could change the truth.  From the dark ages women had climbed on the slow realization of freedom, honor, chastity.  As the future of nations depended upon women, so did their salvation.  Women could never again be barbarians.  All this modern license was a parody of love.  It must inevitably end in the degradation and unhappiness of those of the generation who persisted on that downward path.  Hard indeed it would be to encounter the ridicule of girls and the indifference of boys.  But only through the intelligence and courage of one could there ever be any hope for the many.

Lane sat there under the moonlit maples and talked until he was hoarse.  He could not rouse a sense of shame in Bessy, because that had been atrophied, but as he closely watched her, he realized that his victory would come through the emotion he was able to arouse in her, and the ultimate appeal to the clear logic of her mind.

When the time came for him to go she stood before him in the clear moonlight.

“I’ve never been so excited, so scared and sick, so miserable and thoughtful in all my life before,” she said.  “Daren, I know now what a soldier is.  What you’ve seen—­what you’ve done.  Oh! it was grand!...  And you’re going to be my—­my friend....  Daren, I thought it was great to be bad.  I thought men liked a girl to be bad.  The girls nicknamed me Angel Bell, but not because I was an angel, I’ll tell the world....  Now I’m going to try to be the girl you want me to be.”

CHAPTER XIV

The time came when Daren had to make a painful choice.  His sister Lorna grew weary of his importunities and distrustful of his espionage.  One night she became violent and flatly told him she would not stay in the house another day with him in it.  Then she ran out, slamming the door behind her.  Lane remained awake all night, in the hope that she would return.  But she did not.  And then he knew he must make a choice.

He made it.  Lorna must not be driven from her home.  Lane divided his money with his mother and packed his few effects.  Mrs. Lane was distracted over the situation.  She tried to convince Lane there was some kind of a law to keep a young girl home.  She pleaded and begged him to remain.  She dwelt on his ill health.  But Lane was obdurate; and not the least of his hurts was the last one—­a divination that in spite of his mother’s distress there was a feeling of relief of which she was unconscious.  He assured her that he would come to see her often during the afternoons and would care as best he could for his health.  Then he left, saying he would send an expressman for the things he had packed.