ll torture his conscience and lead a
death-in-life, as though he were under some heavy load of guilt."

"For all that, and all that," Dada insisted, "he can no more be happy
without me than I can without him. I have never in my life paid court to
any one, but I have always met with kindness. Why then should I not be
able to win his mother's heart? I will wager anything and everything that
she will take kindly to me, for, after all, she must be glad when she
sees her son happy. Eusebius will speak for us and she will give its her
blessing! But if it is not to be, if I may never be his wife honestly and
in the face of the world, still I will not give him up, nor he me. He may
deal with me as he will--as if he were my god and I were his slave!"

"But, my poor child, do you know nothing of womanly honor and womanly
dignity?" cried Gorgo clasping her hands. "You complain of the lot of a
singing-girl, and the cruel prejudices of the world--and what are you
saying? Let me have my way, you would say, or I scorn your morality?"

"Scorn!" exclaimed Dada firing up. "Do you say I scorn morality? No,
indeed no. I am an insignificant little person; there is nothing proud or
great about me, and as I know it full well I am quite humble; in all my
life I never dared to think of scorn, even of a child. But here, in my
heart, something was awoke to life--through Marcus, only through
him--something that makes me strong; and when I see custom and tradition
in league against me because I am a singer, when they combine to keep me
out of what I have a right to have--well, within these few hours I have
found the spirit to defend myself, to the death if need be! What you call
womanly honor I have been taught to hold as sacred as you yourself, and I
have kept it as untainted as any girl living. Not that I meant to do
anything grand, but you have no idea of what it is when every man thinks
he has a right to oppress and insult a girl and try to entrap her. You,
and others like you, know nothing of small things, for you are sheltered
by walls and privileges. We are every man's game, while they approach you
as humbly as if you were goddesses.--Besides! It is not only what I have
heard from Karnis, who knows the world and fine folks like you; I have
seen it for myself at Rome, in the senators' houses, where there were
plenty of young lords and great men's daughters--for I have not gone
through life with my eyes shut; with you love is like lukewarm wat