"Not exactly," Pendleton replied. "I should say it's only begun."
"The beginning is done, at any rate," Lorraine returned.
"It's easy to start something, but it's quite another thing to finish it."
"No doubt about that—the difficulty with me hitherto has been that I never started. Now——"
"Now it is a question whether it wouldn't be better if you hadn't started."
"Do you think so?" demanded Lorraine.
"Candidly, I don't know what to think," said Pendleton. "It's such a miserable mess all through. We want to do the best for Stephanie, but I admit I'm not competent to judge what the best is under the circumstances. However, the attack has been made—it only remains now to fight it out on your plan. Have you any plan, Lorraine?"
"Plan!" answered Lorraine vaguely. "No—I've no plan—other than to punish Porshinger for his dirty conduct toward Stephanie, and to meet Dolittle's nasty tale with the truth."
"Very good!" nodded Pendleton, "but that is the conclusion, not the plan. What if Porshinger fights—and is supported by Dolittle? What if he says that Stephanie was willing and that he did not use force?"
"I'll take Stephanie's word in preference to a thousand Porshingers and Dolittles!" Lorraine declared.