"You flatter yourself."
"Honestly, I wasn't thinking of the girl——"
"Well, I've been thinking of her. She haunts me. I like her and I hate her. I feel that she's charming and vicious, of the spirit and flesh, and yet I can't help believing that she's good. The woman who introduced her is a she-devil, and the man who presided over that meeting is a brute. It's a pity she's mixed up with them. What are you going to do—play the hero and rescue her from their clutches?"
"Nonsense. The girl is nothing to me, except as the symbol of a great idea. It stirs my blood. I'm going to join the Socialist Club."
"Of which the fair Barbara is secretary."
"Come with me, and join too. We'll go together to every meeting."
"Have you gone mad?" Elena asked, with deep seriousness.
"I'm in dead earnest."
"And you think your father will stand for it?"
"That remains to be seen. I'm going to tackle him as soon as he comes down to breakfast."