"You, too, side with these fanatics then?"
"No. I hate them—hate everything they say and do and stand for. I loathe the very sight of them. But you were unfair to Norman."
"Unfair? How?"
"You allowed him the widest liberty to do as he pleased, think as he pleased, associate with whom he pleased, and then all of a sudden you sprang on that platform and insulted him before his invited guests."
"How could I dream that he would commit such an act of insane treason before my very eyes?"
"You make no allowance for the spell of Barbara Bozenta's eloquence. I don't like her, but she's a wonderful little woman, and I envy her her power over men."
"I'll end this folly to-day," was the Colonel's firm announcement.
"I'm not so sure," Elena warned.
"I'll show you!"
She came close and laid her hand on the Colonel's arm.