Palla presided, always a trifle frightened to find herself facing any audience, but ashamed to avoid the delegated responsibility.
Among others on the platform around her were Ilse and Marya and Questa Terrett and the birth-control 230 lady––Miss Thane––neat and placid and precise as usual, and wearing long-distance spectacles for a more minute inspection of the audience.
Palla opened the proceedings in a voice which was clear, and always became steadier under heckling.
Her favourite proposition––the Law of Love and Service––she offered with such winning candour that the interruption of derisive laughter, prepared by several of Kastner’s friends, was postponed; and Terry Hogan, I. W. W., said to Jerry Smith, I. W. W.:
“God love her, she’s but a baby. Lave her chatter.”
However, a conscientious objector got up and asked her whether she considered that the American army abroad had conformed to her Law of Love and Service, and when she answered emphatically that every soldier in the United States army was fulfilling to the highest degree his obligations to that law, both pacifists and conscientious objectors dissented noisily, and a student from Columbia College got up and began to harangue the audience.
Order was finally obtained: Palla added a word or two and retired; and Ilse Westgard came forward.
Somebody in the audience called out: “Say, just because you’re a good-looker it don’t mean you got a brain!”
Ilse threw back her golden head and her healthy laughter rang uncontrolled.
“Comrade,” she said, “we all have to do the best we can with what brain we have, don’t we?”