CHAPTER XI.
As the meeting was dismissed, all in a moment the earnest truth-seekers were transformed into a social assemblage. Hearty handshaking abounded and equally hearty laughter was heard upon all sides. For several minutes it seemed to Imelda that she had been forgotten by her friend who had been joined by the chairman of the afternoon, but she had more than enough to occupy her mind in observing the scene before her, and reviewing the two hours she had just passed through. Many and conflicting were her emotions. Every word, almost, that had been spoken had sunk deep into her heart and she again experienced all the sensations of surprise and indignation she had felt, the mere memory of which almost caused her heart to stand still and chill the blood in her veins. Never in all the years of her young life had she dreamed of such dark depths of hopeless woe.
Just then a hand lightly touched her arm and she heard Margaret’s sweet voice:
“Imelda, my dear friend, permit me to introduce to you another friend, Mr. Wallace.”
Imelda suddenly found herself confronted by the chairman of the meeting. The interruption was opportune, as it recalled her to herself. Wilbur Wallace’s darkly bronzed face was all aglow. A happy light shone from the dark eyes and the clear strong voice had a ring in it that could have been caused only by something very pleasant. The next moment Imelda’s hand was folded in his strong clasp while the words: “I consider myself fortunate in meeting Miss Ellwood here this afternoon,” most pleasantly struck her ear, and he continued: “I very much hope that the pleasure may be often renewed.” Imelda felt the icy clutch slowly being removed that had been holding her enthralled; a more life-like smile lit up her face as she replied:
“The pleasure will be mutual, I assure you.”
“Then we may hope to see you here again?”
“Why not?” she asked. “I have heard much this afternoon which, although not pleasant in itself, was both new and interesting, and I have no doubt I shall be able to learn much here which would be impossible for me to learn elsewhere. While the facts, as they have been shown here today, are almost impossible to believe, yet if true, it is time I knew something about them. But I cannot see the remedy; how do you propose to alleviate, or rather to banish such evils?”
Imelda’s dark eyes looked questioningly into the now serious face of Wilbur Wallace, whose answer promptly came.
“The solution of that problem will, no doubt, be the work of future years, albeit much can at the present time, and also in the near future, be done to make the way clear. ‘Making the way clear’ is what we trying to do. This is a meeting place for thinkers—free thinkers, all of them, and no matter what their ideas of God, of the church, may be, they all have come to the conclusion that there is something wrong somewhere, and that church and state bear a large share of the blame, is plainly to be seen. The so-greatly despised ‘anarchist’ is, I think, more largely represented than others.” There was a quick uplifting of the brow of the young girl at the mention of the word ‘anarchist.’