wrecked. The thing shocked me to the bottom of my soul, and I set to
work to give the public some light on the situation. Then, what
happened, Miss Hegan? My newly made rich friends cut me a deal; they
began to circulate vile slanders about me . . . they insulted me
openly, on more than one occasion. So, don't you see?

LAURA. Yes. I see. But could you not have trusted a friendship such as
ours?

MONTAGUE. I did not dare.

LAURA. You saw that you had to fight my father, and you thought that I
would blindly take his side.

MONTAGUE. [Hesitating.] I . . . I couldn't suppose. . .

LAURA. Listen. You have told me your situation; now imagine mine.
Imagine a girl brought up in luxury, with a father whom she loves very
dearly, and who loves her more than any one else in the world.
Everything is done to make her happy . . . to keep her contented and
peaceful. But as she grows up, she reads and listens . . . and, little
by little, it dawns upon her that her father is one of the leaders in
this terrible struggle that you have spoken of. She hears about
wrongdoing; she is told that her father's enemies have slandered him.
At first, perhaps, she believes that. But time goes on . . . she sees
suffering and oppression . . . she begins to realize a little of cause
and effect. She wants to help, she wants to do right, but there is no
way for her to know. She goes to one person after another, and no one
will deal frankly with her. No one will tell her the truth . . .
absolutely no one! [Leaning forward with intensity.] No one! No one!