It led you into evil once before. Don't think I'm judging you. I was no
better than you. I argued just as you must have done. Something stopped
me just in time. That was the only difference between us."
The girl turned her dark eyes full upon Joan. "What did stop you?" she
demanded.
"Does it matter what we call it?" answered Joan. "It was a voice."
"It told me to do it," answered the girl.
"Did no other voice speak to you?" asked Joan.
"Yes," answered the girl. "The voice of weakness."
There came a fierce anger into the dark eyes. "Why did you listen to
it?" she demanded. "All would have been easy if you hadn't."
"You mean," answered Joan quietly, "that if I had let your mother die and
had married your father, that he and I would have loved each other to the
end; that I should have helped him and encouraged him in all things, so
that his success would have been certain. Is that the argument?"
"Didn't you love him?" asked the girl, staring. "Wouldn't you have
helped him?"
"I can't tell," answered Joan. "I should have meant to.
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