that is
not all.

MONTAGUE: How do you mean?

LAURA. I shall not give him up... and, in the end, I shall have my way;
I can see that quite clearly. Ah, how I hurt him! I almost broke his
heart! And just now he is in the midst of the battle... the rage of it
is on him. But, afterwards, he will recollect... he will be overwhelmed
with grief! And then he will see! He will do what I have begged him to!

MONTAGUE. Yes... perhaps that is so.

LAURA. I know what my love means to him! I know what he is at heart! And
when he sees that I mean to carry out my threat, to go by myself and
to refuse to touch his money... that will be more than he can bear, Mr.
Montague!

MONTAGUE. You mean to do that?

LAURA. I mean to do it! I mean to do it today; and I will never yield to
him... never until he has atoned for this wrong he has done! And don't
you see that I will win in the end?

MONTAGUE. Yes; I see.

LAURA. [Quickly.] Understand, that has nothing to do with your course.
I am not asking you to spare him. You must go ahead and do your duty...
you must do just what you would have done if I had never stood in the
way.

MONTAGUE. It is a terrible thing to me, Miss Hegan. I cannot turn
back...

LAURA. You must not! You must not think of it! It will be a part of my
father's punishment... and he has deserved it. He has prepared that cup,
and he must drink it... to the dregs!

MONTAGUE. You can bear it?

LAURA. It is not any question of what I can bear. It is a question of
the rights of the people. I saw that quite clearly, as my father talked
with me. Whether it is he who wins, or whether it is Murdock, it is
always the people that lose. And, let it hurt whom it may, the people
must have the truth!

MONTAGUE. And then... you will be able to forgive me! Ah, what a weight
you lift from me! I hardly dared to face the thought of what I had to
do! [Hesitating.] And then, the thought that you mean to renounce your
father's wealth... that you are going out into the world... alone...

LAURA. It will not be hard for me. You cannot know how I have hated my
past life. To know that my father has plundered the public... and then
to give his money, and call it charity. To be flattered and fawned
upon... to be celebrated and admired... and never for anything that I
am, but always for my money!

MONTAGUE. I understand what you feel! And see what your decision means
to me... it sets me free at last!

LAURA. Free!

MONTAGUE. Free t