"Just so," observed Wolf. "And we want you to do his thinking for him." "What do you mean, Catherine?" Barbara asked, her brow suddenly clouding, as she looked straight into her foster-mother's eyes. "That you must win young Worth." "Deliberately set out to make him love me?" the girl exclaimed with scorn. "I'll do nothing of the kind." "You must, my dear," Wolf pleaded earnestly. "It's all for the Cause. It's in this boy's power to make or wreck this great enterprise. We have a kingdom here whose wealth and power may become the wonder of the world. It may be wrecked by the whim of one man. A thousand difficulties must be faced before we can have smooth sailing. The one thing above all to be done is to secure from young Worth the deed to this island. He must be convinced of the success of the scheme, and he must be convinced before he faces some of the most serious problems that are sure to arise--problems which will demand a strong arm and a cool, clear head to handle. The boy means well, but he can never meet these issues. Win his love and everything will be easy. Slowly and patiently I will perfect the organization we must have to succeed." "I fail to see the necessity of such a shameless act on my part. No man here is so enthusiastic as our young leader. He is sure to make the deed. You heard his promise to-night." "He intends to do it, I grant," Catherine argued. "But what Herman and I clearly see is that he will sooner or later be overwhelmed with difficulties. He may quit in disgust at the very moment when a strong policy could save the Cause. We want to be sure. He is a new convert. His enthusiasm is now at white heat. We are afraid of what may happen when it cools." "With your great brown eyes looking into his," Wolf broke in, "and your little hand in his, it can't cool!" "I don't think he cares for me in that way at all," the girl protested. "He has held himself quite aloof from me of late." "All the more reason why your woman's pride should be piqued to make the conquest," urged Wolf. "I have no such vulgar ambitions," was the short answer. "Of course you haven't, child," Wolf said in serious tones. "We understand that. But we ask this of you as a brave little soldier of the Cause. It's the one big, brave thing you can do." "I might have to let him kiss me," she said, with a frown. "Well, he's a handsome youngster--it wouldn't poison you," laughed Catherine. "I hate it! I think I hate every man on earth sometimes," she answered. Wolf laughed and looked at her with quiet intensity. "Come, dear, you can do this for the Cause we both love," Catherine urged. "I might have to let him put his arm around me----." Catherine seized her hand, looked at her steadily for a moment, and slowly said: "The woman who would not give both her body and her soul for the Cause of Humanity, if called on to make the sacrifice, is not worthy to live in the big world of which we've dreamed." Barbara's face flushed and her eyes sparkled.