“You haven’t given them much chance to think otherwise,” he pleaded. “They don’t want any chance,” she exclaimed. “They’ve got it all settled! You are the rising light, which is to astonish the world--and I’m your youthful blunder. I stay at home and take care of the baby, and they all feel sorry for you.” “Do you want them to feel sorry for _you?_” he asked. To which Corydon answered, “I don’t want them to know about me at all. I want to get away, and stay by myself, and get back my self-respect.” And so it was decided that in a couple of weeks more--the first of April--they would shake the dust of the city from their feet. They sent for their tent and other goods, and began inquiring about a place to camp. Section 11. A few days more passed; and then, one Sundav morning, Thyrsis’ mother came to him in tears, with a copy of a newspaper “magazine-supplement” in her hand. “Look at this!” she cried; and Thyrsis stared. There was a full-page article, with many illustrations, and a headline two inches deep--“Henry Darrell to found Free-Love Colony! Ex-college professor and clergyman buys farm to teach his doctrines.” There was a picture of Darrell, standing upon a ladder and nailing up an announcement of his defiance to the institution of marriage; and there were pictures of his wife and child, and of the farm he had bought, and a long account of the colony which he was organizing, and in which he meant to preach and practice his ideas of “free love”. Thyrsis was half dazed. “I don’t believe it!” he cried; whereat his mother wrung her hands. “Not believe it!” she exclaimed. “Why, the paper even gives the price he paid for the place!” So Thyrsis took the article and went to see Henry Darrell again; and there followed one of the most painful experiences of his life. He found his friend like a man blasted by a stroke of lightning. His very physical appearance was altered; his voice shook and his eyes were wild, and he paced the room, his whole aspect one cry of agony. He pointed Thyrsis to a lot of clippings that lay upon the table--the first editorial comments upon this new pronouncement. There was one from an evening paper, which had close upon a million circulation, and had devoted its whole editorial page to a scathing denunciation, in which it was declared that “Prof. Darrell’s morality is that of the higher apes.” “Think of it!” the man cried. “And the thing will go from one end of the country to the other!” “But”--gasped Thyrsis, bewildered--“then it is not true?” “True?” cried Darrell. “True? How can you ask me?” “But--the colony! What is it to be?” “There is not going to be any colony. I never dreamed of such a thing!” “And haven’t you bought any farm?” “My wife bought a farm, over a year ago--because we wanted to live in the country!” “But then,” gasped Thyrsis--“how dare they?” “They dare anything with me!” cried the other. “_Anything!_” “And have you no redress?” “Redress? What redress?”