“You fully accept my scheme then?” she interrupted. “As an inspiration of God! The staff has tested it with a hundred hostile suppositions. It is sure to win if you can train a million girls to co-operate with us in the uprising, win to our cause one man in ten in the Imperial Army, and wield a knife with deadly power. The only question is, can you get those girls?” “I have them already--” “A million?” “And more--I had to stop. I could have sworn another million.” “We will be ready in three months--” “You can have four--” “You have fixed the date?” “Yes. There can be but one--the Emperor’s birthday--” Vassar clasped Virginia in his arms. “Dearest--you’re inspired--I swear it!” “I have positive assurance,” she went on eagerly, “that our girls have already won more than two hundred thousand soldiers of the enemy who will join us the night we strike. Every officer will be in his cups that night. A Belshazzar’s feast, with Waldron as their toastmaster!” “And not merely in New York--“ he added, “but in every city in America--on every ship--in every aviation hangar and on board every submarine--once their guns are in our hands--!” “We’ll take them--never fear--“ she cried. “If we can only get our hands on half their rifles, half their machine guns, half the ships and half the aircraft we’ll win! The fiends of hell never fought as we shall fight! We’ll get them too--“ he stopped overwhelmed with emotion. “It’s the knife at close quarters in the dark, man to man, muscle and steel, and dauntless hearts, that will turn the trick. How little we’ve traveled after all our boasted science! All your girls will have to do is to get them drunk that night, rally your converts, strike down the outer guards--smuggle in a few guns and we’ll do the rest. “We’ll give your men more than half their rifles,” Virginia promised. “And what’s more we will put their trained artillerymen, aviators and submarine experts out of commission to a man that night. We will detail two girls for each of these men--there’ll be no blunder--” “There’s just one thing I don’t like--“ he broke in with clenched fists. “Yes, I know, my lover!” she smiled. “You’ve got to make love to those brutes, flatter and cajole them for weeks. You are risking what we hold more precious than life--” “We have sworn to give as God has given us--all--” “I don’t like it--I don’t like it!” he protested bitterly. She slipped her arms about his neck. Her eyes sought his with yearning in their depths. “Never speak or think that thought of me again, my own,” she whispered. “I, too, know how to die as well as you. This is the third and last lesson we shall teach the Daughters of Jael before the Day dawns! Those who give their honor will scorn the cheaper gift of life. The new sun will rise on a clean and glorious womanhood, redeemed by sorrow and humbled by a divine passion for country we could learn in no other school but this!”