Thou Shalt Not

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Ruth, the belle of Bedford village in New England, is loved by the minister, but she becomes infatuated with Alec Peters, the brakeman on the train which she rides to school. After her parents order her to stop seeing Peters, he promises to marry her, and they elope to New York. They never marry, so when he tires of her, he throws her out. Penniless, Ruth is forced to survive on the streets. In Bedford her mother becomes deathly ill from worrying. The minister finds Ruth at a charity home and begs her to return. Her parents gladly forgive her, but the community will not tolerate her presence. The minister urges Ruth to rejoin the choir, but they refuse to sing with her. Although the minister preaches charity to all and relates the story of Christ's forgiveness of Magdalene, the gossip and ill feeling persist. Rather than serve bigots, the minister leaves town with Ruth to start their lives anew.