"All three of you. Did--did Bettina's mother warn you against me?"

"The girl has to be chaperoned."

"But not jailed, Miss Lizzie, not jailed! Do you know that I haven't had
a word with Bettina alone since you came?"

"Why should you want to say anything we cannot hear?"

"Miss Lizzie," he said desperately, "do you want to hear me propose to
her? For I've reached the point where if I don't propose to Bettina
soon, I'll--I'll propose to somebody. You'd better be warned in time. It
might be you or Miss Aggie."

I weakened at that. The Lord never saw fit to send me a man I could care
enough about to marry, or one who cared enough about me, but I couldn't
look at the boy's face and not be sorry for him.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Come for a walk with us," he begged. "Then sprain your ankle or get
tired, I don't care which. Tell us to go on and come back for you later.
Do you see? You can sit down by the road somewhere."

"I won't lie," I said firmly. "If I really get tired I'll say so. If I
don't--"

"You will." He was gleeful. "We'll walk until you do! You see it's like
this, Miss Lizzie. Bettina was all for me, in spite of our differing on
religion and politics and--"