'I--don't want you to--go away--either--Babiole,' I jerked out slowly and unsteadily. 'You are very young, and I think you can afford to wait before seeing the world,--if you are not tired of this place and the people in it. Everybody here likes you, I may say, loves you; and, at any rate, if the life is not very exciting, it has no great cares. But your father, who does not know us so well as you do, is reluctant to leave you here without some sort of--of formal guarantee for your safety.' Babiole looked up at me from time to time in bewildered expectancy of something new and awful. 'Safety!' she echoed in an amazed whisper. 'Yes. Girls, when they grow to your age, must have a--a responsible guardian, you know. How old are you?' 'I shall be sixteen in July.' 'Well, you see, in a few years you will be old enough to be married, and your father is naturally anxious to see you well provided for: established, you know, settled--in fact, married.' Babiole was growing calmer. On reflection, of course there was nothing so alarming in the mention of a woman's natural end as to justify the horror which one is accustomed to consider maidenly; but I was surprised at the time to find that she listened to me so quietly. I thought it would have helped me more if she had shied at the subject, so to speak; some little show of emotion of one kind or another would have spurred me on to make a better business of the whole thing than I was doing. Her eyes, instead of being raised from time to time inquiringly to mine, were now fixed on the last faint glow of sunlight behind the hills; but she said nothing, and I had to go on. 'He is so bent upon it, in fact, that he says that, young as you are, he will only let you remain here longer on one condition.' She looked up quickly, with a change of expression which I took for that of vague apprehension. 'What condition?' 'You must be engaged--affianced--to some one he approves of before he leaves you.' Babiole began to laugh. 'But papa must know that that is ridiculous. I am not a princess, to make so much fuss about. Besides, I am old enough, mamma says, to stay with her if I like.' 'We can't complain of your father for thinking so much of you. And there is a very simple way of satisfying him, if you really do care to stay any longer at the old cottage. Remember, your father could easily persuade your mother to go away with him if he were bent on having you; and then the old life for her would begin again.' The girl rose to her feet in great excitement. 'What is the simple way?' 'You can become engaged to me.' I had not prepared her in the least, after all. She did not start or speak, but I could see by her face that she was utterly surprised. I was afraid of a hasty refusal, and now screwed up to the pitch of daring, I hurried on without further hesitation.