"But that is not the kind of guardian you want, Damaris—you are too beautiful, you know. Let us sit here; it's lovely and warm, and the stars look just like diamonds, don't they?"
"I would rather walk," said Damaris, who was longing to sit down.
But she sat down when Ben Kelham took her by the elbow and led her to the seat; and she sat quite still when he suddenly took both her hands.
"Oh! don't, Ben," she said, when he pulled them up against his heart. "I can't stand any more to-night." And he, being over-slow in the uptak', failed to catch her in this slip of the tongue.
"I want you for my wife, dear," was all he said.
Then Damaris pulled her hands away and, removing the yashmak, looked up into his face, whilst he drew a breath sharply at the beauty of her.
"I love you so, dear! I'm a clumsy fool at speaking, but I could show you how I love you. I want to marry you and take you right away home. Do you know, I—I don't know how to explain it, but I—somehow feel you are in danger out here. I—will you———?"
Damaris looked to the right and looked to the left, hesitated and chose the middle path.
"I can't answer you now, Ben. I'm—I'm not sure about loving you, and, of course, one can't marry without that on both sides, can one?"
Oh, the blessed little ignoramus!