"She bade me good-bye. She means something desperate," said Mollie.
"No, you need not be alarmed; that is not Kitty's way. Take care of yourself, and don't yield," said Katherine Hunt.
Katherine put on her hat, and prepared to go back to the hotel. Mollie returned to her duties. About noon there was a brief lull, and she went out to take a little air. She had scarcely been two minutes in her post of observation, where she could watch both her cases and the street beyond, when Major Strause strode up to her side. He looked around, saw that they were alone, and said briefly,—
"The day and the hour have come. As long as I was in hospital I kept my word. Will you marry me, Mollie Hepworth?"
"No, Major Strause," she replied.
"I will ask you once more. Will you, when the siege is over, be my faithful and true wife?"
"I will never be your wife."
"Is that your final answer?"
"Yes."
"I have asked you to be my wife for more than one reason," continued Major Strause. He stood in such a position that she could not get away from him. "I have hitherto not declared my reasons. Now I am prepared to go fully into the matter. You can say 'yes' or 'no' afterwards. I have just seen your sister. She is terribly unhappy. Her brain is not too strong, and it has been very much shaken by the terrors and misery she has undergone since she came to Ladysmith. She loves Captain Keith."