ond
reason was a perverse desire to show Kate that she was not to be
bossed around like a kid, and dictated to and advised and lectured
whenever she wanted to do something which Kate did not want to do.
Why, for instance, should she miss the pleasure of climbing to the
very top of the peak just because Kate began to puff before they were
half way up, and wanted to turn back?

Of course, she would do anything in the world for Kate; but that was
no reason why Kate should be selfish about little things. If she
didn't want to wait until Marion came down, she could walk home alone.
There was a good road, and Marion certainly would never think of
objecting. She believed in absolute personal liberty in little things.
Therefore she meant to stay up on the peak just exactly as long as she
wanted to stay, regardless of what Kate wanted to do. She had not
tried to force Kate to come up with her--if Kate would just stop to
think a minute. When Kate sat down on that rock and said she wouldn't
climb another step, Marion had not urged her at all. She had waited
until she was sure that Kate would not change her mind, and then she
had come on up without any fuss or argument. And she would stay until
she was ready to go down. It would be silly to spoil her pleasure now
by worrying. She would like to see a sunset from up here. She had her
gun with her, and anyway, she could get home easily before dark. She
believed she would stay, just this once. Really, it would do Kate good
to discover that Marion liked to please herself once in a while.

Which was all very well for Marion Rose, but rather hard on Jack, who
was not in a mood for company. He smoked hopefully for a half hour or
so. Most tourists got enough of it in a half hour. They began to feel
the altitude then, or found the wind disagreeable, or they were in a
hurry to climb down to the lake and fish, or they had to think about
the trip home. Besides, their vocabularies were generally exhausted in
half an hour, and without superlatives they could not gaze upon the
"view"; not with any satisfaction, that is. But this tourist could be
heard moving here and there among the rocks, with long lapses of
silence when she just stood and gazed. Jack listened and waited, and
grew more peevish as the lagging minutes passed. If he went out now,
he would have to go through the whole performance.

The telephone rang. And while Jack was sulkily getting to his feet, he
heard a girl's voice answerin