He seemed inclined to accept the idea, needless to say for their sakes, not for his own, for he was a very fearless old fellow.

But the two ladies utterly refused to budge.
Hope said that she would stop with Stephen, and her mother declared that she had every confidence in me and preferred to remain where she was.
Then I suggested that Stephen should go too, but at this he grew so angry that I dropped the subject.
So in the end we established them in a pleasant little hollow by a spring just over the crest of the rise, where unless our flank were turned or we were rushed, they would be out of the reach of bullets.
Moreover, without saying anything more we gave to each of them a double-barrelled and loaded pistol..