I thought they would rest at the Hermitage, drink some Lachryma Christi, and go back.

But to my surprise, as I was walking about, I saw the two young ladies come out and go toward the cone.
"I kept out of the way, as you may suppose, and watched them, wondering what idea they had.

As they passed I heard the younger one--the child-angel, you know, _my_ girl--teasing the other to make the ascent of the cone, and the other seemed to be quite ready to agree to the proposal.
"Now, as far as the mere ascent is concerned, of course you know _that_ is not much.

The guides were there with straps and chairs, and that sort of thing, all ready, so that there was no difficulty about that.

The real difficulty was in these girls going off unattended; and I could only account for it by supposing that the chaperon knew nothing whatever about their proposal.