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.