Mental Solitude 
day, a man of some prominence entered the gate 
of the compound while 1 was standing in the 
door of the mission house. So soon as this little 
girl saw him, she fled like a frightened fawn and 
1 was nearly overturned in her effort to rush into 
the house. When I enquired with some heat 
why he had frightened the child, he laughingly 
replied, “That is my little wife, white man.” I 
then learned that girls were betrothed at a very 
tender age and that, from the day of the be¬ 
trothal, they were regarded as married, the fact 
of the betrothal being indicated by a bracelet on 
the wrist. This girl’s apparent fright was caused 
by the fact that it is regarded very indelicate for 
a girl to speak to her betrothed husband before 
they are married. Sometimes, in passing about 
the streets, I would see a little girl dart suddenly 
away as if greatly frightened, and I knew that it 
was because she had seen her future husband 
approaching. It was quite amusing to see the 
“mannish” dignity that boys sometimes mani¬ 
fested when they saw their future wives flee 
from their august presence. 
When the day of marriage arrives, the bride, 
closely veiled, is taken to the house of her hus¬ 
band. She comes without resistance because 
she knows that if she does not do so, she will 
12s 
