Mrs. Higginbotham saw that the time had come, and gave up the struggle.
"Yes, Mr. Binney?" she said in as cool a tone as she could muster.
"I am not so young as I was, ma'am," said Mr. Binney.
"We are none of us that," said Mrs. Higginbotham. "At least not people at our time of life."
"You have no reason to complain, ma'am," said Mr. Binney gallantly.
"My heart is young," said Mrs. Higginbotham, greatly pleased at the compliment, "and if I am not very much mistaken, yours is also."
"I hope it is," said Mr. Binney, greatly pleased in his turn; "and on that account I have a proposal to make to you, ma'am, which I hope you will consider favourably."
"I'm sure I shall do that, whatever it is," said Mrs. Higginbotham comfortably.
"I hope so," said Mr. Binney again. "The fact is, ma'am, that I have long regarded you with feelings of interest, which have in the course of time developed into feelings of affection. I can scarcely hope that those feelings are returned, but I should wish to ask, ma'am, if there is any chance in the near or distant future that they might be."
"Oh, Mr. Binney!" exclaimed Mrs. Higginbotham with a lively recollection of the heroines of fiction. "This is so sudden."