In nineteen cases out of twenty a proposal is either unexpected or disappointing; that is,
Many a girl has almost held her breath with anxiety as she saw the great question coming; then almost cried with vexation at the way it came. For, often,
Either the wrong man proposes or the right man proposes stupidly.
The woman looks for ideal surroundings, a dramatic situation, and impassioned and poetic utterance; usually,
The man seizes a commonplace opportunity and—stutters. Probably,
The ideal proposal occurs only in novels. And yet—and yet—
Perhaps after all the real proposal is more complimentary to woman than is the ideal; at least perhaps
The aberration and obfuscation of the man is proof once (i) of her potency and (ii) of his sincerity.
Did man keep his head, would woman be quite so sure of his heart? Yet it may be that in these matter woman is liable to err, since
Rarely, if ever, does a woman's heart run away with her head. When it does—