Before legal proceedings are commenced, a letter should be written to the gentleman, by the father or brother of the lady, requesting him to fulfil his engagement. A copy of this letter should be kept, and it had better be delivered by some person who can prove that he did so, and that the copy is correct: he should make a memorandum of any remarks or conversation.
1563. Examples
We give an abstract or two from the law authorities: they will, we have no doubt, be perused by our fair readers with great attention, and some satisfaction.
"A man who was paying particular attentions to a young girl, was asked by the father of the latter, after one of his visits, what his intentions were, and he replied, 'I have pledged my honour to marry the girl in a month after Christmas'; and it was held that this declaration to the father, who had a right to make the inquiry, and to receive a true and correct answer, taken in connection with the visits to the house, and the conduct of the young people towards each other, was sufficient evidence of a promise of marriage."
1564. Length of Engagement
"The Common Law does not altogether discountenance long engagements to be married. If parties are young, and circumstances exist, showing that the period during which they had agreed to remain single was not unreasonably long, the contract is binding upon them; but if they are advanced in years, and the marriage is appointed to take place at a remote and unreasonably long period of time, the contract would be voidable, at the option of either of the parties, as being in restraint of matrimony. If no time is fixed and agreed upon for the performance of the contract, it is in contemplation of law
a contract to marry within a reasonable period after request.
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