riage are as manifold as the minds
of the men who make them. The cautious, long-headed man, whose heart
is ever dominated by his head, will think out the situation carefully
beforehand, and couch his offer in moderate and measured terms. The
impulsive lover will be carried away by a wave of emotion, and,
perhaps before he has really made up his mind, will pour out the first
passionate words that come to his lips. The clear-headed business man
will not lose sight of the practical advantages to be gained from the
union he suggests. The creature of romance will be poetic and
delightful even if utterly impossible. It may be safely said, however,
that no general rule can be laid down, and that no man ever asked this
important question exactly in the words or at the time he had
previously selected.

Tact in Choosing the Opportunity.

The great thing is to seize the auspicious moment, to strike the
responsive chord when the two minds are in harmony. A man who tries to
propose when a servant is expected to arrive with a scuttle of coals,
or when the children are just tumbling in from school, is not likely
to meet with much {47} favour. We cannot all have the momentous
question put in the witching hour of moonlight, or in the suggestive
stillness of a summer's eve, but the tactful man will know when to speak,
and how to turn dull prose into the sweetest rhythm.

Too Much Haste.

I do know of a case where two young people made acquaintance, wooed
and married in something over a fortnight. No sane man would advocate
such haste. It seems almost an impertinence for a lover to ask a woman
to give herself into his keeping when he has only just made his
entrance into her life. It must be admitted that Love defies time as
well as locksmiths. A few hours may bring kindred souls nearer to each
other than double the number of years would do in an ordinary
acquaintance. On board ship, especially in the tropics, things mature
with a rapidity seldom found ashore. Certain circumstances conspire to
hasten the happy development, and certain conditions may justify
exceptional haste. When a long separation is pending a man may be
forgiven for hurrying to know his fate; but for the ordinary
stay-at-home man to be introduced one week and propose the next is,
to put it mildly, a doubtful compliment.

Too Keen a Sense of Humour.

A momentary realisation of the comic side of things may dash the cup
of happiness from a woman's lips. An inv