"I married in an unguarded moment.

I was huffed with Meg." "No, I suppose it doesn't count." They resumed their walk.

Captain Jemmy was the next to speak.
"It seems to me Meg must decide." "Yes, but we must start fair." "The devil! we can't propose one in each ear.

And if we race for it--" "You must give me half a mile's start." "But we can write." "Yes; and deliver our letters together at the door." "On the other hand, I've always heard that women look upon a written proposal of marriage as rather tame." "That objection would hardly apply to two in one day.

And, besides, she knows about us." "We'll write," said Captain Jemmy.
He went into the pavilion to search for pens and paper, while Captain Barker stepped down to the Fish and Anchor to borrow a bottle of ink.
"There must be preliminaries," the little man observed, returning and setting the ink down in the centre of the rustic table, on which already lay a bundle of old quills and some quarto sheets of yellow paper.
"As for instance ?" "_Imprimis_, a thick folio book for me to sit on.