Mrs. Higginbotham might have replied that she knew him tolerably well already, having met him with some frequency for the last twenty years. But his attitude caused her such a degree of pleasure that she was by no means prepared to spoil the sensation by reminding him of that fact. At the same time she was a little nervous and flurried. She had all the will in the world to prove him, but she didn't quite know how to set about it. If there had been a crusade handy she might have sent him off to that, but she could think of no nineteenth century substitute on the spur of the moment. Mr. Binney had been a Volunteer in his youth, as he had often told her, but he was one no longer, so she could not set him to watch his accoutrements all night in a church. Besides, Mr. Binney went to chapel, and the minister wouldn't have liked it. She didn't really quite know what he did want, but fortunately Mr. Binney himself came to the rescue and made himself a little clearer. "Now, Mrs. Higginbotham," he began. "By-the-bye, may I call you Martha?" "Yes, do," said Mrs. Higginbotham. "Now, my dear Martha," began Mr. Binney again, "what you have got to do is to tell me what in your opinion the behaviour of an ideal lover should be, and what _I_ have got to do is to endeavour to the best of my ability to act up to your opinion." "Well, Peter," began Mrs. Higginbotham, "I must confess that I have always wished that I had had in my youth a devoted lover who should be something of a hero." "Quite so, quite so," assented Mr. Binney with an energetic nod. "I shall do my best to be that, my very best." "One," continued Mrs. Higginbotham, "whom I could admire for--er--manliness and--er--light-heartedness, and--er--beauty, both of form and feature." "Exactly so," nodded her wooer. "One who would regard me as the most beautiful--er--female in the world; not that I should be that, of course, but I should like him to think so." "Of course, of course," said Mr. Binney. "Quite natural." "And who would try to make little opportunities of meeting me, and being where I was." "Exactly," said Mr. Binney, who had been admitted into Mrs. Higginbotham's house any time these last twenty years whenever he liked to present himself. "Whose heart would beat quicker when he _did_ see me, and who would be quite rewarded for any trouble he might have taken over the matter _by_ seeing me." "I quite see, ma'am, I quite see," said Mr. Binney. "The truth of it is, you want to renew your youth, I take it. Not that it requires much renewing," he added gallantly. "Oh, Peter!" exclaimed Mrs. Higginbotham coyly. "And I want to renew _my_ youth, Martha," continued Mr. Binney with some fervour. "I've worked very hard ever since I was a boy, as you know, and I never had the fun that I should like to have had, or that the young fellows I see about me now have--my son, for instance." "Dear boy," murmured Mrs. Higginbotham.