THE FLORAL TELEGRAPH. 31 
playfully caught up both my hands, 
and, placing either of them on one 
of her glowing cheeks, laughingly 
said, “ We may use these little inno¬ 
cent freedoms with old gentlemen of 
three score years and ten.” 
Than that touch, liquid fire or mol¬ 
ten gold might have scorched and 
burnt up more, but could not have 
fired with any thing like its sudden 
intensity. But I confess that I was, 
notwithstanding my sudden delight, 
most sensibly piqued. 
“ Madam,” said I, with due for¬ 
mality, “ it is not more than two mi¬ 
nutes ago that I told you I was no 
more than sixty and three — an age, 
