"Thank you, sir," Marius hiccups and flicks away a few stray tears. "Thank you."
A few deep breaths, and Marius is all right again. Mostly.
"What I came here tonight to ask you, sir, is would it be all right, sometime, for me to take your daughter out? For dinner, or a movie, or anything. I think she's a lovely young lady, and I'd very much like to be able to spend time with her. With your permission, of course."