Mary had never been quite so shocked in all of her life. One gloved hand covered her open mouth, and her usual rigid posture seemed relatively unstable. She looked down at Bert as if to ask, "What did you just say?" but found that she was quite beyond words.

--

It had begun that morning, when the two were out for a stroll. Mary had happened upon Bert and his chalk drawings soon after sunrise, and both agreed immediately that it was a marvelous day for a walk in the park.

It was early spring, and the frost had recently given way to young buds, sprouts, and blossoms. It seemed that every springtime in London, the flowers and trees were renewed to their splendor more vibrantly and luminously. Today, it was clearer than ever to see. The brilliance of the park was more than Mary and Bert could take in.

"Nothing like a morning stroll to greet the day, I always say," Bert commented, his eyes on the dewdrops that spotted the infantile leaves.

"I agree; there's no more proper way," Mary said.

"'S far's I'm concerned, today's a good a day as any," Bert said, half to himself.

"And might I ask what you're muttering about?" Mary inquired.

"Ya might," said Bert, looking around as if to evaluate his surroundings. "That's a lovely li'l bench right there, dontcha think?" He said, his eyes twinkling with delight and something almost like anticipation.

"You wouldn't be trying to change the subject, now would you?" Mary looked at Bert suspiciously.

"'Course not. You'll see. This is directly relevant to the subject at hand." He led Mary to the painted wooden bench. "If you'll have a seat, I think we'll do this nice and proper, eh?"

Mary was puzzled. "If you don't mind, I'd rather prefer to stand."

"No," Bert said, his jolly voice taking on a serious tone. "With all due respect, Mary, I think you ought to sit down for this."
She shrugged. "If I must." She was just wondering at how silly this all seemed when Bert lowered himself to one knee.

"Right then," he said, and the world settled into slow motion.

"Mary Poppins, will you marry me?"

--

Author's Notes: Oh my! I wonder if you, as a reader, are as shocked as I am. I can't believe what I've just written! I think it's very exciting, personally. What do you think? In any case, I realize that this is a very short introduction, but I hope you'll understand that it had to be so. I knew how this first bit of the story had to begin, and how it had to end. I decided that drawing it out or adding more afterwards would only have detracted from the story. But don't worry; the next part is already in the works. I should have it up fairly soon, meaning within a week or so. Yes. I'll soon e explaining how all of this came about. In the meantime, please let me know what you think! Thanks in advance.