Sentence:  ‘Louisa, my dear, you are the subject of a <WSD>proposal</WSD> of marriage that has been made to me.' Again he waited, and again she answered not one word. This so far surprised him, as to induce him gently to repeat, ‘a <WSD>proposal</WSD> of marriage, my dear.' To which she returned, without any visible emotion whatever: 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The act of asking someone to be one's spouse; an offer of marriage