Sentence:  The boy became volubly friendly and bubbling over with unexpected humour and high spirits. He tried to <WSD>persuade</WSD> Cicely to stay away from the ball-room for a fourth dance. Nobody would miss them, he explained. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To successfully convince (someone) to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence. Compare sway.