I call it merely letting the historic material ripen in your mind, or else I shouldn't let you accept.
"A Fearful Responsibility and Other Stories"
William D. Howells
But, as I said, I felt that I must do as Algernon wished, and warn you, should he pay you any particular attention, not to encourage him, as also not to allow the admiration you naturally have for him to ripen into a warmer feeling.
"Won from the Waves"
W.H.G. Kingston
The intense heat of the day, that would ripen the wheat to bursting, would likewise sooner or later ignite the cakes of phosphorus.
"The Desert of Wheat"
Zane Grey