“Say that again, Antonia,” spoke Foedric.
“Why do you ask me to repeat it so often? I have said it so many times and with so little variety of expression that I fear the monotony will tire you. You can tell how strong my devotion is by my every look and action.”
“Very well,” Foedric responded, “then I, too, will be silent.”
“Oh, no; I retract what I have said if it is to have that effect. It is only my own expressions that seem tiresome. I could not be happy without your voice in my ears, though you repeat from morn till eve the old, familiar words.”
“Then you must believe the same of me,” said Foedric.
As we all happened to be listening to these two at that moment, Foedric looked up to our host and said:
“Thorwald, do you think Antonia and I had better try to reform the customs of the world, and do away with all verbal expression of our attachment, on the ground that it is unnecessary and only a waste of breath?”
“If some cruel master should force such a prohibition upon you, Foedric, what would be your feeling? The heart craves such expression as naturally as the body craves food. Suppose a couple were to start off by saying once for all that they loved each other, and then agree to live the rest of their lives on that one expression. They would argue that all such sentiment was folly, and interfered with the serious business of life, and so, denying a healthy appetite, their hearts would shrivel up and the fair blossom of their love would soon wither and die.”
As we smiled at Thorwald’s words, Zenith showed her interest by saying:
“The subject reminds me of that epoch in our history of which we read, when all the world went without eating for a time.”