This did not prevent their being so. One day, however, she repeated the happy exclamation, for which she felt the real necessity in order to relieve the fulness of her heart.
Carlo closed her mouth with his hand, but this time she resisted, and almost for fun repeated the same words ten times:
“You will see that no harm will come to us.”
And, in fact, the most complete bliss continued to shine in the blue heavens of those two happy ones. They were two and they were one; but sometimes, sighing, they had said:
“Why are we not three?”
It was he really who had said so; and she then blushed and hung her head, sighing:
“You are right, Carlo; our happiness is too great for two alone; divided among three it would be better.”
“But the third, Teresa, ought to be tiny, tiny—so, look,” and he opened the palm of his hand to show the length that this third partner in their happiness ought to be.
This discourse, however, did not please Teresa, and after a forced smile she kissed Carlo and gave him a pat on the cheek, and said in a shame-faced way, and with an unsteady voice:
“You know it is not my fault.”