“They marry at leisure and repent in haste,” interposed Pasquale.
“Precisely,” said I.
“What we call a marriage-bed repentance,” said Pasquale.
“I told you this poor child had no sense of humour,” I objected.
“You might as well kill yourself as marry without it.”
“You are not going to marry anybody, Carlotta,” said I, “until you can see a joke.”
“What is a joke?” inquired Carlotta.
“Mr. Pasquale asked you to marry him. He didn’t mean it. That was a joke. It was enormously funny, and you should have laughed.”
“Then I must laugh when any one asks me to marry him?”
“As loud as you can,” said I.