They think over it for a couple of years and then they come together in a sober, God-fearing, respectable manner." "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.
"You are so strange in England," sighed Carlotta.
I smiled, for I did not want to make her unhappy, and I spoke to her intelligibly.
"Well, well, when you have quite learned all the English ways, I'll try and find you a nice husband.

Now you had better go to bed." She retired, quite consoled.