foolish, but what _did_ it matter so long as they loved one another?

The rooms were furnished. The bed-room looked like a little temple.
The two beds stood side by side, like two carriages. The rays of the
sun fell on the blue eiderdown quilt, the white, white sheets and the
little pillow-slips which an elderly maiden aunt had embroidered with
their monogram; the latter consisted of two huge letters, formed of
flowers, joined together in one single embrace, and kissing here and
there, wherever they touched, at the corners. The bride had her own
little alcove, which was screened off by a Japanese screen. The
drawing-room, which was also dining-room, study and morning-room,
contained her piano, (which had cost twelve hundred crowns) his
writing-table with twelve pigeon-holes, (every single piece of it real
walnut) a pier-glass, armchairs; a sideboard and a dining-table. "It
looks as if nice people lived here," they said, and they could not
understand why people wanted a separate dining-room, which always looked
so cheerless with its cane chairs.

The wedding took place on a Saturday. Sunday dawned, the first day of
their married life. Oh! what a life it was! Wasn't it lovely to be
married! Wasn't marriage a splendid institution! One was allowed one's
own way in everything, and parents and relations came and congratulated
one into the bargain.

At nine o'clock in the morning their bedroom was still dark. He
wouldn't open the shutters to let in daylight, but re-lighted the red
lamp which threw its bewitching light on the blue eiderdown, the white
sheets, a little crumpled now, and the Venus made of plaster of Paris,
who stood there rosy-red and without shame. And the red light also
fell on his little wife who nestled in her pillows with a look of