In fact, these two happy beings were nothing but eyes, open, wide open, to drink in all the light that emanated from their souls: eyes moistened with tears which did not fall on their cheeks, but were absorbed as by an invisible sponge which conveyed them to the heart. Had anyone been present he would have heard a double _tic-tac_ in unison, the harmony of two notes, one high and one low, the divine music of two souls who converse without words. Her eyes were sweet, tender, and very mild; they appeared as if they were dissolving in the dew of paradise. His eyes lightened, were ardent and fiery, drinking in the paradisean ambrosia of her pupils. Tremour of the frame, contraction of clasped hands, and lightning from their eyes accorded harmoniously with the _tic-tac_ of two hearts bound together; the whole an ecstasy of two existences, which are at one in the pores of the skin, the nerves of the soul, the muscles of the will. Was it voluptuousness? No, it was bliss. Was it lasciviousness? No, something less than all those; only two lives fused into one. After a sigh from both a spark darted from those eyes; and from those lips there came at the same moment, as if a signal had been given, these words: “Oh, how handsome you are!” “Oh, how lovely you are!” ⁂ They had been married for three years, and not the slightest cloud had obscured the heaven of their happiness. When, during the first months, she had drawn a deep sigh and said to him, “Oh, my Carlo, how happy we are!” He, as if seized with a mysterious fear, had answered her: “No, Teresa, do not say so! It seems as if it must bring misfortune. When God sees a man happy he judges him as standing in contravention of human and divine laws, and whispers to him that terrible dictum which one sees promulgated everywhere in England against those who violate regulations: _You will be prosecuted_. Just imagine if instead of one happy person he should find two! The penalty must be doubled.” She blushed and smiled. She did not believe at all in that form of superstition, but willingly obeyed, and for some time did not say: “Carlo, how happy we are!” 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.”