Atanyrateweloved，andoneeveningintheshelterofthesolemnwallsofthegreatColiseumatRome，whichatthathourwereshuttoallexceptourselves，weconfessedourlove。I
reallythinkwemusthavechosenthespotbytacitbutmutualconsentbecausewefeltittobefitting。Itwassoold，soimpregnatedwitheveryhumanexperience，fromthedirestcrimeofthetyrantwhothoughthimselfagod，tothesublimestsacrificeofthemartyrwhoalreadywashalfagod；witheveryviceandvirtuealsowhichliesbetweentheseextremes，thatitseemedtobethemostfittingaltarwhereontoofferourheartsandallthatcausedthemtobeat，eachtotheother。
SoNatalieandIwerebetrothedwithinamonthofourfirstmeeting。Withinthreeweweremarried，forwhatwastheretopreventordelay？NaturallySirAlfredwasdelighted，seeingthathepossessedbutsmallprivateresourcesandIwasabletomakeampleprovisionforhisdaughterwhohadhithertoshownherselfsomewhatdifficultinthisbusinessofmatrimonyandnowwasborderingonhertwenty—seventhyear。Everybodywasdelighted，everythingwentsmoothlyasasledgeslidingdownaslopeoffrozensnowandthemistsoftimehidwhatevermightbeattheendofthatslope。Probablyaplain；attheworsttheupwardriseofordinarylife。
Thatiswhatwethought，ifwethoughtatall。Certainlyweneverdreamedofaprecipice。Whyshouldwe，whowereyoung，bycomparison，quitehealthyandveryrich？Whothinksofprecipicesundersuchcircumstances，whendisasterseemstobeeliminatedanddeathisyetalongwayoff？
Andyetweoughttohavedoneso，becauseweshouldhaveknownthatsmoothsurfaceswithoutimpedimenttotherunnersoftenendinsomethingofthekind。