The young stranger had been abstracted and silent.

'I'm sorry weddings depress you, Ferris. Surely when two people love each other and mean to go on loving each other...' 'Marriage is not a process for prolonging the life of love, sir. It merely mummifies its corpse.'

The author notes that: Each of these held in one Hand a Scroll or Label, upon which were inscribed in Latin, but in the Old English Character, the Names of Kings and Saints of the Royal Line of MERCIA. Many of the Labels are broke off, others are so much defaced, that only a Syllable or two can be read.

Watch it, dude; you almost knocked me over.