' oh , nothing ; i did not feel inclined to talk , that was all ! ' she stopped , and added carelessly after a pause , ' do n't you ever wonder what is in that soup - tureen ? ' ' no , never , ' replied the man . ' it is no affair of ours , ' and the conversation dropped once more . as time went on , the woman spoke less and less , and seemed so wretched that her husband grew quite frightened about her . as to her food , she refused one thing after another . ' my dear wife , ' said the man at last , ' you really must eat something . what in the world is the matter with you ? if you go on like this you will die . ' ' i would rather die than not know what is in that tureen , ' she burst forth so violently that the husband was quite startled . ' is that it ? ' cried he ; ' are you making yourself miserable because of that ? why , you know we should be turned out of the palace , and sent away to starve . ' ' oh no , we should n't . the king is too good - natured . of course he did n't mean a little thing like this ! besides , there is no need to lift the lid off altogether . just raise one corner so that i may peep . we are quite alone : nobody will ever know . '
she refused to eat .
why was the husband concerned about his wife ?
why was the husband concerned about his wife ?