Marry in haste, repent at leisure

Mary Deerfield, the main character of Chris Bohjalian’s new novel, “Hour of the Witch,” is a poster child for the proverb, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”

Marry in haste, repent at leisure. Look before you leap.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure.Look before you leap.

I was mortified by the prospect of ending an impetuous marriage so soon, proving right the friends who had teased, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.”

She used to put her home truths into proverbs when I was quite young, such as, ‘A burnt child dreads the fire,’ or ‘Marry in haste, repent at leisure,’ or——” “Oh, that will do, Sibyl.”