舞台は２０世紀初期、parlor（来客のための応接間）があった頃です。

They were a very saving old couple, and as a result they had a beautifully furnished house.

One day the old woman missed her husband and called out.

“Joseph, where are you?”

“I’m resting in the parlor,” came the reply.

“What, on the sofa?” cried the old woman, horrified.

“No. On the floor,” came the answer.

“NOT on that Persian carpet!” she said in tones of anguish.

“No,” said the old man. “I’ve rolled it up!”

客間を綺麗に保つ、というポリシーは理解。しかし「過ぎたるは」です。

The moral: Too much is as bad as too little.