Those add a rare, ornamental touch

“Those add a rare, ornamental touch” is Bendix Grünlich’s conspicuously mannered compliment on the vase of wildflowers before Tony. Repeated later by Tony to Morten Schwarzkopf, the phrase becomes a small but telling emblem of her aversion to Grünlich: what might have been simple praise arrives in language she remembers as affected, foolish, and inseparable from his persistent courtship.

The Remark at the Table

During a gathering with the Schwarzkopfs, the young people reminisce about school, while a vase of wildflowers stands in front of Tony. Tom points to it and imitates Grünlich’s response: “Those add a rare, ornamental touch.” Tony turns red with rage and pokes Tom in the ribs, then glances shyly toward Morten. The remark thus works in two registers at once: it is a teasing recollection of Grünlich, and a joke that exposes Tony’s discomfort in the presence of the man she favors.

Tony’s Explanation to Morten

Later, Morten asks what the phrase means. Tony giggles nervously as she explains that Grünlich would not say that the flowers looked lovely or suited the room; instead, he chose the elaborate compliment. She calls this way of speaking silly and remembers Grünlich as unbelievably persistent, despite her sarcasm toward him. The phrase is not merely a verbal quirk detached from the courtship: Tony places it alongside his efforts to win her and a scene in which he came close to tears.

Comic Detail and Characterization

The compliment’s ornate wording makes an ordinary vase of wildflowers sound like a decorative feature being formally assessed. That disproportion gives Tom’s imitation its comic edge and lets Tony compress her judgment of Grünlich into a memorable turn of phrase. Morten’s question draws out the story behind the joke; his suggestion that Grünlich admired Tony greatly meets her baffled insistence that his admiration was no concern of hers. The exchange preserves both the amusement of the remembered phrase and the distance between Grünlich’s pursuit and Tony’s response.