Victorian Ironic/Satire on Marriage Short Story

My boyfriend remembers reading a short story (he thinks) in 9th or 10th grade. That would have about 15 years ago, and he went to high school in America. He says that it was used to illustrate irony, and he'd love to be able to read it again!

A young gentleman, after marrying his pleasant fiancee, finds her to be mean and depressed as they embark on their honeymoon. The mean side of her turns out to be her true side, and the story deals primarily with him asking her questions to find out what he's actually in for dealing with for the rest of his life. He discovers this on a train to their honeymoon destination, which is why we think the story might be set in the Victorian era.

Not a lot of unique information to go on, I know, but I would be so grateful for any ideas! Thanks!

This could be Dorothy Parker's "Here We Are." It certainly would fit the bill re: irony and newlyweds on a train, but it's not quite about a pleasant man and unpleasant woman.

Another possibility might be Ernest Hemingway's "A Canary for One." Again, the details don't quite line up, but there is a young couple in a deteriorating marriage on a train.

It is Here We Are!!! Thank you so much, he is thrilled to have it at his disposal again.

>3 MissWoodhouse1816: You're welcome! I hope he enjoys the reread. The story's a really great unpacking of societal norms and gender roles, and the whole thing is a conversation about sex, without saying the word 'sex'.

Here's a good blog post on it: http://wordyevidenceofthefact.blogspot.com/2010/09/tpr-challenge-3-dorothy-parke...