"Yes, I did. It was desertion," said Mimika grimly.
"Does nobody know what became of him? It seems so strange that he should have gone away and left all the furniture in that house. He had some lovely things too. I think you might at least have claimed the furniture."
"Please, mother, don't talk about that or we shall be making the same mistake again. I expect he's shaved his beard by now."
"Mimika, child, what do you mean? Are you crazy?"
"I think we were both crazy, mother, a year ago."
"Well, I thought it was all for your happiness, my pet," said her mother, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. "I'm afraid it will be a long time before you can marry this other young man, that Roy likes so much. He isn't earning half so good a salary as Roy."
"I don't know that I'm going to marry any one, mother. But listen! I feel like marrying the first good American that comes to me with a piece of the original Mayflower in his buttonhole."
And, this time, her mother almost listened.