When she awoke she felt a violent nausea and a dizziness that made her glad to lie down again. She called Mrs. Daquin, who listened to her recital of her ailments and then gave her some medicine, advising her to remain in bed. Later Mrs. Daquin brought her breakfast and sat with her as she toyed with it, eating little. It’s nice of her to do this, thought Mimi. She’s getting more lovable every day.
As she still felt badly in the afternoon, Mimi went at her stepmother’s suggestion to see Dr. Adams. A few questions, an examination, and then Dr. Adams looked gravely at Mimi.
“You’re going to have a baby, Mimi,” he told her.
Mimi gasped, echoing his words. A great happiness filled her, happiness mingled with a sweeping flame of love for Carl. A baby! Hers and Carl’s! Her face shone with a great light, the light of contentment and love. There was no feeling of shame nor could she clearly understand why Dr. Adams’ face should remain so grave and worried. On that eventful night she and Carl had been caught up and swept on by a great tide of passion, an emotion overwhelming, beautiful, sacred. She had given of herself freely, without thought of consequences and without any sense of shame. To her it had been a magnificent, a pure and holy giving. Her smile puzzled Dr. Adams.
“Mimi, I’m afraid you don’t realize how serious a thing this is. Do you know what’ll happen to you and your reputation? And who’s the man?”
She told him simply and freely. Still her manner was a source of wonder to him. Ordinarily such a message would have brought forth tears, protestations of innocence, pleas for help. Mimi did none of these.
His face was set in grim lines as she told of Carl.