When You Were Absent

47

flush was a gunny sack that I had tied on the end of an umbrella stick I had found in a dump. I laughed sometimes when I was ringing out the rag and said that now I understood what Shakespeare meant when he said "Down on your knees and thank Heaven for a good man's love." I seemed to see innumerable women in innumerable homes down on their knees thanking heaven for their "guid men's love." I suppose some men are worth it! It was only about half an hour's work per week and for that I got free meals for myself and children-free cooking service-and a roof over our heads. Some of the cooks who were on a full day twice a week fared worse, especially in the heat. Granted there was not much to cook for each, but in the aggregate it took time to prepare, and strength to lift the heavy paraffin tin of soup. There were ten Scots in the bungalow and most of them with broad accents, and all of them with humour-bless them. I remember George turning up in a black broadcloth tail coat worn over khaki shorts. He was impervious to jibes and went about his business as if he were dressed in a boiler suit. George hung the "tails" up to air one day and they disappeared, much to his disgust. Humour was lacking that day. Jack Harris and Lofty Dewar used to go about in some interesting garb too. Lofty was six feet four and particularly conspicuous. Harris tried to teach me some new year toast about "May the moose neverrrrr leave yourrrrr cupboard wi' a tearrrr drap in its e'e." He promised to write it out for me. Poor Jack, he had a good appetite, and I am a-fearing that there are not many crumbs aboot in Stanley the noo and there will be more than the wee moose that have tear draps today. There were two old couples in the bungalow. All their interests were in Hong Kong. They must have lived in the neighbourhood of 40 years there and never intended to leave. Their homes and business interests were there. Now their

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