He forgot to eat, and stared like a blind man with eyes wide open, heedless of the food, heedless of everything around him.
"Eat," said Say to him.

Twice she repeated the invitation ere he came to himself and reached out for the first morsel.

Aware of his mute astonishment and conscious of his perplexity, his mother finally asked,-- "What is the matter with you, mot[=a]tza ?" He merely shook his head and stared.
Very few young Indians in Okoya's condition would have placed so much stress on their mother's consent or dissent.

All or nearly all of them would simply have left the old home and would have joined their betrothed at her mother's house; and only the clan, and not the family, could have interfered with their action.

In the case of Okoya it was different, and unusual circumstances complicated the matter.