to guide her. Ahcho held open the door to the house that had not been a home for months. His heart lifted at the thought of the baby arriving at its proper residence, but when he did not see the small bundle, he hoped that everything was all right. He had seven children of his own, and they each had seven children. He was a happy man because of it, even in these lean times when they had been scattered to the winds. It was known in his family that a baby placed in his arms would soon be charmed to sleep. He hoped he would have the opportunity to show this to the Reverend and his wife with their daughter.
Mistress Grace paused at the threshold and said, "Thank you, Ahcho, for all you have done to maintain things while I was away. You are most good to us."
Ahcho bowed solemnly and hoped that his face didn't betray his concern, for he couldn't help noticing that she didn't look at all well. Her sallow complexion matched her dingy white gown. All of her seemed covered by a yellowish tint: her fair skin, her lace dress, the white stockings, and her light brown hair all dusted by a thin layer of loess, the loamy deposit that he spent far too many hours each day sweeping ineffectually from the floorboards and rugs.
At night, he would shut and lock the front door, and in the morning, he'd still find small piles of the dusty sand pushed up against the walls and crammed into every crevice of this, the finest home in the Christian compound. Try as he might, Ahcho was unable to keep it clean. He had an impulse to use the broom to whisk the loess off his mistress now, or to at least employ a washcloth and lye soap, but of course he would never do such a disrespectful thing. It fell to Mai Lin, if she did her job properly, to help free their mistress of the dirty cloud that surrounded her.
"Mistress is hungry?" he asked. "I will prepare your dinner."
"No, thank you, Ahcho. Very kind of you, though."
She walked with gentle steps into the parlor, where he was pleased to have dusted only an hour before.
"I'll eat something," Mai Lin said.
Ahcho ignored her and stood instead behind his mistress as she looked at the lone photograph on the mantel. Inside a dark wooden frame, intricately carved with vines and blossoms, was a daguerreotype of the Watson family. With eyes pinned on the photographer, the Reverend stood in a light linen suit, his collar buttoned high, his goldrimmed glasses glinting in the sun, and a clear expression on his face. Beside the young Reverend stood Mistress Grace. She wore a simple smock with black boots hidden under the shadow of the hem and held a rumpled linen hat in one hand. She, too, stared directly into the camera and did not smile. They didn't hold hands but stood shoulder to shoulder, a matched set, although he was so much taller. Ahcho was proud of the handsome and serious young couple at the start of their important work here in Fenchow-fu, where they would do so much good for others.
Standing in front of them was their small boy, Wesley. He wore knickers and a sailor top. In his arms he held a heavy-looking glass jar filled with American pennies, his greatest treasure. Ahcho remembered picking up the annoying coins from the floor and scolding the little boy to fetch them himself from then on. Ahcho regretted ever speaking harshly to the lad, who in the photo squinted with ferocious curiosity out at the world.
Ahcho wondered if Wesley's mother was noticing now that neither parent touched the child. No hand rested protectively on his shoulder, no fingers reached for his small hand. He was not tucked into his mother's side. Instead, little Wesley seemed all alone as he glared into the years ahead, poised to conquer, full of great seriousness and strength for someone so small. He had the countenance of a future leader, someone like his father who would bring people together to accomplish great things. Could the boy have been a prince all along? Ahcho wondered now.
Grace turned abruptly from the fireplace and cleared her throat, attempting to hide what Ahcho suspected were tears. "You must bring me to the Reverend at once," she announced.
Ahcho clasped his hands behind his back and bent forward as if he had not heard