to reason that the task would be his. Ahcho, the first and most sincere of the Reverend's converts, as the great man had always said, would have to carry on the mission.
He straightened up taller and hurried after his mistress, who had already escorted herself outside. He neglected to say good-bye to the Reverend but made the decision that he would return the following day to bring him home as only a man could. He had always been dependable, but now he saw that it was his turn to fully take the reins.
When Ahcho stepped up and over the threshold, the desert night air struck him with its coolness and clarity. The moon and stars blazed in a pure black sky. Yes, he could do it. He could run the mission and carry on until the Reverend was well again. He even pictured himself behind the simple podium in the chapel. A small sea of Chinese faces would look up at him hopefully. Perhaps, in time, and using the best of the Reverend's practices, their numbers would rise again. Ahcho would pray that it was not sacrilege to envision a good future arising from his master's tragedy. But since he did so in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, he suspected it was acceptable.
Twenty-six
L ater that same night, Mai Lin helped her mistress back into bed on the second floor of the Watson house in the mission compound. The fever was upon her again, and Mai Lin wished she had been firmer and not allowed the young woman to go out on the foolish expedition to find her husband. Ahcho had explained that they had actually seen and spoken to the Reverend, but he'd chosen not to return with them. The willful girl had risked her life for naught.
When morning came, and the other families of the compound met in the courtyard below to bid farewell to their servants, Mistress Grace remained delirious and unable to rise from her bed. Mai Lin kept cool cloths on her forehead and spooned water over her parched and dusty lips. As the donkey carts finally started to lumber away under the weight of the Americans' many possessions, Mai Lin leaned out the bedroom window for one last glimpse of Rose Baby.
Mildred Martin sat beside her husband upon their buckboard, a bundle held lovingly to her chest. As the American caravan pulled out of the mission gates, Mai Lin allowed herself to wonder if the wicked Mrs. Martin was not quite so evil after all.
Mistress Grace continued to sleep fitfully all that afternoon, calling out often for her baby girl. Mai Lin had to admit that she might improve more quickly with her husband at her side. When Ahcho announced he intended to try again to retrieve the Reverend that very day, Mai Lin entreated him to do so posthaste. The parents would find solace together at this difficult time with their daughter now gone from their lives. Ahcho set out before midday, and the afternoon passed slowly in the desolate compound. Mai Lin liked the quiet and even managed to nap some, but mostly, she attended to her mistress, who appeared to be feeling better as night fell again. The moon came up, and still Ahcho had not come home. For a brief while, Mistress Grace sat against her pillows and sipped broth. She asked for Rose Baby once again, but when Mai Lin started to answer, the grieving mother interrupted.
"I remember now," she said. "I can feel it in my heart that she's gone. My whole body knows she's no longer at my side."
Then, finally and for the first time all day, Mistress Grace slept soundly, and Mai Lin did so, too.
Later, much later, deep in the dark hours, Mai Lin awoke in her cot to hear camel bells approaching. She went to the window and opened the shutters and saw only darkness, but still she kept watch. The mistress must have sensed her vigilance because she shifted in the bed and let out a soft, indistinguishable sound— a question that hung on the quiet air. Mai Lin went to her and placed a wrist on her forehead. The fever had broken, but the young woman still breathed restlessly, her chest heaving as the fluid thickened. Mai Lin returned to the window and was about to close the shutters against the chill when she heard it again. This time the bells sounded quite nearby, followed by