At Saint Bridget’s, Rune introduces Digby to his new therapist, nine-year-old Elsie from the Thetanatt household. She sketches with startling accuracy, including Digby’s scarred hand, while he struggles to draw. That evening Honorine’s letter reports Claude Arnold’s dismissal and compensation for Jeb’s family, which stirs Digby’s guilt and self-reproach.

The next day Elsie engineers a way for Digby to hold charcoal, then binds her hand to his, guiding the motion. Their shared movement unlocks fluid lines and shapes that culminate in a vivid portrait of Digby’s mother, prompting him to finally forgive her and releasing a rush of emotion.

Soon after, Rune’s daily song stops abruptly. Digby rushes to the bathing platform and finds Rune collapsed with a hand to his chest. Resuscitation fails; the beloved surgeon dies suddenly, likely of his heart disease.

That night, villagers and estate families gather for a lamplit funeral. The flock carries Rune’s casket to the cemetery; their laments and devotion reveal their humanity to onlookers who had feared their disfigurements.

In the aftermath, the residents turn to Digby, who steadies routines with help from Sankar, Bhava, and translator Basu. Rune’s will endows Saint Bridget’s through the Swedish Mission. The Mission replies it will send two nuns and seek a doctor. Digby’s medical leave remains indefinite, and he worries about his place in the IMS and in the world.