CHAPTER 30

Summary

• Digby is hospitalised after surviving a fire (1936, AllSuch Estates, Travancore-Cochin). He is haunted by the memory of a woman named Celeste, who was killed in the fire. He is tormented by guilt, identifying himself as an adulterer and murderer.
• He is deeply ashamed, preferring isolation, believing he deserves to be an earthworm rather than a human. His friends are deeply concerned about his mental state.
• On the sixth day after the fire, Digby removes his bandages to assess the extent of his burns. His right hand bears third-degree burns, exposing the tendons, while his left hand has first- and second-degree burns.
• He leaves the hospital with the help of a man named Muthu, travelling to a travellers’ lodge near Central Station. He are later ferried away by Owen Tuttleberry on Shoranur Express, leaving a tearful Muthu behind on the platform.
• He is met by Franz and Lena Mylin, and their driver, Cromwell at a train stop. They take him to AllSuch, which has a guest cottage where they settle Digby in.
• Digby requests specific supplies for treating his wounds and requests his hosts keep his whereabouts a secret. He begins the painful process of removing the eschar (dead tissue) from his right hand, meticulously surgery on himself.
• Digby takes daily walks as a part of his recovery. He avoids direct interaction with Franz and Lena, but tolerates Cromwell. One day he reveals to Lena, who is worried about him, that his home surgery achieved little and his tendons remained locked inside scar tissue barring his right hand's movements.
• Lena suggests the idea of bringing a surgeon who specializes in hands that visits the area over the weekends. Digby, who had previously demanded no visitors, faces a tough decision.