There Are Rivers in the Sky

Arthur informs his employers about having found the Flood Tablet, and they immediately arrange for his return home, ignoring his pleas to let him remain in Nineveh a while longer. He promises Leila that he will return, and while she shares this certainty, she asserts that he “will return changed, and […] will find things changed” (386).

Arthur receives a hearty welcome and a mix of both praise and scrutiny back home. More famous than ever, he continues to receive invitations to events. He and Mabel attend a party at an earl’s place, and Arthur is shocked and discomfited to find that his host has acquired a number of Mesopotamian artifacts and keeps them on display at his home. When questioned about his journey over dinner, Arthur fiercely defends the “devil-worshippers,” to the guests’ astonishment and amusement.

Arthur and Mabel get married in the summer, and she soon becomes pregnant, but there is a growing distance between the couple. She cannot understand his fascination with Mesopotamia, especially as Arthur increasingly yearns to return to Nineveh and, in secret, to Leila as well.