Summary

Chapter 19 opens at Carol’s home, where Eleanor and her friends watch in horror-fascination as a Taiwanese Pentecostal preacher based in Texas, Sister Gracie, runs about the house breaking valuable objects she deems satanic or idolatrous. Sister Gracie, who was hired by Carol, exclaims that these false idols (including scrolls from the Qing dynasty and precious Ming vases) are the reason that Bernard has turned out to be so sinful. Daisy, Lorena, and Eleanor sneak across the house to Carol’s bedroom to save any precious objects that they can before Sister Gracie continues her clean sweep. When a maid enters, Eleanor tries to distract her from the women stuffing Carol’s possessions into their handbags by demanding the maid go fetch some water with lemon. The maid turns out to be Nadine, scrubbed clean of her makeup and lacking her usual...