The Inheritance of Loss

Sai overhears the judge calling for Mutt in the garden, beckoning her with stew. He keeps watch for her all night with a flashlight and panics the next morning. He asks neighbors if they have seen Mutt, and many laugh at him for this frivolous concern amid the insurgency. Mrs. Thondup asks if Mutt was expensive, and when the judge says yes, she says Mutt must have been stolen as her dogs were. Other neighbors share sad stories about former pets.

The judge mulls over the many dangers to Mutt. He regrets that he could not protect her and pays a visit to the SDO officer who addressed the gun robbery at Cho Oyu. The officer says the missing dog is not a high priority now. The judge goes to the police, who are torturing someone, and they call him “Madman!” (320). When he asks about the gun robbery, they turn him away.

Traveling home, he cherishes memories of his dog and calls out each of her nicknames to bring her home. A soldier tells the judge he is breaking curfew, and the judge dismisses him. The soldier follows several yards behind and listens to the judge calling for Mutt.