Chapter 12 Cont.

Now, Delphine is always at the house, but it is true that she rarely puts herself in the path of Fidelis. There is something ominous between them, and no one seems to be able to figure out what that is. Suddenly, while walking in Chicago without Tante and the boys for a few minutes, they find themselves face-to-face with the issue. Fidelis, however, thinks that he will not be permitted to marry Delphine and feels indebted to Cyprian for rescuing Markus that night that he was stuck inside the hill. Finally, after Markus' sudden illness, they are allowed a small time to talk on the car ride back to Argus. As Delphine tries to hash out the situation in her head, "For if he'd held himself back because of Cyprian, it must mean that he had feelings for her by the very definition of his resolve. And yet, too, the possibility of Cyprian could be the excuse Fidelis had for not acting toward her as in fact he did not want to" (Erdrich 286). At this point we know that Fidelis does have feelings for Delphine, but it is not entirely clear to me what Delphine's feelings are. I am left wondering if her approval of the situation is solely because of the boys, or does she feel good about what is "shivering between them" too? In any case it is clear to me that they need each other, because of both Eva and the boys, and that a union between them seems quite inevitable.