Chapter 41 temporary place

London, April 1895 Tara.Only after Burgess returned to London did she realize that the address on the business card Mr. Barris had given her was not a private residence at all, but the Midland Hotel. She kept the card on the living room table for a while, glancing at it whenever she happened to come into the room.Every time I forget its existence, I will remember it after a while. Lenny tries to convince Tara to go on a long vacation to Italy, but she refuses.Tara did not tell the sister much about her visit to Vienna, except for Aiden's greetings. Leni suggested that the two might consider moving, perhaps discussing it further after she returned home from Italy.

Tara just nodded and gave her a warm hug before the sister left. Alone in the sisters' townhouse, Tara wandered absent-mindedly to and fro, throwing unfinished novels here and there on chairs and tables. She politely declined Anna one by one.An invitation to have tea with Mrs. Padwa or to watch a ballet performance. She turned all the mirrors in the room to face the wall, and those mirrors that could not be moved were covered with sheets, standing like ghosts in the empty room. She couldn't sleep all night. One afternoon, after the card had patiently collected dust for months, she stuffed it in her pocket, and before she could judge whether it was a good idea or not, she was out of the house and heading for the train station.

Tara had never been to the restaurant connected to St Pancras Station with the clock on top.Although the building is huge and solid, it gives people a sense of ephemerality. It is full of guests and travelers who come and go from all directions.They are only staying here for a short time, and they will continue to other destinations. She asked the counter, but they said the person was not on the guest list.The counter attendant misheard her so frequently that she had to repeat the name several times.Because the words on the card Mr. Barris had given her were smudged, she tried more than one variation; she could never recall the proper pronunciation.The longer she stood there, the less sure she had ever heard the stained name pronounced.

The waiter politely asked Tara if she wanted to leave a note that the gentleman she was looking for might arrive later in the day, but she declined, thanked the waiter for his time, and put the card back in her pocket. She wandered the halls, wondering if the address was wrong.However, providing inaccurate information is not in line with Mr. Barris' usual style. Good afternoon, Miss Burgess.Someone next to him said.She didn't notice the approach of the other party. The man whose name she couldn't remember to pronounce correctly was standing beside her shoulder, wearing a unique gray suit.

good afternoon.She agrees. are you looking for mehe asks. Yes.Tara said.She began to explain that Mr. Barris had sent her.She reached into her pocket, but there was no business card in it, and she stopped in confusion. Is there something wrong?the man in the gray suit asked. No, Tara said, not sure if she remembered to bring the card, or if it was still on the living room table.I want to talk to you about the circus. OKHe said.He waited for her to speak, with a look that could be interpreted as mild interest. She did her best to express her misgivings, saying that things were going on in the circus that most people didn't know about.She said that she could not find a reasonable explanation for some elements of the composition.She recounted many of the things she had said to Mr. Barris: how it worried her not to be sure if anything was real; Make her uneasy.

She was often tongue-tied and found it difficult to say exactly what she meant. The slightly interested expression continued. Miss Burgess, what do you want from me?he asked when she had finished. I want an explanation.she says. He looked at her for a while with the same unchanged expression. The circus was just a circus, he said: putting on amazing shows, that's all.You should agree, right? Tara nodded before digesting the other party's response. Miss Burgess, do you have a train to catch?he asks. Yes.Tara said.She forgot her train, wondered what time it was, but couldn't find a clock anywhere to check the time.

I'm going to the train station, if you don't mind being accompanied. After a short journey from the hotel, they arrived at the train station platform together.He held the door for her all the way, making some vague comments about the weather. I think it might be better for you to find something else to kill your time.When they got to the train, he said: Find something else to do and take your mind off the circus, you should agree? Tara nodded again. Have a nice day, Miss Burgess.He raised the brim of his hat and said. have a nice day.She agreed. He left her on the platform.When she turned to see where he was going, there was no sign of the gray suit in the crowd.

Tara stood close to the edge of the platform, waiting for her own train.She couldn't remember whether she was with A. Mr. H︱ said which train he was going to take, but he still left her on the correct platform. She felt as if she had something else to ask, but at this moment she couldn't remember what it was.She couldn't recall much of that conversation, except the impression that she should have found other things to spend her time, other places to go, and other things that deserved her more attention. When she was wondering what was going on, a speck of dust flashed across the platform, which immediately caught her sight.

is a. Mr. H︱He was standing in a shadowy corner, and even at that distance and shadow, Tara could see that he was busy arguing with someone she couldn't see. People passing by didn't even glance in their direction. As the light pouring in from the arched window above shifted, Tara saw a similarity to A. Mr. H︱The object of controversy. The opponent is not that tall, and the top of the hat is one step lower than the man in gray, so Tara thought the man was just a shadow at first, thinking that A. It is strange that Mr. H︱ would argue with his own reflection in the middle of the train station.

But upon closer inspection, the other suit was darker in color.Yingying's hair is longer, though of a similar shade of gray. Through the steam and the crowd, Tara could see the highlights of the lace on his shirt cuffs, and the dark eyes, the man's eyes reflecting more light than the rest of his face.The facial features freeze momentarily, then disappear again as distorted shadows, never remaining stable for more than a moment. The light sifting in from above moved again, and the figure trembled, as if she was watching through heat, but A. In contrast, Mr. H︱ is still neat and clear.

Tara took a step forward, her eyes firmly fixed on the ghost on the opposite platform. She didn't see the train coming into the station.