It was good to escape from the forlorn atmosphere of the house in Chelsea, from the sense of desolation and lack of purpose, and pass an idle hour or so in the company of other European émigrés. The Apollo Cafe, run by a Belgian and his German wife, catered for such people. What could have been in that letter from Dr Seligmann that he’d delivered yesterday to Miss Whittaker? It was no business of his, of course, but it had been a peculiar affair. It had not been in the herr Doktor’s nature to be secretive. Still, Miss Ottilie had forgiven him his stubbornness over the matter. Very soon, now, she would return to Berlin, and he would settle quietly again with his spinster sister in his native city of Leipzig. The days of glory had passed away. Still musing over the cunning of his recent chess opponent, Herr Schneider hurried along the crowded street to where a crossing had been swept through the melting banks of snow, and stepped off the pavement.
What do You think about The Hansa Protocol (2012)?
