23: Journey to St LouisEliza didn’t write to say she was coming. She wanted to keep the possibility of changing her mind until the last possible minute.
She visited the shipping office one last time and left the address of Dr Feigenbaum’s brother with the clerk, who shook his head but nonetheless pinned it to the noticeboard behind his desk. She said her farewells to Mrs McCarthy and, with a tug of sadness, to Connor. The little boy ran after her when she left the tenement and pressed a handful of wilting, wild flowers into her hand. ‘I wish you weren’t going away, Miss.’
‘So do I, Connor.’
‘Why do you have to go then?’
‘I need to find a job.’
‘You’re not going to purgut’ry then?’
She smiled and ran her hand over his tousled head. ‘No, Connor. I’m not going to purgatory. I’m going to
