Adela Cathcart, Volume 1

On a bleak Christmas Eve, a solitary traveler finds himself tucked into a second‑class railway carriage hurtling north from London. The wintry fog outside turns the world into a dim, glittering void, while the rhythmic clatter of the train provides a steady, almost hypnotic backdrop. Inside, the carriage is a cramped sanctuary where the cold is held at bay by thick wraps and the glow of a shared cigar.

Across the aisle sits a clergyman, a figure both familiar and unsettling to the narrator, who wrestles with his preconceived notions about the clergy. Their tentative conversation, sparked by smoke and the shared destination, reveals a curious mix of skepticism and unexpected camaraderie. As the train barrels through the night, the two men settle into a quiet companionship, each lost in thought while the darkness outside deepens, hinting at the mysteries awaiting them beyond the railway’s end.