Good Morning, Midnight

Sasha returns to her hotel and finds that René has left her a note at the front desk. He informs her that he will be leaving Paris shortly. Thinking the man next door is taunting her, Sasha exits her room to confront the man and, instead, discovers René there waiting for her. Sasha, self-conscious about what the hotel staff and guests will think of her, chastises René for coming up to her bedroom. René asks Sasha to accompany him to dinner this evening to celebrate his potential union with a wealthy American. He believes that Sasha has brought him luck.

Sasha calculates how much money she has left to return to London and ensure she can pay for the dinner tonight and get home safely. Sasha arrives at the restaurant later that evening but initially cannot find René. René enters, slightly drunk and without any money to pay for dinner. At his request, Sasha gives him the money to pay for their dinner. They go to a restaurant of Sasha’s choice.

As they eat, René bombards Sasha with requests for recommendations to help him settle in London, where he hopes to move to very shortly. An excited René rhapsodizes on “the gold-mine just across the Channel” (156), meaning England.