Friday Night

           Themostextraordinarythingtomymind,ofallthestrangeandwonderfulthingsthathappeneduponthatFriday,wasthedovetailingofthecommonplacehabitsofoursocialorderwiththefirstbeginningsoftheseriesofeventsthatwastotopplethatsocialorderheadlong. IfonFridaynightyouhadtakenapairofcompassesanddrawnacirclewitharadiusoffivemilesroundtheWokingsandpits,Idoubtifyouwouldhavehadonehumanbeingoutsideit,unlessitweresomerelationofStentorofthethreeorfourcyclistsorLondonpeoplelyingdeadonthecommon,whoseemotionsorhabitswereatallaffectedbythenew-comers. Manypeoplehadheardofthecylinder,ofcourse,andtalkedaboutitintheirleisure,butitcertainlydidnotmakethesensationthatanultimatumtoGermanywouldhavedone. 

           InLondonthatnightpoorHenderson’stelegramdescribingthegradualunscrewingoftheshotwasjudgedtobeacanard, andhiseveningpaper,afterwiringforauthenticationfromhimandreceivingnoreply—themanwaskilled—decidednottoprintaspecialedition. 

           Evenwithinthefive-milecirclethegreatmajorityofpeoplewereinert. IhavealreadydescribedthebehaviourofthemenandwomentowhomIspoke. Alloverthedistrictpeoplewerediningandsupping;workingmenweregardeningafterthelaboursoftheday,childrenwerebeingputtobed,youngpeoplewerewanderingthroughthelaneslove-making,studentssatovertheirbooks. 

           Maybetherewasamurmurinthevillagestreets,anovelanddominanttopicinthepublic-houses, andhereandthereamessenger,orevenaneye-witnessofthelateroccurrences,causedawhirlofexcitement,ashouting,andarunningtoandfro;