The crowd was blind in its fury against those who had insulted the Saint.

Who these were they did not know; a hundred discordant voices called for the blood of the big man, of the workmen, of the guards, of one who had laughed, of one who had tried to make peace, and of one who was using his elbows to work his way forward, as well as of one who was trying to elbow his way out.

The driver of a tram on the San Paolo line, passing Via Galvani, saw the tumult, and amused himself by calling out to a group of women, a hundred yards beyond, that the Saint of Jenne had been discovered in Via Galvani.

The rumour ran along the avenues, full of chattering groups and isolated onlookers, as fire along a trail of powder.

The groups broke up, the people rushed towards Via Galvani, questioning one another as they ran.