His feet accustomed to insecure ground, still were keeping on terra firma a certain sensation of elastic unsteadiness.

His goings and comings were not awakening the curiosity of the people seated in the open, for a common preoccupation seemed to be monopolizing all the men and women.

The groups were exchanging impressions.

Those who happened to have a paper in their hands, saw their neighbors approaching them with a smile of interrogation.

There had suddenly disappeared that distrust and suspicion which impels the inhabitants of large cities mutually to ignore one another, taking each other's measure at a glance as though they were enemies.
"They are talking about the war," said Desnoyers to himself.