They were surprised to see that nearly every man in this great
concourse, which still came pouring past, without slackening in the
least, wore in his hat a blue cockade; and that the chance passengers
who were not so decorated, appeared timidly anxious to escape
observation or attack, and gave them the wall as if they would
conciliate them. This, however, was natural enough, considering their
inferiority in point of numbers; for the proportion of those who wore
blue cockades, to those who were dressed as usual, was at least forty or
fifty to one. There was no quarrelling, however: the blue cockades went
swarming on, passing each other when they could, and making all the
speed that was possible in such a multitude; and exchanged nothing more
than looks, and very often not even those, with such of the passers-by
as were not of their number.
At first, the current of people had been confined to the two pathways,
and but a few more eager stragglers kept the road. But after half an
hour or so, the passage was completely blocked up by the great press,
which, being now closely wedged together, and impeded by the carts and
coaches it encountered, moved but slowly, and was sometimes at a stand
for five or ten minutes together.
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