Men, women, and children were huddled together as closely as it was possible for human beings to be packed.
They were crushed and crushed and crushed again until almost all the compressibility contained in their individual bodies had been utilised, and they were contorted into angular portions of humanity, all of whose sides geometrically corresponded with the sides of other portions of humanity presented to them.
Thus it may be imagined that space was economised at the expense of comfort, but that was a trifling consideration.
The people had come to see Peace.
Comfort was a secondary matter—away with it! So they grinned—those of them who had room to do so—and bore the discomfort good humouredly so long as they did not lose a point in the struggle towards the door.
Those immediately round the door were, of course, the early risers.
They were, without exception, people in the lower classes of society. Boys, who might fairly be classed as gamins, with a neglected look and a suspicious air of having been out all night, had taken up front positions, and, having become jammed in by the crowd, were unable to get out, though there was not the slightest probability that the police would let them into the court.
Many of the men were dressed in their working clothes, whilst some of the women had only shawls thrown over their heads.
Further back in the crowd other classes were represented.
Not a few silk hats were observable, dotted about here and there, amid the sober shoal of less demonstrative round felts, and one of the former dodged about in a most amusing manner, as its owner made the most heroic but unsuccessful attempts to defend a fair companion who wore a beautiful sealskin jacket.