Male and female, young and old, all went into town. It was as though the things in the shops were being handed out free, in big bunches and little parcels, carted away on backs and clutched under arms, for you couldn’t see anybody in town walking along empty-handed, except for the policemen. Buses and trams came past all the time, but, even so, old ladies couldn’t push their way onto them, and in the process of trying to, would send things from their baskets tumbling all over the street. None of the postmen were using their bags now – they all had another man to push a trolley for them, as they went door to door delivering parcels. Some of the citizens of London had already dispatched their presents and taken a trip to the countryside to spend Christmas there. At the same time, country people came into London for a few days’ celebration and entertainment. So the main roads to the countryside were crammed with traffic. The weather was very dull, and a cold east wind was blowing.
