4. SHADOWS BEFOREIn order to give a reasonable berth to the Café Royal mob I struck up a side street into Soho, intending to cut back to Regent Street higher up.
Perhaps hunger was driving more people out of their homes. Whatever the reason, I found that the parts I now entered were more populous than any I’d seen since I left the hospital. Constant collisions took place on the pavements and in the narrow streets, and the confusion of those who were trying to get along was made worse by knots of people clustering in front of the now frequently broken shop windows. None of those who crowded there seemed to be quite sure what kind of shop they were facing. Some in the front sought to find out by groping for any recognizable objects; others, taking the risk of disembowelling themselves on st
