two or three, or
sometimes half-a-dozen; they spoke little together--many of them were
quite silent; and hurried on as if they had one absorbing object in
view, which was common to them all.

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.

After the lapse of nearly two hours, the numbers began to diminish
visibly, and gradually dwindling away, by little and little, left the
bridge quite clear, save that, now and then, some hot and dusty man,
with the cockade in his hat, and his coat thrown over his shoulder, went
panting by, fearful of being too late, or stopped to ask which way
his friends had taken, and being directed, hastened on again like one
refreshed. In this comparative solitude, which seemed quite strange
and novel after the late crowd, the widow had for the first time an
opportunity of inquiring of an old man who came and sat beside them,
what was the meaning of that great assemblage.

'Why, where have you come from,' he returned, 'that you haven't heard of
Lord George Gordon's great association? This is the day that he presents
the petition against the Catholics, God bless him!'

'What have all these men to do with that?' she said.

'What have they to do with it!' the old man replied. 'Why, how you talk!
Don't you know his lordship h