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Atfirstmyobservationstookanabstractandgeneralizingturn.
Ilookedatthepassengersinmasses,andthoughtofthemintheir
aggregaterelations.Soon,however,Idescendedtodetails,and
regardedwithminuteinteresttheinnumerablevarietiesoffigure,dress,
air,gait,visage,andexpressionofcountenance.
Byfarthegreaternumberofthosewhowentbyhadasatisfied
business-likedemeanor,andseemedtobethinkingonlyofmaking
theirwaythroughthepress.Theirbrowswereknit,andtheireyes
rolledquickly;whenpushedagainstbyfellow-wayfarerstheyevinced
nosymptomofimpatience,butadjustedtheirclothesandhurriedon.
Others,stillanumerousclass,wererestlessintheirmovements,had
flushedfaces,andtalkedandgesticulatedtothemselves,asiffeeling
insolitudeonaccountoftheverydensenessofthecompanyaround.
Whenimpededintheirprogress,thesepeoplesuddenlyceased
muttering,butre-doubledtheirgesticulations,andawaited,with
anabsentandoverdonesmileuponthelips,thecourseofthepersons
impedingthem.Ifjostled,theybowedprofuselytothejostlers,and
appearedoverwhelmedwithconfusion.—Therewasnothingvery
distinctiveaboutthesetwolargeclassesbeyondwhatIhavenoted.
Theirhabilimentsbelongedtothatorderwhichispointedlytermedthe
decent.Theywereundoubtedlynoblemen,merchants,attorneys,
tradesmen,stock-jobbers—theEupatridsandthecommon-places
ofsociety—menofleisureandmenactivelyengagedinaffairsoftheir
own—conductingbusinessupontheirownresponsibility.Theydidnot
greatlyexcitemyattention.
ThetribeofclerkswasanobviousoneandhereIdiscernedtwo
remarkabledivisions.Therewerethejuniorclerksofflashhouses—
younggentlemenwithtightcoats,brightboots,well-oiledhair,and
superciliouslips.Settingasideacertaindappernessofcarriage,which
maybetermeddeskismforwantofabetterword,themannerofthese
personsseemedtomeanexactfac-simileofwhathadbeenthe
perfectionofbontonabouttwelveoreighteenmonthsbefore.They
worethecast-offgracesofthegentry;—andthis,Ibelieve,involves
thebestdefinitionoftheclass.
Thedivisionoftheupperclerksofstaunchfirms,orofthe“steady
oldfellows,”itwasnotpossibletomistake.Thesewereknownbytheir
coatsandpantaloonsofblackorbrown,madetositcomfortably,with
whitecravatsandwaistcoats,broadsolid-lookingshoes,andthickhose
