At Earl’s Court the crowd melted a little; there were no seats, but there was room to breathe⁠—room to stand by oneself, free from pressure of strange bodies. At Baron’s Court he crept into a seat. At Hammersmith a noisy mob of shopgirls and hobbledehoys surged in, and he surrendered his seat to a young woman, who was munching something. She sat down with a giggle and took her sister on her lap. Together they eyed him, with whispered jocularities. Only two more stations.