Part II

           Fromthatpointon,itcouldbesaidthattheplaguebecametheaffairofusall.Uptothen,despitethesurpriseandanxietythattheseunusualeventshadbroughtus,everyonehadgoneonwithhisbusiness,aswellashecould,intheusualplace.Andthatnodoubtwouldcontinue.But,oncethegateswereclosed,theyallnoticedthattheywereinthesameboat,includingthenarratorhimself,andthattheyhadtoadjusttothefact.Thisishow,forexample,aquiteindividualfeelingsuchasbeingseparatedfromalovedonesuddenlybecame,intheveryfirstweeks,thefeelingofawholepeopleand,togetherwithfear,thegreatestagonyofthatlongperiodofexile.

           Oneofthemostremarkableconsequencesoftheclosingofthegateswas,indeed,asuddenseparationofpeoplewhowerenotpreparedforit.Mothersandchildren,wives,husbandsandlovers,whohadimaginedafewdaysearlierthattheywereembarkingonatemporaryseparation,whohadembracedontheplatformofthestationwithsomepiecesoflast-minuteadvice,surethattheywouldseeoneanotherafewdaysorafewweekslater,deeplyentrenchedintheiridiotichumanfaithinthefuture,thispartingcausingbarelyapauseinthecourseoftheireverydayconcerns,foundthemselvesabruptlyandirremediablydivided,preventedfrommeetingorcommunicatingwithoneanother,becausethegateswereclosedsomehoursbeforetheprefecturaldecreewaspublishedand,ofcourse,itwasimpossibletoconsiderindividualcases.