Чума
Part II
Butatthesametimetheplagueleftthemidle,reducedtowanderingroundandroundintheirmournfultown,dayafterday,engagedonlyinillusorygamesofmemory;forintheiraimlesswalksitwaslikelythattheywouldalwayspassalongthesamepaths,and,moreoftenthannot,insuchasmalltownthesepathswerepreciselytheonesthatinearliertimestheyhadtakenwiththeirabsentlovedones.
Thus,thefirstthingthattheplaguebroughttoourfellow-citizenswasexile.Thenarratorispersuadedthathecansetdownhere,inthenameofeveryone,whathethenfelt,sinceheexperienceditatthesametimeasmanyofhisfellows.Yes,thathollowthatwecarriedconstantlyinsideus,thatpreciseemotion,thatunreasonabledesiretogobackwardsor,onthecontrary,tospeedupthemarchoftime,thoseburningarrowsofmemory—allthisreallydidamounttoafeelingofexile.Ifsometimeswegaveintoourimaginationsandindulgedinwaitingfortheringofthehomecomingbellorafamiliarsteponthestair,ifatsuchmomentsweallowedourselvestoforgetthatthetrainswereatastandstillandifwethenmadesuretostayindoorsatthetimewhen,innormalcircumstances,atravellerreturningbytheeveningexpressmightreachourneighbourhood,thesegames,ofcourse,couldnotgoonforlong.Thenweknewthatourseparationwasgoingtolast,andthatweoughttotrytocometotermswithtime.
