So strange were the lights and the silence that the busy hum of voices
which usually filled the dining-room at meal times had distinct gaps
in it, and during these silences the clatter of the knives upon plates
became audible. The first roll of thunder and the first heavy drop
striking the pane caused a little stir.
"It's coming!" was said simultaneously in many different languages.
There was then a profound silence, as if the thunder had withdrawn into
itself. People had just begun to eat again, when a gust of cold air
came through the open windows, lifting tablecloths and skirts, a light
flashed, and was instantly followed by a clap of thunder right over the
hotel. The rain swished with it, and immediately there were all
those sounds of windows being shut and doors slamming violently which
accompany a storm.
The room grew suddenly several degrees darker, for the wind seemed to be
driving waves of darkness across the earth. No one attempted to eat for
a time, but sat looking out at the garden, with their forks in the air.
The flashes now came frequently, lighting up faces as if they were going
to be photographed, surprising them in tense and unnatural expressions.
The clap followed close and violently upon them. Several women half
rose from their chairs and then sat down again, but dinner was continued
uneasily with eyes upon the garden.
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