The Man Who Was Thursday

Syme is relieved Sunday is not in the crowd. Colonel Ducroix, one of the Marquis’s seconds for the duel, joins the group. The Marquis is convinced Sunday has taken over the rest of the world and is in pursuit of the detectives. Syme doesn’t believe Sunday could accomplish a takeover in such a short amount of time. The group moves away from the crowd and into the woods.

The change from the sunlight to the darkness of the forest plays on Syme’s mind as he imagines his companions’ faces change. Men he perceived as enemies are now friends. He is more confused: “Was he wearing a mask? Was anyone wearing a mask? Was anyone anything?” (84).

The Marquis tells Syme that their destination is a seaside town called Lancy. He believes Sunday’s influence won’t be as strong there. Syme posits that surely the working class is part of the anarchist plot. The Marquis reproaches Syme for his lack of understanding; the anarchists will not come from the poor classes, they will come from the rich, he explains: “[…] the poor have been rebels, but they have never been anarchists […] The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all” (85).