"British" editorial department was in an unprecedented bustle.
The guest from afar Paris rescued the editors from the dreary task of reviewing manuscripts; his accounts of various significant events had everyone in perpetual astonishment.
Due to the ongoing cholera epidemic ravaging Europe, the ports of France were increasingly under strict control, and news that used to reach Britain within a few days might now be delayed by weeks.
The horrifying rumors circulating in various cities within the French interior were completely unknown to the likes of Great Dumas in distant London.
Great Dumas hastily poured more coffee for the guest. But before he could put the pot back, the rotund man eagerly inquired, "What about Lyon? Last year, I heard that the textile workers there had revolted, but then it was suppressed?"
