…showed first 75 words of 1212 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1212 total…come out and have a drink," he said quite genially. The superintendent seems to know what t! he others are going through, and suffers their humor with good grace, understanding it for what it is: a shield against the emotions that each man is feeling. Orwell ends the piece by having all the characters enjoying a drink together, laughing merrily, but adds the disquieting image of the dead man, still hanging, a hundred yards away.