Dispatch from London

Being a Sherlockian (i.e., student of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories), I subscribe to the Hounds of the Internet e-list. And, quite naturally, quite a few of the list's subscribers live in London. This morning, while American media shake the story of yesterday's bombings like a neocon with a new war toy, this email arrived via the Hounds list:

"London is calm and sober this morning, with an air of determined normality. The police issued a warning this morning that the 'cell' responsible for the bombing may be planning similar attacks in London or elsewhere, so there is an air of watchfulness. But, generally, life goes on as normal, with most of the buses, trains and even some tubes running. Commuter numbers are down only about 5%.

"My wife walked up Baker St last night on her way to Marylebone railway station and said that the crowds of walkers had a real sense of friendly community and shared purpose. Thus from evil comes forth good."