They'd awoken that morning to a curious stillness. Clouds sagged over the river, and there was mist like… — Pat Barker

But [Tom] was used to switching off, to living his life in separate compartments.

But sir, certainly, there isn't any proof as to my guilt...

It was extraordinarily distracting: this feeling of a pivotal moment in his own life being played out in front of an uninvited audience.