A TAL E O F TW O C I T I E S

C H A R L E S D I C KE N S

E DIT E D

WIT H BI O G R A PHI C A L AN D LITE R A RY N O T ES

JA M E S WE BE R LI N N
TH E UN I V E RS I TY OF C H I CA G O

G I N N A N D C O M PA N Y
BO STO N N E W YO RK CH I CAGO LO N D O N

A TL A N T A D A LL A S C O L ! M B! S S A N F RA N C I S C O
 C O P Y R I G H T , 1 9 06 , BY

GINN A N D C O M P A NY

A LL R I G H TS R E S E R V E D

g t b e n a u m Bu ss

O A
G I NN AN D C M P N Y P R O 0

P R I E T OR S BOS O
T N ! S A . . .
 P R E F A CE .

WHE N I was act in g wit h m y c hildre n and friends in

, ,

Mr WI L KI E C o L I N s s drama o f Th e F rozen Deep I first

. L
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co n ceived the main idea of this s t o ry . A strong desire

was upon me then to embody it ,
in my own person ; and I

trace d ou t in my fancy the state of mind of whic h it woul d

,

necessitate the presentation to an obs e rvant spectator wit h ,

partic ul ar care an d i nterest .

As the idea became familiar to me it gradually s h aped ,

itself into its pre sent form . Through out its execution it ,

has had complete posses sion of me ; I h ave s o far verified

what is done and suffered in these pages as t h at , I h ave
certainly done and s u fie r e d it all myself .

Whenever any reference ( however slight ) is made here

to the condition of the F rench people before o r during the
Revolution it is truly made
,
on the fait h O f trustworthy
witnesse s . It has been one of my hope s to add somet h in g
to the popul ar and pi c tures que means of unders t anding
that terrible ti m e though no
,
on e can hope to add any t hin g
to the phi losoph y of Mr CA R L Y L E
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’
s w onderful book .
 C ON TE N TS .

INT R O D ! C TIO N

BO O K TH E F I R S T . RE C A LL E D TO LIF E .

C H A P TE R

I . Th e P e ri o d
11 . Th e M ail
III . Th e N i gh t S h ad ows
IV . Th e Pre p ar at i o n
V . Th e Wi n e -S h o p
VI . Th e S h o e m a ke r

BO O K TH E S E C O N D . TH E G O LDE N TH R E AD .

F iv e Ye ars L at e r
A i
S gh t
A Di app i t m e t
s o n n

C on g at l at ry
r u o

Th J ac k al
e

H un dr d f P o pl
e s o e e

M o i r t h M a q i i To w
ns e u e r u s n n

M on s i e r th M a q is i t h Co
u e r u n e u nt ry
Th G rgo
e H ad
o n s
’
e

Tw o P r m i o se s

A C m pa i Pi t r
o n on c u e

Th F e ll o w o f D e li a y
e c c

Th F e ll w f N o D li ac y
e o o e c

Th H o e t T ad m a
e n s r es n

K i tt i g
n n

S t ill K i t t i g n n
vi C O N T E N TS .

i
On e N gh t
N i e D ay s
n

A Opi i
n n on

A Pl e a
E ch o i g F o otst p s
n e

Th e S e a S t ill R i se s

F i re R i se s

D raw t o th L ad
n e o s to n e R o ck

BOO K TH E T HIR D . T H E TR AC K OF A S TO RM .

I n S e c re t
Th e Gr i n d s t o n e
Th e S h a dow
l
C a m in S t o rm
Th e Wo d S awy r o - e

Tr i m ph
u

A K o c k at t h e D r
n oo

A H a d at C ard
n s

Th e G am e M ad e
Th e S b t a c o f t h S h ad o w
u s n e e

D sk
u

D ark e s n s

F if t y t wo -

Th e K i tt i g D n n on e

Th e F o o t t e p s D ie o u t f
s e ve r or

N O TE S

LI S T O F I LL ! S TRA TI ON S .

Po rtr ai t o f D i c k e n s F r o n t isp ie ce
D r M an e tt e in t h e B as t ill e
. F ac i ng p ag e 1
Th e Mal l H u
10
T e lls o n ’
Ba k
s n 1 66
Th e S e a R is e s 2 62
 I NTR OD! CTI ON .

The lif e ~
of C harles Dickens is as fascinating and pic
t u r e s qu e as his o w n novel s Born in humble cir
on e of .

c u m s t an c e s and thrown presentl y into abj ect poverty h e ,

nevertheles s becam e famo u s while still a very y oung m an ;

before he had reached middle age he was the best known
novelist in E urope and when he died not yet an o ld man , ,

he was mourned all over the world Perhap s n o t the least .

charmi n g thing about him was his unaffected and sincere

delight in his o w n pop u larity He loved his publi c al m ost
.

as if t h ey had been his children and in the very height o f ,

his c areer was as s e n s it iv e t o praise and blame as an y boy .

He never grew conceited he never forgot o r despised the

,

surroundings an d people he had known in his y outh ; an d

perhaps j ust for this reason he retained to the e n d the
same keen pleasure in his success .

He was born at Landport a suburb o f Portsea in the

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south of E ngland o n the 7 t h o f F ebruary 1 8 1 2 an d in

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that neighborhood he remained most o f the time for nine

y ears He
. was no t a very strong child and so perhaps was
rather in clined to be solitary He S pent much o f his time
.

in reading principally such n ovels and stories as those o f

,

F ielding Smollett C ervante s and the Ar abia n N igh ts

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.

Very few boy s now read To m Jon es P e r e gr in e P ick le , ,

H u mp h r e y Clin k e r and G il B la s ,
even D o n Q u ix o t e
i s more neglected than h e used to be and the Vicar of ,

Wa k efie ld is oft en thought very old fashioned T h e s e books -

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were however not onl y Dickens s earl y companion s but they

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remained, with very few additions the only books he ever ,

v ii
v iii I N TR O D ! C TI O N .

really loved Thoug h what h e read later often amused him

.

it had very little effe c t upon his writing and in his novels ,

we find few all u sions t o any books save thos e that have j ust
been m entioned .

When C harle s was ten y ears o ld his father moved to

London but soon lost his p osition and was imprisoned for
debt C harles was put to work in a bla cking warehous e
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where h e associated with the roughest company an d often

f o r day s had almost nothing to eat This period lasted f o r
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almost two y ear s and it left a mark o n Di c kens that time

never afterward effaced It was the memory o f this suffer
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ing and dr u dgery that made h im afterwards so tender of

children so eager to do all that he could to make life easier
,

for them p arti c u larly for th ose who were p oor

, .

After a while h is father again got upon h is feet and ,

once more Di c kens was sent to s c hool where he remained ,

for some time ; b u t the school was not a very good o n e nor
did he care mu c h for his c omrades there When therefore .
, ,

at s ixteen an opportunity c ame to him t o study law as ap

prenti c e to an attorn ey he sei z ed it He remained in the
,
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offi c e two y ears ; then deciding that he would never make

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a lawy er he learned stenography and became a reporter in

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the C ourt o f C han c er y It was as attorne y s clerk an d as

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court reporter that he became familiar with th e various

”
typ es Of l egal gen tlemen that appear s o thi ckly in hi s
“

novels m e n like Mr Stry ver for instan c e in the Ta le

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o
f T w o Cit ie s After les.s than t w o years as c o u rt reporter

the y ou n g m an turned to reporting Parliam entary de b ates

for a London newspaper and soon became the most expert
O f all in his profession Presently he was transferred to
.

more general rep orting and traveled all over the so u th o f

England attending poli t ical c onventions transcribing
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sp ee ch es and what is o f mu c h more importance to us

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becoming well a c q u ainted with t h e co u ntry side as already ,

h e had become well a c quainted with t h e city O f London .

 I N TR O D ! C TI O N . ix

Already he had begun to contribute short ske tches of

L ondon life t o the paper for whi c h h e was working t h e ,

M o r n in g Ch r o n ic le In 1 8 3 6 when he was twen t y four

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he c ollected these into book form and published them u nder

the title S k et ch e s by Bo z (pronoun c ed bose ”
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s h ort for Mose s ) being the n o m de plume b y which h e was

for some time known The S k e tc h e s were fairly successful
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,

and s oon Di ckens was asked to undertake a series of simi

lar arti c les t o app ear monthly in pamphlet form w hi c h
, ,

should give a kind of pi c ture of E nglish so c iety an d life ,

as the S k e t c h e s had pi c tured London D ickens accepted .

an d the P ic k w ic k P ap e r s were the re s u l t .

Their suc c e ss was astonishing Their au thor was imme .

d iat e ly hailed as the rightful s u c c essor o f Sir Wal t er Scott

in the line of great E nglish novelists And from that ti m e .
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1 8 3 6 until his d eath in 1 8 7 0 Dickens contin u ed to be in

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the general estimation t h e E nglish story teller Th e his

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tory of the remainder o f his career is a histor y o f o n e

triu m ph after another He did well whatever he under
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took As an editor as an amateur a c tor n o l es s than as a

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brilliant writer he became famo u s

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He be c ame fairl y rich as well as famous b u t he had ,

married y oung he had a growing family an d he was lav

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ishl y genero u s so that h e alway s felt the need of more

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money Moreover he liked to m eet his publi c face to face

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and hear their applause with his o w n ears F or these rea .

son s while he was in f u ll career as a novelist he began to

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give p u bli c readings from h is o w n works His suc c ess in .

this financially and popularly was instan t aneous and very

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great Bu t in the end it was these publi c readings which

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wore out his vitality and ex h austed hi s powers Traveling .

in all sorts of weat her ex c iting himself till h e was unable

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to sleep he s aw his health gradually disappear He would

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rest for a t ime b u t the old restlessness the old d esire to

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”
“
see the house rise at him as he expres sed it would , ,

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! I N T R O D ! C TI O N .

overcom e h is resolutions an d h e woul d undertake anot h er

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serie s of readings He would rather wear o u t than r u st o u t

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he de clared At length in the early part o f 1 8 7 0 he finally

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resolved to leave the platfor m o f the public reader forever ,

and to his audience s he formally said farewell But it was .

too late ; the mischief h ad been done ; an d in June o f the

same y ear in the midst o f work u pon E dw in D r oo d what
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promised to be o n e o f th e most powerful o f his stories his ,

strength failed entirely o n June 9 at the age of fif ty eight ,

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he died He was buried in Westminster Abbey

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“
Th e .

ever friendly nobl e Di ckens every in c h of him an h one st

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m an — s u c h was his epi t aph from the lip s o f that least

sentimental o f men Thomas C arly le ,

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Di c kens as has been said was by far th e most p opular

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author o f his day a day which extended over more tha n

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thirty y ears He had great c o m petitors too ; those y ears

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were a golden tim e for the E nglish novel Tha ckeray an d .

George E liot Anthony Trollope an d C harle s Kingsley and

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C harles Reade to m ention only th e foremost are name s

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that every reader of E nglish fiction knows But Dickens .

was o u t an d away m ore l oved than an y o f them and as

mu c h read perhaps as all five together An d to day though .
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he has been dead more than a generation he is love d an d ,

read as widely as ever E xcept Sir Walter S cott no very

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popular writer has ever held his pla c e in the heart of the
public as Dickens h as .

H e is e speciall y intere sting to Americans who are b e

lie v e r s above all things in demo c ra cy be c ause he was the ,

first E nglish novelist o f the century to preach the rights

an d tell the storie s of ordinary everyday citizens — what ,
”
we call the c ommon people
“
Dickens drew a l arge part
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of h is popularity from his c onsistent belief and interest in

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the kind o f m e n and women who c rowd the streets of citie s

— clerks and s h opkeepers and struggling young lawyers
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and school teac h ers and the like He saw the funn y side
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 I N T R O D ! C TI O N . xi

”
of their efforts to get o n but he saw the heroism and t h e
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pathos too All his best c hara c ters are drawn from among
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them ,
from what is c alled in E ngland the middle c lass ,

and from the poor I n all his long novels he pi c tures onl y
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half a do z en m e n an d women O f rank and o f reall y rich ,

p eople fewer still ; and in pi c t u ring thes e few he is almost

alway s harsh sar c asti c u n sympathe t i c He had been poor
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. .

The money h e made the social su c cess he gained never

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made him forget that He wrote for th e poor h e pleaded

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their c au se At first (curiously enough in su c h a lover o f

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the people he did not like Ameri c a and t h e Amer i c ans ,

and Am e r ic an N o t es and M a r tin Ch u z z le w it are o n the

whole unfair and misleading in their a c c o u nt o f us ; but
later , coming to a better appreciation o f the good in the big
n e w co u ntry he c ounted him self before he died a friend ,
, ,

to tens of thousands here as in E ngland ,

.

And if Di cken s deserve s h i s popularity in America h e ,

d eserves still more hi s popularity with boy s and girls He .

was the first E nglish novelist again who showed O penl y in , ,

his work h o w mu c h h e loved c hildren His gallery o f s u c .

c e s s f u l portraits o f childhood is far larger than that o f any

other writer He i s constantl y bringing in recollections of

.

his o w n y outh The boy in Dickens n ever died D a vid

. .

Copp e rfie ld is largely reminis c ent of Dickens s o w n e x pe ’

r ie n c e
; so is the boy hood of Philip in G r e a t E xp e c t a t io n s ;
and into do z en s o f his other work s we find his earl y m em
o r ie s woven till from a c areful reading we almost learn the
,

shading o f his whole young life — h o w well his father ,

meant and how badly he su c ceeded ; h o w y oung C harle s

had t o paste labels o n bla c king boxes and r u n home
at night through roaring streets t o h is bed in the prison
where his father was ; o f his s c hool day s later and his ,

apprentice ship and his stenography ; and how he became a

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reporter and rattled up and do w n through the whole so u th

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o f E ngland reporting conventions and speeches and s at ,

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 I N TR O D ! C TI ON .

h ours and h ours the Hous e o f C ommons taking down t h e

in
debates ; and how he fell in love in short all about him , .

But there are s c ores o f ch ildren in Dicken s s novels wh o ’

have nothing o f Dickens s o w n life in them except th e’

sympathy h e always had for any body o r any thing young .

”
Little D orrit and “
Th e Mar c hioness and Little Nell ,

O liver Twist and Paul Dombey and J0 who had n t no “

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o t her name never had had
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they are taken all together , ,

the most varied interesting and best lo v ed girls an d boy s

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in E nglis h fiction If s ometimes they speak an d act as

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we cannot quite believe they would h ave spoken and

acted in real life if s y mp athy in the author lapses some
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times into s entimentalism surely Dickens m ay be forgiven

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f o r to him they were always real The night after he h ad .

Written the cha pters telling o f Paul Dombey s death he ’

wandered the streets o f London restle ssly till daybreak ,

u nabl e to sleep as if o n e o f his dear friends had died ; and

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again he said apologeti c ally to a friend who came in an d

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found him c rying I have j ust h ad to kill Little Nell

“
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I n the Ta le of Tw o Cit ie s we h ave o n e o f Dickens s ’

strongest novels and yet o n e which is in some essential

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parti c ulars unlike any o f the others It is the shortest the .

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clearest and m os t orderly in its plot has the fewest char

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ac t e r s and depends for it s e ffect less upon humor than any

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other (unless Olive r Tw is t m ay c hallenge comparison in the

’
last mentioned characteristi c ) As a r u le o n e o f Di cken s s
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novels is a series o f episodes with j ust enough plot to ,

c arry it along to s ome general c oncl u sion In P ic k w ick .

P ap e rs for instance o r N ic h o la s N ic k le by o r even D o m b e y

, , ,

a n d S o n and M a r t in Ch u z z le w it which are more pretentio u s ,

as far as the plot is concerned the second half of the book ,

really has n othing in particular to do with the first half .

But toward the latter part o f his career Dicken s paid

greater attention to th is m atter Of constructing his plots ,

and t h e Ta le of Tw o Cit ie s is an example o f what h e

S C
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 I N TR O D ! C TI O N . xiii

could do at his best Usually he introdu c es an army o f minor

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c hara c ters whose relatio n to the main s t or y is pretty vag u e ;

b u t here we h ave o n ly o n e small family of characters w h o

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really are not necessary to the development o f the stor y ,

and t h e story itself move s o n relentlessly to a final inevi

table c oncl u sion We are made to feel that it could not have
.

happened in an y other w ay Very few chapters are episodic .

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that is are not par t of the a c tual march of the story ; and
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o n e of those c ontains an incident so strange and m e lo dr a

m at ic ally thrilling in itself that no lover of Di c ken s c o u ld

possibly wish it away .

As for the histori c al ba ckgroun d of the novel littl e or ,

o t h in g needs to be said abo u t it Di ckens c oncerned him .

s elf les s with the ac c ura c y o f his details t han wit h an

attempt to reproduce the S pirit of the times Like his .

friend C arly le he fo u nd in the F rench Revolution som e

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thing whi c h appealed so s t rongly to his sense of the

dramati c that it almost swept him o ff hi s feet If there .

were other elements in the Revol u tion t han thos e he notices ,

that really makes little differen c e to u s A reading o f the .

Ta le of Tw o Cit ie s i s b y no means a bad introdu c tion

to the story of that wonderful horrible time when F ran c e ,

went mad F or those who wish to kno w mor e abo u t the

.

causes the events and the res u lts of her misery an d her
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madness a brief list of references is s u bj oined On the

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whole t h e Ta le of Tw o Citie s is a very good spe c imen

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of the histori c al novel ; and if it is not one of the most

c haracteristi c o f its au thor s produ ctions it is n e v e r t h e
’

less o n e o f the most vigorous an d o n e of the very easiest

to read .

The standard biograph y of Dickens is F orster s Life ’

( published in two volumes

) E x c ellent brief live s als o are
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those b y A W Ward in the E nglish M e n of Letters S eries

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an d b y George Gissing
(Bla c kie London
) O ne b y F rank ,
.

T Mar z ials in the Great Writer s S eries is n o t so good

. .

S C
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 I N TR O D ! C TI O N .

My F ath e r as I R e c a ll H im ,
by Mamie Dickens (Harpers )
is interesting . S ee also his L e t t e rs edited by his da u ghter
,

( Macmillan ) .

F or a pi c turesque account of the F rench Revolution

C arly le (F r e n ch R e vo lu tio n 2 vol s ) is still unsurpassed
, . .

Dickens again an d again expresses his o w n obligations t o

him E xhaus t ive accounts are those b y Thiers Michele t
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Taine an d Morse Stephens C onvenient an d a c c u rate little

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books are the following

M I G N E T H i s t o r y o f t h e F r e n c h R e vo l u t i o n
, ,
1 7 8 9— 1 8 1 4 ( Boh n
’
s

Lib r ary) .

M R S B M G A R D I N E R Th e
. . .
, F r e n ch R e vo l u t i o n ( E po c hs of

Mo d e rn H i st o ry S e r i e s ) .

M A L L E T F r e n ch R e vo l u t i o n ( S c r i b n e r s w i th b i b li o gr aphy)
, ,
.

M O R S E S T E P H E NS
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F r e n ch R e vo l u t i o n ( V o l V I I I
, Ox f o r d .
,

S e r ie s ) .
 A TALE OF TWO CI TI E S .

I N TH REE BOOKS .

B OOK TH E F I RS T . R E CA LLE D TO L I F E .

C HA P TE R I .

TH E PE R I O D .

IT was t h e best o f times it was t h e worst o f times it was

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t h e age o f wisdom , it was the age o f foolishness it was t h e ,

epoch o f bel ief it was the epoch o f incredul ity it was the
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season o f Light it was the s eason o f Darkness it was

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the S pring o f hope , it was the winter o f despair we had ,

everyt h ing before us we had nothing before us we were all

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going direct to Heaven we were all going direct the other

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w ay — in short the period was s o far like the present

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period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted o n its

being received for good o r f o r evil , in the superlative
,

degree o f comparison only .

There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a

plain face , o n th e t h rone o f E ngland ; there were a king
with a large jaw and a queen wit h a fair face, o n th e t hrone
o f F rance. I n both countries it was clearer than crystal
t o the lords o f the State pre ser v es o f loav es and fi shes , that

things in general were settled f o r e v e r .

1
2 A T ALE OR T WO C IT I E S .

It w thousand se v en h undr e d
of Our Lo r d one

7 ”
Spiritua
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an d S e
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l revelations w ere conceded to
E ngland at that fav oured period, as at t h is Mrs Sout h cott . .

h ad recently attained her fiv e and twentiet h blessed birth - -

day, o f w h om a pI Oph e t ic private in the Life Guards had

h eralded the sublime appearance by an nouncing th at arrange
ment s were made for the swallowing up o f Lon don an d
Westm inster Ev en the C ock lane ghost h ad been laid
.
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only a round dozen o f years , after rapping o u t its messages ,

as the S pirits o f this v ery year last past (supernaturally
de fi cient in originality ) rapped o u t theirs Mere messages .

in the ear t hly order o f events had lately come t o the

E ngl is h C rown an d People, from a congress o f British
subjects in America : which strange t o relate have proved
, ,

more important t o t h e human race than any c o m m u n ic a

tions yet recei v ed th rough an y o f t h e chickens o f the C o ok
lane brood .

F rance less favoured o n the whole as to matters S piritual

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than her s ister o f the shield and triden t , rolled wit h exceed
ing smoothnes s down h ill making paper money an d S pend
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ing it Under the guidance o f h er C hristian pas t ors , she

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entertained herself, bes ides wit h suc h humane achie v ements

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as sentenci n g a youth to have his hands ou t o ff his tongue ,

torn o u t with p incers and h is body burned alive, becaus e

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he had n o t kneeled d own in the rain t o do h onour t o a dirty

procession o f monks whic h passed within h is view, at a
distance o f some fifty o r s ixty yards It is l ikely enough .

that rooted in the woods o f F rance and Norway there were

, ,

growing trees , when that sufferer was put t o death , already

marked by the Woodman F ate , to come down and be sawn
,

into boards to make a certain movable framework with a

,

sack and a knife in it terrible in history It is l ikely

,
.

enough that in the rough outhouses o f some tillers o f t h e

h eav y lands adjacent to Paris, there were s h eltered from
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 3

t h e weather that very day rude carts bespattered with

, ,

rustic mire, snuffed about by pigs and roosted in by ,

poultry, which the F armer Death had already set apart

, ,

to be his tumbrils o f the Revolution But that Woodman .

,

and that F armer though they work unceasingly work

, ,

s ilently , and no o n e heard them as they went about with

muffled tread : the rather forasmuc h as to entertain any
,

suspicion that they were awake was to be atheistical and

,

traitorous .

I n E nglan d there was scarce ly an amount of order and

,

protection to justify much national boasting Daring .

burglaries by armed men , and highway robberies took ,

place in the capital itself every night ; fam ilies were pub
licly cautioned not to go o u t o f town without rem oving
’
their f u rniture to upholsterers warehouses f o r security ;
the h ighwayman in the dark was a C ity tradesman in the
light and being recognised and challenge d by h is fellow
, ,

“
tradesman whom he stopped in his character o f th e
C aptain gallantly shot him through the head and rode
,
”

away ; the mail was way laid by seven robbers , and the ‘

guard shot three dead and then got shot dead himself by
,

“
the other four in conse quence of the failure o f his ammu
,

”
n ition : after which the mail was robbed in peace ; that
magnificent potentate the Lord Mayor o f London was
, ,

made to stand and del iver o n Turnham Green, by o n e high

wayman who despoiled the illustrious creature in s ight o f
,

all his retinue ; prisoners in London gaols fought battle s

with their turnkeys and the maj esty o f the law fired
,

blunderbusses in among them , loaded with rounds o f S hot

and ball ; thieves snipped o ff diamond crosses from the
necks of noble lords at C ourt drawing rooms ; musketeers -

’
went into St G ile s s to search for contraband goods and
.
, ,

the mob fired o n the musketeers , and the musketeers fired

o n the mob , and nobody thought an o f these occurrences
y
4 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

muc h o u t o f the common way I n the midst o f t h em, t h e

.

hangman, ever busy and ever worse than useles s, was in

constant requis ition ; n o w stringing up long rows o f mis
,

c e llan e o u s criminals ; now, h anging a house breaker o n -

S aturday wh o had been taken o n Tuesday ; now burning ,

people in the h and at Newgate by the dozen, and n o w

burnin g pamp h lets at the door o f Westminster H all ; to day, -

taking the life o f an atrocious murderer, and t o morrow o f -

’
a wretched pilferer wh o had robbed a farmer s boy o f
S ixpence .

All these things , and a t h ousand like them, came to pass

in and close upon the dear o ld year o n e thousand seven
hundred and seventy fiv e -
E n v ironed by them wh ile t h e
.
,

Woodman and t h e F armer worked un h eede d, those t w o o f

the large j aws, an d those other t w o o f the plain and the
fair faces , trod w it h stir enough and carrie d t heir di v ine
,

rights with a h igh h and Thus did the year o n e thousand

.

seven hundred and Seventy fiv e conduct their Greatnesses

-
,

and myriads o f small creatures the creatures o f t h is c h ron

icle among t h e rest — along the roads t h at lay before them .

C H AP T E R II .

TH E M A IL .

IT was the Do v er road that lay, o n a F riday night late

in No v e m b er before the first of the persons with whom
,

this history has business The Dover road lay as to him

.
, ,

beyond the Do v er mail as it lumbered up Shooter s Hill

,
’
.

H e walked u p hill in the mire by the side o f the mail as

-
,

t h e rest o f the passengers did ; not because they had the

least relis h for walking exercise under the circumstances ,
,

but because the hill an d the harness , and t h e mud and th e

, ,
 A TALE OF TW O C ITI E S . 5

mail, were all so heavy that the horses had three times
,

already come to a stop beside s once draw ing the coach

,

acros s the road with the mutinous intent of taking it back

,

to Blackheath Reins and wh ip and coachman and guard,

.

ho w e v er in combination had read that article o f war which

, ,

forbad a purpose o t herwise strongly in favour of t h e argu

ment t h at some brute animals are endued with Reaso n
,

and the team had capitulated an d returned to their duty .

With drooping heads and tremulous tails they mashed ,

their way through the thick mud floundering an d stumbling ,

between whiles as if the y were falling t o piece s at the

larger j oints As often as the driver rested them an d
.

brought them to a stand with a war y Wo h o ! s o h o

“
,
- -

then ! the near leader violentl y shook his head and every
thing upon it — like an unusually emphatic h ors e denying ,

that the coach could be got up the h ill When e ver th e .

leader made this rattle the passenger star t ed as a nerv o us

, ,

passenger might an d was disturbed in mind

,
.

There was a steaming mist in all the hollows and it h ad ,

roame d in its forlornness up the hill like an evil spiri t , ,

seeking rest and finding none A clammy and intensely .

cold m ist it made its slo w way through the air in ripples
,

that visibly followed and overspread o n e anot h er as the ,

waves o f an unwholesome sea might do It was dense .

enough to shut out everything from the light o f the coach

lamps but these its o w n workings and a few yards of road ; ,

and the reek o f the labouring horses steamed into it as if ,

they had made it all .

Tw o other p a ssengers besides t h e o n e were plodding up

, ,

the hill by the side o f the mail All three were wrapped .

to th e cheek bones and over the ears and wore jack boots
-
,
-
.

Not o n e of the three coul d have said, from anything he

saw what either o f the other t wo was like ; and each was
,

h idden under almost as many wrappers from t h e eyes o f the

6 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

mind, as from the eye s o f the body , o f h is t wo com panions .

I n those days , travellers were very shy o f being confidential

o n a short notice f o r anybody o n the road might be a robber
,

o r in league with robbers As to the latter, when every

.

posting house an d ale house could produce somebody in

- -

the C aptain s pay, ran ging from the landlord t o the

” ’

lowest stable nondescript, it was the likeliest thing upon

the cards S o the guard o f th e Do ver mail thought to
.

himself, t h at F riday nigh t in November o n e thousand

seven hundred an d s e v enty five , lumbering up Shooter s - ’

Hill as he stood o n his o w n particular perc h behind t h e

,

mail, beating his feet and keeping an eye and a hand o n

,

t h e arm che st before him, where a loaded blunderbuss lay

-

at the t o p o f six o r eight loaded h o rse pistols , deposited o n -

a substrat um o f cutlass .

Th e Dover mail was in it s usual genial position t h at t h e

guard suspected t h e passengers , the passengers suspected
o n e another and the guard they all suspected everybody ,

else , an d the coac h man was sure o f nothing but the horses ;
as t o wh ich cattle he could with a clear conscience have
taken h is oath o n t h e t w o Testaments t h at th ey w e re n o t
fit f o r t he j ourney .

Wo h o ! said the coachman

- ”
S o t h en ! On e more .
,

pull and y ou re at t h e t o p and be damned t o y o u , f o r I h ave

’

had trouble enough t o get y o u t o it ! Jo e !

Halloa ! the guard replied .

’ ”
What o clock do y o u make it Jo e ? ,

”
Te n minutes , good past eleven ,
.

My blood ! ejaculated t h e vexed coac hman, and not

”

’ ”
atop o f Shooter s yet ? Tst ! Yah ! Get o n with you !
The emphatic hors e cut s h ort by the whip in a most
,

d ec ided negative made a decided scramble f o r it and the

, ,

t hree other horses followed s u it O nce more the Dove r .

,

m ail strugg l ed o n with the jack boots o f its passenger s

,
-
8 A TALE OF TWO C ITIE S .

gers beat loud enough perhaps to be heard ; but at any rat e,

the quiet pause was audibly express ive o f people o u t o f
breath and holding the breath, an d hav ing the puls e s
,

quickened by expectation .

The sound o f a horse at a gallop came fast and furiously

up the hill .

“
So h o !
-
the guard sang o u t as loud as h e could roar , .

Yo there ! Stand ! I shall fire !

The pace was suddenly checked, and wit h muc h splas h ing ,

and floundering a man s v oice called from the mist, Is

,
’ “

that the Dover mail ?

“
Ne v er y ou mind wh at it is ! t h e guard r e t orte d .

What are y o u ?
I s that the Do v er mail ?
”
Why do y o u want to know ?
”
I wan t a passenger if it is ,
.

”
What passenger ?
Mr Jarvis Lorry
. .

O ur booked passenger s h owed in a m o m e nt t h at it was '

h is name The guard, the coachman, and t h e t w o other

.

passengers eye d h im distrustfully

,
.

“ ”
Keep where you are the guard called to the voice in
,

“
the mist because , if I should make a m istake it could
, ,

ne ver be set right in your lifetime Gentleman o f the .

”
name o f Lorry answer straight .

“ ”
What is the matter ? asked the passenger, then , with
mildl y quav ering speech “
Who wants me ? Is it Jerry ?
.

“ ’ ’
( I don t like Jerr y s voice ,
if it is Jerry growled the ,

guard to himself “
He s hoarser than suits m e, is Jerry
’
. .

“
Yes Mr Lorry
,
. .

What is the matter ?

A despatch sent after you from o v er yonder T and C o . . .

”
I know th is messenger, guard, said Mr Lorry getting .
,

down into the roa d — assisted from behind more swiftly

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 9

t h an politely by the ot h er t w o passengers w h o imm e diately ,

scrambled into the coach, shut the door an d pulled up the ,

“ ’
window He may come close ; there s nothing wrong
. .

“ ’ ’ ’
I hope there ain t but I can t make s o Nation sure of
,

” “ ”
that said the guard in gruff soliloquy
,
Hallo y o u !
,
.

“ ”
Well ! And hallo you ! said Jerry, more hoarsely than
before .

“
C ome o n at a footpace ; d ye mind me An d if you ve
? ’ ’

’ ’
got holsters to that saddle o yourn don t let me see y our ,

’ ’
hand go nigh em F o r I m a devil at a quick mistake
.
,

and when I make o n e it takes t h e form o f Lead S o now .

’ ”
let s look at you .

T h e fi gu res o f a hors e and rider came slowly t h rough the

eddying mist and came to the s ide o f the mail where the
, ,

passenger stood The rider stooped an d, casting up his

.
,

eyes at the guard h anded the passenger a small folded

,
’
paper The rider s horse was blown and both horse and
.
,

rider were covered with mud from the hoofs o f the hors e ,

to the hat o f t h e m an .

“ ”
G u ard ! said the passenger in a tone o f quiet busines s ,

confidence .

The watch ful guard with h is right hand at the stock of ,

his raised blunderbuss h is left at the barrel an d his e y e o n

, ,

“ ”
the horseman answered curtly S ir
, ,
.

“ ’
There is nothing to appre h end I belong t o Te lls o n s .

Bank Yo u must know Te lls o n s Bank in London I am going

.
’
.

”
to Paris o n busines s A cro w n to drink I may read this ?
. .

“ ” ’
If so be as you re quick s ir , .

He ope n ed it in the l ight of the coach lamp o n that side -

,

an d read — fir s t to himself an d then aloud

‘
Wait at
’ ’ ’
Dover for Mam selle It s not long you see guard .
, ,
.

”
Jerry say that my answer was RE C A LL E D To L I F E
, ,
.

Jerry started in his saddle “

That s a Blaz ing strang e
’
.

answer t o o, s aid h e at his hoarsest

”
, ,
.
10 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

Take t h at m essage back, and t h ey will know th at I

received this , as well as if I wrote Mak e the best o f your .

”
way Good night
. .

With thos e words the passenger O pened t h e coac h door -

and got in ; n o t at all assisted by his fellow passengers , who -

had expeditiously secreted their watches and purse s in their

boots , and were n o w making a general pretence o f being
asleep, with no more definite purpose than to escape the
hazard o f originating any other kind o f action .

T h e coach lumbered o n again, with heavier wreath s o f

m ist clos ing round it as it began the descent The guar d .

soon replaced his blunderbuss in his arm chest, an d, havi n g -

looked t o the re st o f its contents and having looked t o the ,

supplementary pistols that he wore in his belt looked t o a ,

S maller chest beneath his seat in which there were a f e w ,

S mith s tools a couple o f torches and a tinder b o x

’
,
F or ,
-
”

h e was furnished with that completeness that if th e coach ,

lamps had been blown and stormed o u t which did occasion ,

ally happen h e had only to shu t himself up inside , keep

,

the flint and steel S parks well o ff the straw, and get a light
with tolerable s afety and c as e (if he w ere lucky ) in fiv e
minutes .

“
To m ! softly over the c oac h roof -
.

Hallo, Jo e .

Did you hear the message ?

”
I did, Jo e .

”
What did y o u make o f it To m ? ,

”
Nothing at all Jo e ,
.

’ ” “
That s a coin c idence too the guard mused for I mad e
, , ,

the same o f it m y self .

’

Jerry left alone in the mist and darknes s , dismounte d

,

meanwh ile not only to ease his spent horse but to wipe the
, ,

m u d from his face and to shake the wet o u t o f his hat brim
,
-
,

w h ic h might be capable o f holding about half a gallon .

 A TALE OF TW O C ITI E S . 11

After standin g with the bridle over his h eav ily S plashed -

arm , until the wheels o f the mail were no longer with in

hearing and the night was quite still again , he turned to
walk down the hill .

“
After that there gallop from Temple bar, o ld lady I -
,

won t trust y ou r fore legs till I get y o u o n the le v el said

’ - ”
,

this hoarse mes senger, glancing at his mare Recalled t o .

life . That s a Blaz ing strange message Muc h o f that

’ ’
.

’ ’
wouldn t do for you Jerry ! I say , Jerry ! You d be in a
,

Blazing bad way, if recalling t o life was t o come in to

fas h ion, Jerry ! ”

C H A P T E R III .

TH E NI GH T S H A D O WS

A WO N D E R F U L fact to reflect upon that e ve ry h uman ,

creat u re is co n stitute d to be that profound secre t an d

mystery to every other A s olemn cons ideration when I
.
,

enter a great city b y nigh t that every o n e o f those darkly

,

clustered hous es encloses its o w n secret ; that every room

in every o n e o f them encloses its o w n secret ; that every
beating heart in the hundreds o f thousands of breasts there ,

is in some o f its imaginings a secret to the heart nearest it !

, ,

S omething o f the awfulness e v en o f Death itself, is refer ,

able to this N o more can I turn the leav e s o f t h is dear

.

book that I loved and v ainly h Ope in time t o read it all

, .

No more c an I look into the depths o f this unfathomabl e

water wherein as momentary ligh ts glanced into it, I have
, ,

h ad glimpse s o f buried treas ure and other things submerged .

It was appointed that the book should shut with a S pring ,

f o r e v er and f o r ever when I had read but a pag e

,
It was .

appointed that the water should be locked in an eternal

frost wh en the light was playing o n its surface, an d I stood
,
12 A T AL E OF Tw o C I TI E S .

in ignorance o n the s h ore My friend is dead, my neigh b our

.

is dead my lo v e the darl ing o f my soul, is dead ; it is th e

, ,

in e xorable c o nsolidation and perpetuation o f t h e secre t that

was always in that indi v iduality, an d whic h I shall carry
in mine t o my life s e n d In any o f the burial place s in
’ -
.

this city t h rough wh ic h I pass i s there a sleeper more ,

inscrutable than its busy inhabitants are, in t h eir innermost

personality, t o me, o r than I am to t h em ?
As t o th is , h is natural an d n o t t o b e alienat e d in h e r i
tanc e, the messenger o n h o rs e back had exactly the sam e
poss e ssions as the King t he fi rst Minister o f State , o r th e
,

r ichest merchant in London S o with t he three pass e ngers

.

shut up in t h e narrow compass o f o n e lumb e ring o ld mail

c o ach ; they were mysteries t o o n e anot h er, as c o mplete as
if each had been in his o w n c o ac h and s ix , o r h is o wn c oach
and sixty, with the br e adt h o f a county between h im and
t h e next .

T h e messenger rode back at an easy trot stopping pretty ,

often at ale h ouses by the way t o drink but e vincing a t e n

-
,

de n cy t o keep his o w n counsel , an d t o keep h is h at cocked

o v er his eyes H e had eyes that assorted v ery well with
.

that decorati o n, be ing o f a surface black with n o dept h in ,

the colour o r form, and muc h t o o n e ar together — as if th ey

wer e afraid o f being found o u t in somet h ing, s ingly if t h ey ,

kept t oo far apart They had a S inister e xpress ion under

.
,

an o ld cock e d h at like a t h ree cornered spittoon and over a

- -
,

great muffler f o r t h e chin and throat which descended ,

nearly t o the wearer s kne e s W h en he stopped f o r drink,

’
.

he moved this muffl er with h is left hand only while he ,

poured his liquor in with h is right ; as so o n as that w as

done he muffled again
, .

“
N o Jerry no !
,
”
, said t h e messenger harping o n o n e ,

’
theme as he rode It wouldn t do for you Jerry Jerry,
.
,
.

y ou hon e st tradesman , it wouldn t suit yo u r l ine o f bus i

’
14 A TALE OF T WO C ITIE S .

fi v e minutes than e v en Te lls o n s , with all its foreign an d ’

home connexion ever paid in thrice the time Then the

,
.

’
strong rooms underground at Te lls o n s with su c h of their
-
, ,

v alu ab le s t o r e s an d secrets as were known to the passenger

'

( and it was not a little that he knew about them ) O pened ,

before him an d he went in among them with the great key s

,

and the feebly burning candle and found them saf e and
-
, ,

strong and sound and still just as he had last seen

, , ,

them .

But though the bank was almost always with him and
, ,

though the c oach (in a confused way like the presence o f ,

pain under an opiate) was always with him there was another ,

current of impres sion that never ceased to run all through ,

the night He was o n his way to dig s ome o n e o u t of a

.

grave .

Now, which o f the multitude of faces that showed them

selve s before him was the true face o f the buried person,
the shadows o f the night did n o t indicate ; but the y were
all the faces o f a m an of fiv e and forty by years and they - -
,

di ffered principally in the passions they expres sed an d in ,

the ghastlines s of their worn and wasted state Pride .

,

contempt defiance stubbornness submiss ion lamentation

, , , , ,

s u ccee ded o n e another ; so did varieties o f sunken cheek ,

cadaverous colour emaciated hands and fingers But the , .

face was in the main o n e face an d e v ery head was prema ,

t u r e ly white A hundred times t h e doz ing passenger in

.

quired of this S pectre

“ ”
Buried h o w long ?
The answer was always the same : Almost eigh teen
“

ye ars.

“ ”
You had abandoned all h Ope o f being dug o u t ?

”
Long ago .

Yo u know that you are recalled to l ife ? ”

”
They tell me so .
 A TALE OF TWO C IT IE S . 15

I h ope you care to live ? ”

’ ”
I can t say .

Shall I show her to you ? Will y o u c ome and se e

her ? ”

Th e answers to this question were v arious and c o n t r adic

“
tory S ometimes the broken reply was Wait ! It would
.
,

kill me if I saw her too s oon ”

Sometimes it was gi v en
.

in a tender rain o f tears , and then it was Take me to ,

”
her . Sometimes , it was staring and bewildered and then
“ ’ ’
it was , I don t know her I don t understand . .

After such imaginary discourse the passenger in his ,

fancy would dig, and dig dig — now with a spade now , ,
.

with a great key now with his hands ,

to dig this wretched
creature o u t Got o u t at last with earth hanging about
.
,

his face and hair he would suddenly fall away to dust

,
.

The passenger would then start to himself and lower the ,

window, to get the reality o f mist and rain o n his cheek .

Yet even when his eyes were O pene d o n the mist an d rain,
o n the moving patch o f light from the lamps an d the hedge ,

at the roadside re t reating b y j erks the night shadows o u t ,

side the coach would fall into the train o f the night shadows
within The real B anking house by Temple bar, the real
.
- -

business o f the past day the real strong rooms the real
,
-
,

expres s sent after him and the real message returned

, ,

would all be there Ou t of the midst o f them, the ghostly

.

face would rise and h e would accost it again

, .

“ ”
Buried how long ?
Almost e ighteen years .

I hope y o u care to live ?

’ ”
I can t s ay .

Dig — dig — dig until an impatient movement fr o m

o n e o f the two passengers would adm onish him to pull up

the window draw his arm securely through the leathern

,

strap , an d speculate upon the two slumbering forms unt il ,

16 A TAL E OF T WO C I T I E S .

h is mind lost its hold them, an d t h ey again s lid aw ay

of

into the bank and the grav e .

“
Buried h o w long ?
Almost e ighteen years .

Yo u had abandoned all hope o f being dug o u t ?

”
Long ago .

The words were still in his h earing as just S poken — dis

t in c tly in his he aring as ever spoken words h ad been in
h is life — when the weary passenger started t o th e c o n
s c io u s n e s s o f daylig h t, and found that t h e shadows o f the

night were gone .

He lowered the window, an d looked o u t at the rising s u n .

T he re was a ridge o f ploughed land with a plough upon it ,

where it h ad been left last night when the horses were u n

yoked ; beyond, a quiet coppice wood in which many leav es -
,

o f burning red and golden yellow still remained upon the

trees Though t h e earth was cold and wet, the sky was
.

cl e ar, and t he sun r o se brigh t placid, and beautiful

,
.

“
E igh te e n years ! said the passenger looking at the
”
,

su n .
“
Gracious C r e ator o f Day ! To b e buri e d ali v e f o r
e igh t ee n y e ar s ! ”

C HAP TE R I V .

TH E P RE PA R A T I O N .

WH E N t he m ail succe ssfully t o Do v er, in t h e c our s e

go t
o f the forenoon the head drawer at the Royal George Hotel
,
-

O pened the coach door as h is custom was He did it with

-
.

some flourish o f cere m ony, f o r a m ail j ourney from London

in winter was an achie v ement t o congratulat e an adv e n tu r
o u s tra v eller upon .

By that time there was only o n e adv enturous travelle r

,

left t o be congratulated ; f o r t h e t w o others had been set

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 17

down at t h eir respective roadside destinations The m il .

dewy ins ide o f the coac h with its damp and dirty straw , ,

its disagreeable smell and its obscurity was rather like , ,

a larger dog kennel Mr Lorry the passenger shaking

-
. .
, ,

himself o u t o f it in chains o f straw, a tangle o f shaggy

wrapper flapping h at, and muddy legs was rather l ike a
, ,

larger sort o f do g .

“
There will be a packet to C alais to morrow drawer ? ” -
,

Yes s ir if the weather holds and the wind sets tolera

, ,

ble fair The tide will serve pretty nicely at about t wo in

.

”
the afternoon sir B ed, sir ?
,
.

“
I shall n o t go to bed till nigh t ; but I w ant a bedroom ,
”
and a barber .

And then breakfast s ir ? Ye s sir That way, sir if , ,

.
,

y o u please Show C oncord

. ! Gentleman s valise and h o t
’

water to C oncord Pull o ff gentleman s boots in C oncord

.
’
.

(You will fi n d a fin e s ea coal fire , sir

) F etch barber t o -
.

C oncord Stir about there n o w f o r C oncord !

.
”
, ,

The C oncord bed chamber being alway s as signe d to a

-

passenger by the mail and pas sengers b y the mail being ,

always heav ily wrapped u p from head to foot the room ,

h ad the o dd interest for the e stablishment o f the Roy al

George that although but o n e kind o f m an was seen to go
int o it all kinds and varieties o f m e n came o u t of it Co n
,
.

sequent ly another dra w er and t wo porters and several

, , ,

maids and the landlady were all loitering b y accident at

, ,

various points o f the road between t h e C on cord and the

coffee room w h en a gentleman o f S ixty formally dressed
-
, ,

in a brown suit o f clothes pretty well worn but very well , ,

.

kept with large s quare cuff s and large flaps t o the pockets
, ,

passed along o n h is way to his breakfast .

The coffee room had no other occupant that forenoon

-
, ,

than the gentleman in brown His breakfast table was .

-

drawn before the fire , and as h e sat with its light shining ,
18 A TALE OF T WO C ITIE S .

on him , waiting for t h e meal , h e sat so still, th at he might

have been sitting f o r his portrait .

Very orderly an d methodical h e looked, wit h a hand o n

eac h kn ee and a loud watch ticking a sonorous s ermon
,

under his fl appe d waistcoat , as though it pitted its gravity

and longe v ity against the levity and evanescence of the
brisk fire He had a good leg and was a little vain o f it
.
, ,

f o r his brown stockings fitted sleek and close and were o f ,

a fin e texture ; his shoes and buckles t oo t h ough plain, , ,

w ere trim He wore an o dd little sleek crisp fl ax e n wig

.
,

setting very close t o h is head : whic h wig it is to be pre ,

s u med was made o f hair but which looked far more as

, ,

though it were spun from filaments o f silk o r glass His .

linen, though not o f a finenes s in accordance with h is stock

ings , was as white as the tops o f the wave s that broke upon
the neighbouring beach, or the specks o f sail that glinted
in the sunlight far at sea A face habitually suppresse d
.

and quieted, was still lighted up under the quaint wig by

a pair o f moist bright eyes that it must have cost their
owner in years gone by some pains to drill to the com
, ,

pose d and reserved expression o f Te lls o n S Bank He h ad ’

.

a healthy colour in his cheeks and his face though lined , , ,

bore few traces o f anxiety But perhaps the confidential .

,
’
ba c helor clerks in Te lls o n s B ank were principally occupied
with the cares o f other people ; and perhaps second hand -

cares like second hand clothes come easily o ff and on

,
-
,
.

C ompleting his resemblance to a m an who was sitting for

his portrait Mr Lorry dropped Off asleep The arrival o f
,
. .

h is breakfast roused him, an d h e said t o the dra wer as he ,

mo v ed his c h air to it
‘
I wish accommodation prepared for a young lady who
may come here at any time to day S h e m ay ask for Mr -
. .

Jarvis Lorry or she m ay onl y ask for a gentleman from

,
’ ”
Te lls o n s Bank Please to let me know
. .
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 19

’ ”
Yes s ir Te lls o n s Bank in London, s ir ?
,
.

”
Yes .

Yes sir We hav e oftentimes the honour to entertain

,
.

your gentlemen in their travelling backwards and forwards

betwixt London and Paris , sir A vast deal o f travelling .
,

sir, in Te lls o n and C ompany s House

’ ”
.

“
Yes We are quite a F rench house , as well as an E n g
.

lish o n e .

Yes sir N o t muc h in the habit o f such trav elling

,
.

”
yo u rself I think sir ?
, ,

“
N o t o f late years It is fifteen years since we
.

I came last from F rance ”

.

Indeed sir ? That was before my time here s ir Be

, , .

’
fore our people S time here s ir The George was in other ,
.

h ands at that time sir ”

,
.

“ ”
I believe so .

But I would hold a pretty wager s ir , that a House like ,

Te lls o n and C ompany was flourishing a matter o f fifty , ,

”
n o t to speak o f fifteen years ago ?

You m ight treble that and say a hundred and fifty yet ,

n o t be far from th e truth .

”
Indeed s ir !
,

Rounding his mouth an d bot h his eyes as he stepped ,

backward from the table the waiter shifted his napkin ,

from his right arm to his left dropped into a comfortable ,

attitude and stood surveying t h e guest while he ate and

,

drank as from an observatory or watch tower According

,
-
.

to the immemorial usage of waiters in all ages .

When Mr Lorry had finished his breakfast he went out

.
,

for a stroll o n the bea c h The little narrow c rooked town .

,

o f Dover hid itself away from the beach and r an its head ,

into the chalk cliffs like a mari n e ostrich The beach was
,
.

a desert of heaps o f sea and stones tumbling wildly about ,

and the sea did what it liked arid what it l iked was de ,
20 A TALE or Tw o C IT IE S .

struction It thundered at the town , and th under e d at th e

.

cli ffs and brought the coast down madly T h e air among
, , .

the houses was o f s o strong a piscatory flav our that o n e

might hav e supposed sick fis h went up t o be dipped in it ,

as sick people went do wn t o be dipped in the sea A little .

fishing was done in t h e po rt an d a quantity o f strolling

,

about by nigh t , and looking seaward : particularly at t h ose

time s when the tide made , an d was near flood Small .

tradesmen w h o did n o busines s w h atever, sometimes u n

,

accountably realised large fortunes an d it was remarkable ,

that nobody in t h e neigh bourhood could endure a lamp

lighter .

As the day declined into the afternoon , and t h e air ,

which had been at i n ter v als clear enoug h t o allo w t h e

F renc h coast t o be seen became again charged wit h m ist
,

and v apour, Mr Lorry s thoughts seemed t o cloud t o o

’
. .

Wh en it was dark, and h e s at before the coffee room fire, -

awaiting his dinner as he h ad awaited his breakfast, h is

m ind was bus ily digging, digging, digging in t h e live red ,

coals .

A bottle o f good claret after dinner doe s a digg e r in th e

red coals n o h arm , otherwise t h an as it h as a tendency t o
throw h im o u t o f work M r Lorry had been idle a long
. .

time an d had just poured o u t h is last glassful o f wine w it h

,

as complet e an appearance o f satisfaction as is e v er t o be

found in an elderly gentleman o f a fresh complexion w h o
has got t o the end o f a bottle w h en a rattli n g o f w h eels
,

came up the narrow street, and rumbled into the inn yard -
.

He set down his glass untouc h ed ’

This is Mam selle !
.

said h e .

In a very few minutes the waiter came in, t o announce

that Miss Manette h ad arri v ed fro m London, an d would be
h appy t o see t h e gent leman from Te llso n s
’
.

”
S o soon ?
22 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

s ay , like a breath along the surface o f the gaunt pier glas s -

behind her o n the frame o f which a hospital proces sion o f

, ,

negro cupids , several headless and all cripples were o ff er ,

ing black baskets o f Dead S ea fruit to black divinities o f

the fem inine gender — an d h e made his formal bow to Mis s
Manette .

“ ”
Pray take a seat sir I n a very clear and pleasant
,
.

young voice : a little foreign in its accent, but a very little

indeed .

“
I kis s y our h and, m iss said Mr Lorry, wit h t h e m an
, .

ners o f an earlier date as h e made h is formal b o w again,

,

an d took his sea t .

I rece ived a letter from the Bank, sir yesterday

.

info rm ing me that some intelligence — o r discovery

“
The word is n o t material , m iss ; either word will do .

respecting the small property o f my poor father whom

I never saw — s o long dead
M r Lorry moved in his chair an d cast a troubled look
.
,

towards the hospi t al proces s ion o f negro cupids As if .

th e y had an y help for anybody in the ir absurd baskets !

— rendered it necessary that I should go to Paris th e re
,

to communicate with a gentleman o f the Bank, s o g oo d as

to be despatc h e d to Paris for t h e purpo se .

“
Myself .

As I was prepared t o hear ,

S h e curtseyed to him (young ladies made curtseys in t h os e

days ), with a pretty desire to con vey to him that s h e felt
h o w much older and wiser he was than S h e He made her .

another bow .

“
I replie d to the Bank s ir, that as it was considered
,

nece ssary, by those who know, and who are so kind as to

advise me that I should go to F rance an d that as I am an
, ,

orphan and have n o friend who could go w it h me I s h ould ,

e steem it highly if I m ight be permitted to place myself

 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 23

’
durin g the j ourney un der that wort hy gentleman s prote o
,

tion The gentleman had left London but I think a mes

.
,

senger was sent after him to beg the fav our of h is waitin g
”
for me here .

“
I was happy said Mr Lorry, to be entruste d with the
,
.

”
charge I shall be more happy to execute it
. .

“
S ir, I thank you indeed I thank you very gratefully . .

It was told me by the Bank that the gentleman would

explain to me the details of the bus iness and that I must ,

prepar e m y se lf to find them of a surprising natur e I have .

done my best to prepare m y self an d I natur ally h ave a ,

strong and eager interest t o know what the y ar e

“ ” “
Naturally said Mr Lorry
,
Ye s I . .

Aft er a pause, he added aga in settlin g t h e crisp fl ax e n

,

wig at the ears :

It is very difficult to begin .

He did not begin but in his indecis ion met her glance
, , , .

The young forehead lift ed itself into that s in gular expres

s ion — but it was pretty an d characteristic besides being ,

singular — an d she raised her hand as if with an in v o lu n ,

tary action she caught at or stayed some passing shadow

, ,

“
Are you quite a stranger to me S ir ?
,

Am I n o t ? Mr Lorry O pened his hands an d extende d

.
,

them ou t ward with an argumentative smile .

B e t ween the e y ebrows and just over the li ttle femin ine
nose the line of which w as as delicate an d fine as it was
,

pos sible to be the expression deepened itself as she took

,

her seat thoughtfully in the chair b y which she had hitherto

remaine d stan d ing He watched her as she mused an d the
.
,

moment she raised h e r e y es again went on : ,

“
I n your adopted countr y I presume I cannot do better , ,

than address y ou as a y oun g E nglish lady Miss Mane t te ? ,

“
If you please s ir ,
.

Mis s Manette I am a m an of bus iness I have a busi

, .
24 A TAL E OF Tw o C IT IE S .

n ess c h arge t o acquit myself o f I n your reception o f it, .

’
don t heed m e any more than if I was a speaking mach ine
— truly I am n o t much else I will with your lea v e
, ,
.
,

r elate t o y o u , miss the story o f o n e o f o u r customers

, .

”
Story !
H e seemed wilfully t o mistake the w ord she had repeated ,

w hen h e added, in a hurry

“
Yes customers ; in the banking , ,

business we usually call o u r connexion o u r customers He .

was a F renc h gentleman ; a scientific gentleman ; a man o f

”
great acquirements a Doctor .

“
N o t o f B eau v ais ?
W h y yes o f B eau v ais Like Monsieur Manett e, your
, ,
.

fath er, the gentleman was o f B eauv ais Like Mons ieur .

Manette your father , the gentleman was o f repute in

,

P aris I had the honour o f knowing him t h ere O ur

. .

relations were business relations , but confidential I was .

at that time in o u r F rench H ouse , and h ad been — o h !

”
t wenty years .

“
At that time I may ask at what time s ir ? , ,

I spe ak m iss , o f twenty years ago He married — an

,
.

E nglish lady and I was on e o f th e trustees His afiair s

-
.
,

like the affairs o f many other F rench gentlemen an d F renc h

’
families were entirely in Te llso n s hands I n a similar
,
.

w ay I am o r I hav e been, trustee o f o n e kind o r other for

, ,

scores of o u r customers These are mere business relat io n s

.
,

m iss ; there is no friendship in th em, n o particular interest

nothing like senti m ent I hav e pas sed from one t o another
.
,

in the course o f m y bus iness life just as I pass from o n e o f ,

o u r customers t o another in the course o f my business day ;

in short, I h av e n o fe elings ; I am a mere machine To .

go on
‘ ’
But this is my father s story , sir ; and I begin t o think
—the curiously roughened forehead was very intent upon
him “
th at when I was left an orphan t h rough my mother s ’
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 25

s ur v i v in g my father only t w o years , it was y ou wh o brought

me to E ngland I am almost sure it was you
.
”
.

M r Lorry took the hesitating little hand that c o n fidin gly

.

advanced t o take his an d he put it with some ceremony to

,

his lips H e then conducted the young lady straightway to

.

her c h air again, and, hold ing the chair back with his left -

hand and using h is righ t by turns to rub his ch in pull his

, ,

wig at the ears , o r poin t w h at he said, stood looking down

into her face w h ile she sat looking up into his .

“
Miss M anette it w as I And you will see h o w truly I
,
.

spoke o f myself just n o w, in saying I h ad no feelings and ,

that all the relations I h old with my fellow creatures are -

mere bus ines s relations when y o u reflect that I have never

,

seen y ou since N o ; y o u hav e been the ward o f Te lls on s

.
’

Hous e since , an d I hav e been busy with the other bus iness
’
o f Te lls o n s House s ince F eelin gs ! I have no time for
.

t h em n o c h ance o f them I pas s my whole life, miss in

,
.
,
”
turning an immense pecun iary Mangle .

After this o dd description o f his daily routine o f employ

ment Mr Lorry flattened his fl ax e n wig upon his h ead with
, .

both h ands (wh ic h was most unnecessary, for nothing could

be flatter than its s h ining surface was before) an d resumed ,

h is former attitude .

S o far, mis s (as y o u h av e remarked), th is is the story of

your regrette d father N o w comes the d ifi e re n ce If your
. .

father had n o t die d w h e n h e did ’

Don t be frightened !
H o w y o u start ! ”

S h e did indeed, start An d s h e caugh t h is wrist wit h

,
.

both her h ands .

“
P ray said Mr Lorry in a soot h ing tone bringing his
, .
, ,

left h an d from the back o f the chair to lay it o n the suppli

c at o r y fingers that clasped him in so violent a tremble ,
“
pray control your agitatio n — a matter o f bus in e ss As I .

w as say ing
26 A T ALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

H er look discomposed h im that h e stopped, wander e d

so

and began anew :

As I was say ing ; if Mons i eur Manette h ad n o t died ; if
h e h ad suddenly and S ilently disappeared ; if he h ad been
spirited away ; if it had n ot been di fficult t o gues s t o what
dreadful place , though n o art could trace him ; if he had an
enemy in some compatriot w h o could exercise a pri v ilege
that I in my o w n time hav e known the boldest people afraid t o
speak o f in a whisper, acros s the water there ; f o r instance,
the pri v ilege o f filling up blank forms f o r th e consignment
o f any o n e t o t h e oblivion o f a prison f o r any length o f time ;

if his wife had implored th e king the queen , the court

, ,

the clergy for any tidings o f h im an d all quite in v ain

, ,

then the history o f your father would hav e been the history
o f t h is u n fortunate gentleman , the Doctor o f Beau v ais
”
.

”
I entreat y o u to tell me more , S ir .

I will I am going t o Yo u can bear it ?

. .
”

I c an bear anything but the uncertainty y ou leav e me in

”
at this moment .

“
Yo u speak collectedly, and y o u ar e collected That s’
.

good ! (T h ough his man n er was less satisfied than his

“
words ) . A matter o f business Regard it as a matter o f
.

busines s bus ines s that must be done N o w if t h is Doctor s

— .
,
’

wife though a lady o f great courage an d spirit had su ffered

, ,

s o intensely from t h is cause before h er little c h ild w as

born
“
The little c h ild was a daughter, s ir .

A daughter A .
— a — matter o f business — ’
don t be
distres sed Miss, if the poor lady h ad suff ered s o intensely
.

before h er little child was b o rn , that she came to the deter

m ination o f sparing the poor child the inheritance o f any
part o f the agony S h e had known the pains o f , by rearing
her in the belief that h er father was dead N o don t ,
’

kneel ! I n H eav en s name wh y s h ould y o u kn e el t o me !

’ ”
 A TALE OF T WO C ITIE S . 27

F or t h e tru t h . 0 dear, good, compass ionate sir, for th e

”
truth !
“
A— matter o f bus iness You confuse me and how
a .
,

c an I transact business if I am confused Let u s be clear

?

headed If y o u co u ld kindly mention now for instance

.
, ,

what nine t imes ninepence are , or how many shillings in

twenty guineas it would be s o encouraging I S hould be s o
,
.

much more at my ease about your state of mind .

Without directly answer ing t o this appeal she sat s o still ,

when he had very gently raised her and the hands that had ,

not ceased to clasp his wrists were s o much more steady

than the y h ad been that S h e communicated s ome reassurance
,

to M r Jarvis Lorry
. .

“
That s right that s righ t C ourage ! Business ! You
’
,
’
.

h ave busines s before you ; useful bus iness Miss Manette, .

your mother took this course with y o u And when S h e .

die d — I believe broken hearted — h aving never slackene d -

h er unavailing search for your father she left you at two , ,

year s old to gro w to be blooming beautiful and happy

, , , ,

without the dark cloud upon you o f living in uncertainty

whether your father soon wore hi s h eart o u t in prison o r ,

was t ed there through man y lingering years ”

.

A s h e said the words he looked down with an adm ir , ,

ing pity, o n the flowing golden h air ; as if h e pictured

to h imself that it might h ave been already tinged w ith
grey .

“
Yo u know t h at your parents h ad no great pos session,
and t h at w h at they had was secured to your mo t her and t o
y o u . There h as been n o new disco v ery , o f money o r o f
,

any other property ; but

H e felt hi s wrist h eld closer, and h e stopped The .

e xpre ssion in the forehead whic h h ad s o particularly ,

att racted h is notice , and w h ich was n o w immo v able, h ad

de epene d into o n e o f pain and ho rr o r .

28 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITIE S .

“
But h e h as been — been found H e is ali v e Greatly
. .

changed, it is t o o probable ; almost a wreck, it is possible ;

t h oug h we will h ope the be st Still, alive Your father . .

h as been taken to the house o f an o ld servant in Paris and ,

w e are go ing there : I t o identify him , if I c an : y ou , t o

,

restore h im t o life love , duty, rest comfort

, ,
.

A s h iver r an through her frame , an d from it t h rough his .

S h e said in a low, distinct, awe stricken v oice as if sh e

,
-
,

were saying it in a dream ,

“
I am going t o se e h is Gh o st ! It w ill b e his G h ost
n o t h im !

Mr Lo rry quietly c h afed t h e h an d s t h at h eld h is arm

. .

T h ere , t h ere, th e re ! See n o w s ee n o w ! The best and the

,

worst are known t o y ou n o w Yo u are well o n your way t o

.

th e poor wronged gentleman, an d, wit h a fair sea v oyage ,

and a fair land j ourney , y ou will be soon at h is dear S ide ”

.

S h e repeated in the same tone , sunk t o a w h isper, I “

h ave been free I h av e been h appy, yet his Gh ost has never
,

h aunte d me ! ”

“
O nly o n e thi n g m ore , s aid M r Lorry, layi n g stres s .

upon it as a wholesome means o f enforcing her atte ntion

“
he h as been foun d under another name ; h is o w n long ,

forgotte n o r lon g concealed It would be worse than useles s

.

n o w t o inquire w h ich ; worse than useless to seek t o know

wh et h er he h as been f o r years overlooked, o r alway s

designedly held prisoner It would be worse t h an useles s
.

n o w t o make any inquiries becaus e it would be dangerous

,
.

Better n o t t o mention the subj ect, anywhere o r in any way ,

an d t o re m ove him — f o r a while at all events — o u t o f

F rance E ven I safe as an E nglishman , and e v en Tell

.
,

son s important as t hey ar e to F rench credit, avoid all

’
,

nam ing o f the matter I carry about m e, n o t a scrap O f

.

w riting O penly referring t o it T h is is a secret ser v ic e

.

alt o g e t h e r .My cr e dentials , entries, an d memoranda, ar e

30 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

And you in brown ! s h e said, indign antly t urning t o

”

M r Lorry ; couldn t you tell her what y o u had to tell her

.
’
,

without frightening her to death ? Look at her with her ,

pretty pale face and her cold hands Do you call th at being .

a B anker ?
Mr Lorry was so exceedingly disconcerted by a question
.

s o hard to ans w er , that he could only look on , at a distance ,

with much feebler sympathy an d h umility , while the strong

woman having banishe d the in n servants under the m y s
,

“ ”
t e r io u s penalty o f letting them know something not m e n
t io n e d if they stayed there staring recovered her charge
, ,

by a regular series o f gradations an d coaxed her to lay h er ,

drooping head upon her shoulder .

“
I hope she will do well now said M r Lorry
”
,
. .

N o thanks to y o u in brown if she does My darling

, .

pretty !
“
I hope said Mr Lorry after another pause o f feeble
, .
,

“
sympathy and humil ity, that you accompany Miss Manette
t o F rance ?
“ ”
A likely thing too ! replied t h e strong woman
,
If .

it was e v er intended that I should go acros s salt water , do

y o u suppose P rovidence would hav e cast my lo t in an
”
island ?
T h is being another question h ard t o ans w er, M r Jar v is .

L o rry w ith dr e w to cons ider it .

C H AP TE R V .

TH E WI NE S H O P
'

A L A R GE cask o f wine h ad been dropped an d broken in ,

t h e street The accident had h appened in gett ing it o u t o f

.

a cart ; the cask h ad tumbled o u t w it h a run, th e b oo m h ad

 A T ALE OF Tw o C I TIE S . 31

bur st, an d it lay o n t h e stones just outside t h e door of the

wine s h Op s h att ere d like a walnut shell
-
,
-
.

All the people within reach h ad suspended t h eir business ,

o r their i dl enes s to r u n to the S pot and drink the wine

, .

The rough , irregular stones o f the street pointing ever y ,

way, and designed, o n e might have thought expressl y to ,

lam e all liv ing creatures that approached them, h ad dammed

it in to little pools ; these were surrounded, eac h b y its own
j ostling group o r crowd according to its size S ome m e n
, .

kneeled do wn made scoops o f their two h ands j oined and

, ,

sipped o r tried t o h elp women who bent over their shoul

, ,

ders , t o s ip before the w in e had all ru n o u t between their

,

fingers . O thers m e n and women dipped in the puddle s

, ,

with little mugs o f mutilated e arthenware , or even with

handkerchiefs from women s heads which were s queezed ’
,

’
dry into infants mouths ; others made small mud embank -

ments to stem the wine as it ran ; others directed by

, ,

lookers o n u p at high windows darted here and there to

-
, ,

cut off little streams o f wine that started away in new dirce
tions ; others , devoted themselves to the s odden and lee dyed -

pieces of the cask licking an d even champing the moister

, ,

w ine rotted fragments with eager relish There was no

-
.

drainage to carry o ff the wine and not only did it all get ,

taken up but so much mud got taken up along wit h it that

, ,

there might have been a scavenger in the street if anybody ,

ac quainted with it could have believed in such a miraculous

presence .

A shrill sound of laughter and o f amused voices — voices

o f men women and children
, ,
resounded in the street while
this wine game lasted There was little roughness in the
-
.

sport an d much play f u lness There was a S pecial com

,
.

a n ion s h i in it an observable inclination o n the part of

p p ,

e v ery o n e to join som e other o n e , which led especi ally among ,

the luckier or lighter hearted, to frolicsome embraces drink

-
,
 2 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

in g o f h ealt h s s h aking
,
hands ,
aof
n d e v en j oining o f h ands
and dancing a dozen toget h er When t h e wine w as gone,
, .

an d the place s where it had been most abundant were raked

into a gridiron pattern by fingers, these demonstrations

-

ceased, as suddenly as they had broken o u t The m an w h o .

had left his s aw sticking in the firewood he was cutting set ,

it in motion again ; the woman w h o had left o n a door step -

t h e little po t o f h o t as h es at whic h s h e h ad been trying t o

-
,

s often the pain in her o w n star v ed fingers an d toes, o r in

those o f h er c h ild, returned t o it ; m e n with bare arms ,

matted locks and cadav erous faces w h o had emerged int o

, ,

t h e winter l igh t from cellars , mo v ed away t o descend again ;

an d a gloom gathered o n t h e scene t h at appeared more natural

t o it than sunshine .

The wine was red wine , and h ad stained t h e ground o f

th e nar r ow street in the suburb o f Saint Antoine , in Paris ,

where it was spilled It had stained many hands, t o o , and

.

many faces , and many naked feet, and many wooden s h oe s .

T h e h ands o f the m an wh o sawed t h e wood, left red mark s

o n t h e billets ; an d t h e forehead o f the w oman w h o nursed

her baby was stained wit h t h e stain o f the o ld rag S h e

,

wound about her h ead again T h ose w h o h ad been greedy

.

with t h e staves o f the cask, had acquired a tigeris h smear

about the mout h ; and o n e tall j ok er s o besmirched, his
head more o u t o f a long s qualid bag o f a nightcap than in
it scra wled upon a wall with his finger dipped in muddy
,

wine lees BLO OD .

The time was t o come, when that wine t o o would be

spilled on the street stones , an d w h en t h e stain o f it would
-

be red upon many there .

And n o w that the cloud settled o n Saint Antoine , wh ic h a

momentary gleam had dri v e n from h is sacred countenance,
the darkness o f it was heavy — cold dirt, s icknes s , ign o ,

ran c e , and want, w ere the lords in waiting o n the saintly

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 33

presence — nobles o f great power all o f them ; but most ,

C specially the last Samples o f a people that had under

.

gone a terrible grinding an d r e grinding in the mill and -

,

certainly n o t in the fabulous m ill which ground o ld people

'

young shiv ered at every corner, passed in and o u t at every

,

doorway looked from every window fluttere d in every

, ,

vestige o f a garment t h at the wind shook The mill which .

had worked them down was the mill that grinds young people
,

o ld ; the children h ad ancient faces an d gra v e voices ; an d

upon them , and upon the grown faces and ploughe d into ,

every furrow o f age and coming up afresh, was the s ign ,

Hunger It was prevalent everywhere Hunger was pus h ed

. .

o u t o f t h e tall h ouses in the wretc h ed clothing that hung

,

upon poles and lines ; Hunger was patched into them with
straw and rag and wood and paper ; Hunger was repeate d
in e v ery fragment o f the small modicum o f firewood that
the m an sawed o ff ; Hunger stared down from the smokeless
c h imneys , and started up from the filthy street that h ad no

offal among its refuse o f any thing to eat Hunger was the
, ,
.

inscription o n t h e baker s S hel v es writ ten in every small

’
,

loaf o f his scanty stock of bad br e ad ; at the sausage S hop -

,

in every dead dog preparation that was o ff ered for sale

-
.

Hunger rattled its dry bones among the roasting chestnuts

in the turned cylinder ; Hunger was shre d into atomies in
every farthing porringer of husky chips of potato, fried
with s ome reluctant drops o f oil .

Its abiding place was in all things fitted to it A narrow

-
.

winding street full o f o fie n c e and stench , with other narrow

,
.

winding streets diverging all peopled by rags and night ,

caps and all sm elling o f rags and nightcaps an d all v is ible

, ,

things wit h a brooding look upon them that looked ill I n .

t h e hunted air of the people there was yet some wild beast -

thought o f t h e pos sibility o f turning at bay Depressed .

an d slinking t h ough they were , ey e s o f fire were n ot want

D
34 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

ing among them ; n o r compressed lips , white with w h at

they suppressed ; nor foreheads knitted into th e likenes s o f
the gallows rope they mused about enduring o r inflicting
-
, .

The trade s igns (and they were almost as many as the

shops) were, all, grim illustrations o f Want The butcher .

an d the porkman painted up , only the leanest s crags o f

meat ; the baker the coarsest o f meagre loaves The pe o

, .

ple rudely pict u re d as drinking in the wine shops , croaked -

over their scanty measures o f thin wine and beer and were ,

gloweringl y confidential together Nothing was represente d .

in a flourishing condition , s av e tools and weapons ; but ,

the cutler s kn iv e s and axes were sharp an d bright, the

’

’ ’
sm ith S hammers w ere heavy and the gunmaker s stock was
,

murderous The crippling stones o f the pavement, with

.

their many little res er v oirs o f mud and water, had no foot
ways but broke o ff abruptly at the doors
,
The kennel to .
,

make amends ran down the middle o f the street

,
when it
r an at all : which was only after h eavy rains , and then it

ran, by many eccen t ric fits , into the houses Acros s t h e .

streets , at wide intervals , o n e clumsy lamp was slung by a

rope an d pulley ; at nigh t, when the lamplighter h ad let
these d o wn, an d lighted and h oiste d them again ; a feeble
,

grove o f dim wicks swung in a s ickly manner o v erhead, as

if they were at sea Indeed the y were at sea, and the s h ip
.

an d crew were in peril o f tempe st .

F o r the time was to come when the gaunt scarecrows

, ,

o f that region should ha v e watched the lamplighter in ,

their idleness and hunger so long as t o co nceive the idea

, ,

o f improving o n his method and hauling up m e n by those ,

rope s and pulleys , to flare upon the darkness o f their con

dition But the time was not come yet ; and every wind
.
,

that b lew over F rance shook the rags o f the scarecrows in

vain for the birds fin e o f song an d feat h er took no
, , ,

warning .
 A TALE OF Tw o C IT I E S . 35

The wine shop was a corner s h Op better than most others

-
,

in its appearance and degree and the master of the wine ,

shop had stood outside it in a yellow waistcoat and green ,

breeches looking o n at the struggle for the lost wine

,
.

“ ”
I t s not my afiair said he with a final shrug o f the
’
, ,

shoulders The people from t he market did it Let them

. .

bring another .

There his eyes happening to catch the tall j oker writing

,

up his joke he called to h im across the way :

,

“ ”
Say then my Gaspard what do you do there ?
, , ,

The fello w pointed to h is j oke with immense significan ce ,

as is often the way with his tribe It missed its mark an d .

,

completely failed as is O ften the way with his tribe too

,
.

“
What now ? Are y o u a subject for the mad hosp ital ? -

said the wine shop keeper crossing the road and o b lit e r at
-
, ,

ing the jest with a handful of mud picked up for the pur ,

pose and smeared over it

,
“
Wh y do y o u write in the .

public streets ? Is there tell me thou is ther e n o other

”
place to write such words in ?
I n his expostulation he dropped his cleaner hand ( per
haps accidentally perhaps not) upon the j oker 8 heart
, ,
’
.

The j oker rapped with his own , took a nimble S pring u p

ward and came down in a fantastic dancing attitude with
, ,

one of his stained shoes j erked o ff his foot into his hand,
and held o u t A joker of an extremely not to say w o lfis h ly
.
, ,

practical character he looked under those circum stances, ,

.

“
Put it o n put it o n ”
said the other ,
“
C all wine , .
,

wine ; and finish there With that advice he wiped his ,

’
soiled hand upon the j oker s dress such as it was quite ,

deliberately as having dirtied the hand on his account ;

,

and then r e crossed the road an d entered the wine shop

- -
.

This wine shop keeper was a bull ne cked martial looking

- -
,
-

m an of thirty and he should have been of a hot tempera

,

ment for although it was a bitter day he wore no coat

, , , ,
36 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

but carried o n e slung over his shoulder His shirt slee v es .

-

were rolled up , too an d his brown arm s were bare to the

,

elbows Neither did he wear anything more o n his head

.

than his o w n crisply curling S hort dark hair He was a

-
.

dark m an altogether with good eyes and a good bold breadth

,

between them Good humoured looking o n the whole , but

.
- -

implacable looking too ; evidently a m an o f a s trong reso

-
,

lu t io n and a set purpose ; a m an not desirable to be met

rushing down a narrow pass with a gulf o n either s ide for ,

noth ing would turn the man .

Madame Defarge h is wife sat in the shop behind th e

, ,

counter as he came in Madam e D e farge was a stout

.

woman o f about h is o w n age , with a watchful ey e that sel ~

d o m seemed t o look at anything a large h and heavily ,

ringed, a steady fac e, strong features , and great composur e

o f manner There was a character about Madame Defarge
.
,

from which o n e might have predicated that she did n ot

often make mistak e s against herself in any o f the r e ckon
ings over which she presided Madame Defarg e b e in g s e n .

s it iv e t o cold, was wrapped in fur , and had a quantity o f

bright shawl twined about her head thoug h not to the ,

concealment o f her large ear rings Her knitting was be -

.

fore her but sh e had laid it down to pick her teeth with a
,

toothpick Thus engaged, wit h her right elbow supported

.

by h er left h and Madame Defarge said nothing when her

,

lord came in , but coughe d just o n e grain o f cough T h is .

,

in combination with th e lifting o f her darkly defined eye

brows over her toothpick by the breadth o f a line suggested ,

to her husband that h e would do well to look round the

shop among the customers f o r an y new customer who had ,

dropped in while he stepped over the w ay .

The wine shop keeper accordingly rolle d his eye s about

-
,

until they rested upon an elderly gentleman and a you n g

lady w h o were seated in a corner O ther company were
,
.
38 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

ple t e d at the moment when Madame Defarge put h er toot h

pick b y , k e pt her eyebrows up, an d slightly rustled in her s eat .

“ ” “
Hold then ! True ! muttere d her husband Gentle .

men my wife !
'

The three customers pulled o ff their hats to Madame

Defarge wit h three flourishes
,
She acknowledged their .

homage by bending her h ead and giving the m a quick look , .

Then she glanced in a casual manner round the w ine shop -

,

took up her knitting wit h great apparent calmnes s an d

re pose o f sp irit, and became absorbed in it .

”
Gentlemen said h e r husband w h o had kept his bright
, ,

eye observantly u pon h er good day The chamber fur

“
,
.
,

n is h e d bac h elor fashion that y o u wishe d to see and were

-
, ,

inquiring for when I stepped o u t is o n the fifth floor ,

.

The doorway o f the staircase give s o n the little court yard -

close t o the left here pointing wit h his hand near to

”
,
“
,

the windo w o f my establishment But, now that I remem .

‘

h e r o n e o f you has already been there an d c an S how the

, ,
”
way Gentlemen adieu !
.
,

They paid for their wine an d left the place The eye s ,
.

o f Mo n sieur Defarge were studying h is wife at her knit

ting when the elderly gentleman advanced from his corner

, ,

and begged the favour o f a word .

”
Willingly sir ,
said Monsieur Defarge and quietly
, ,

stepped wit h h im to the door .

Their confere n ce was very short but very decided ,

.

Almost at the first word Monsieur Defarge started and b e

,

came deeply attentive It had not lasted a minute when

.
,

he nodded an d went o u t The gentleman then beckoned to

.

the young lady an d the y t o o went o u t Madame Defarge

, , ,
.

knitted with nimble fingers and steady eyebrows and saw ,

nothing .

Mr Jarvis Lorry and Mis s Manette emerging from t h e

.
,

wine s h Op thus joined Monsieur Defarge in the doorway

-
,
 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S . 39

to w h ic h he h ad directed his other company just before .

I t O pened from a stinking little black court yard, and was -

the general public entran ce to a gr eat pile of houses in ,

habited b y a great number of people I n the gloomy tile .

paved entry to the gloomy tile paved stair c ase Mons ieur -
,

Defarge bent down o n o n e knee to the child o f his old

master and put her hand to his lips It was a gentle
,
.

action but not at all gently done ; a very remarkable trans

,

formation had come over h im in a few seconds He had .

no good humour in his face nor any O pennes s of aspect ,

left but had become a secret angry dan gerous man

, , ,
.

It is very high ; it is a little difficult B etter to begin .

slowl y Thus Mons ieur D efarge in a stern v oice, to

.
’
, ,

Mr Lorry as they began ascending the stairs

.
,
.

”
Is he alone ? the latter whispered .

Alone ! God help him w h o should be wit h h im ! said”

the other, in the same low voice .

“ ”
Is he always alone then ? ,

”
Yes .

O f h is o w n desire ? ”

O f his o w n necessity As he was when I fi rst saw him

.

after t hey found me and demanded to know if I would take

him and at my peril be discreet — as he w as t h en, so he
, ,

”
is now .

“ ”
He is greatly changed ?
C hanged ! ”

The keeper of the wine shop stopped to strike the wall

-

with his hand an d mutter a tremendous curse N O direct

, .

’
answer could have been half so forcible Mr Lorr y s . .

spirits grew heavier and heavier as he and his two ,

companions ascended higher and higher .

Such a staircase , with its accessories in the older and ,

more crowded parts o f P aris would be bad enough now ; ,

but at that time it was vile indeed to unaccustomed an d

, ,
40 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

unhardened senses E very little habitation wit h in the

.

great foul nest o f o n e high building — that is t o say, the

room o r rooms within every door that O pened o n the general
staircase left its o w n heap o f refuse o n its o wn landing ,

bes ides flinging other refuse from its o wn windows The .

uncontrollable and h opeless mass o f decomposition s o e n

gendered would have polluted the air even if poverty and
, ,

deprivation had n o t loaded it wi t h their intangible impuri

ties ; the t w o bad sources combined made it almost in s u p
por table Through such an atmosphere by a steep dark
.
,

shaft o f dirt and poison the w ay lay Yielding t o his o w n

,
.

’
disturban ce o f mind and to his young companion s agita
,

tion, whic h became greater e v e ry in s t an t, Mr Jar v is Lorry .

twice stopped to rest E ac h o f the se stoppages was made

.

at a doleful grating by w h ich an y langu is h ing good airs

,

that were left uncorrupted seemed t o escape, and all spoilt

,

an d sickly v apours seemed to crawl in Through the .

rusted bars tastes rather t h an glimpses were caught o f

, , ,

the jumbled neighbourhood ; and nothing within range ,

nearer o r lower than the summits o f the t wo great towers

o f Notre Dame had an y prom ise o n it o f h ealthy life o r
-

wholesome aspirations .

At last the top o f the staircase was gained, and they

,

stopped for th e third time T h ere was y e t an upper stair

.

case , o f a steeper incl ination and o f contracted dimensions ,

t o be ascended before the garret story was reached

,
The .

keeper o f the wine shop always going a little in advan c e

-
, ,

and always going o n the s ide which M r Lorry took as .

,

though he dreaded to be aske d an y question b y the y oung

lady turned himself about here and carefull y feeling in
, , ,

t h e pockets of the coat he carried over his shoulder took ,

o u t a key .

“ ”
The door is locked then , my friend ? said Mr Lorry, .

s urprised .
 A TALE OF TW O C ITIE S . 41

as t h e grim reply o f Monsieur Defarge

“A ”
y Yes
. w , .

“
Yo u think it necessary to keep the unfortunate gentl e
m an s o retired
“ I t h in k it necessary to turn the key ” M onsieur D e .

farge wh ispered it closer in h is ear, and fro wned h eavil y .

W hy
Why ! Becaus e h e h as lived s o long locked up that , ,

h e woul d be frightened — rave — tear h imself to pieces

die come to I know n o t wh at h arm - if h is door was left
open .

Is it possible ! exclaimed M r Lorry

”
. .

Is it possible repeated Defarge bitterly “

Yes , . .

And a be autiful w orld we live in w h en it is possible and , ,

when many o t h e r suc h t h ings are possible and not only ,

possi ble , but done - done see you under that sky there ,
,
-

every day Long li ve t h e Devil Let us go o n

.
”
. .

T his dialogue h ad been h eld in s o very lo w a wh isper ,

that not a w ord o f it h ad reac h ed the young lady s ears ’

.

But by t h is time s h e trembled under suc h strong emotion

, ,

and h er face expressed suc h dee p anxiety and above all , , ,

suc h dread and terror t h at M r L orry felt it incum b ent o n

,
.

h im to speak a word or two of reassurance .

“
C ou rage dear miss ! C ourage ! Business ! T h e worst
,

will be over in a moment ; it is but passing t h e room door ,

an d the w orst is o v er Then all t h e good you bring to

.
,

h im all t h e relief all th e h appines s you bring to h im

, , ,

begin Le t ou r g o od friend h ere assist you o n that side

. .

That s well friend Defarge C ome now Business busi

’
,
.
, .
,

n e ss ! ”

T h ey w ent up slowly and softly Th e staircase was .

s h ort and th ey were s oon at t h e top T h ere as it h ad an

,
.
,

abrup t tur n in it t h ey came all at once in sigh t o f three

,

men , w h ose h ea ds were bent down close together at the

side o f a door, an d wh o were intently looking into the room
42 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

to wh ic h t he door belonged through some chinks o r hole s

,

in the wall On hearing footsteps close at hand these

.
,

three turned and rose, an d showed themselv es to be the

,

three o f o n e name w h o had been drinking in the wine

s h op
.

“
I forgot them in the surprise o f your vis it explained ,

Monsieur Defarge “
Leave us, good boys ; we h ave busi
.

n es s here .

The three gl ided by, and went s ilently down .

There appearing t o be no other door o n that floor and ,

the keeper o f the wine S hop going straight t o this o n e when

-

th ey were left alone , Mr Lorry aske d him in a whisper,

.

with a little anger

“
D o you make a S how o f Mons i eur Manette ?
I S h ow h im in the way y ou h av e s een, t o a c h o s e n
,

”
Is that well ?
“
I think it is well .

Who are the f e w? H o w do y o u ch o ose t h em ?

I choose them as real men o f my nam e — Jac ques is ,

my name — t o whom the s igh t is l ikely to do good .

E nough, y o u are E n glish ; that is another thing Stay .

t h ere if you please a little moment

,
”
,
.

With an admonitory gesture t o keep th em back, he

stooped and looked in t h rough the crevice in the wall
, .

S oon raising his head again, he struck twice o r thrice upon

the door — evidently with no other object than to make a
noise there With the same inte n tion he drew the key
.
,

across it, three o r four times before he put it clumsily into,

the lock and turned it as heavily as he could

, .

The door slowly O pened inward under his h and and he ,

looked into the room and said something A faint voice .

answered something Little more than a single syllable

.

could have been spoken o n either s id e .

 A TA L E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 43

H e looked back over his shoulder beckoned them to , an d

enter Mr Lorry got his arm securely round the d au gh

. .

ter s waist, and held her ; for he felt that she was sinking
’
.

”
“
A — a — a — busines s , business ! he urged with a ,

moisture that was not o f busines s shining o n his ch eek .

“
C ome in come in !
,
”

“
I am afraid of it s h e answered shuddering
”
, ,
.

”
O f it ? What ?
I mean of him O f my fat her
. .

Rendered in a manner desperate by her state and by the ,

beckoning of the ir conductor he drew over his neck the ,

arm that shook upon his shoulder l ifted her a l ittle and , ,

hurrie d her into the room He set her down just within
.

the door and held her cli n ging to him

, ,
.

D efarge drew out the key, closed the door locked it o n ,

the inside t ook out the key again and held it in his hand
, , .

All this he did methodically and with as loud and harsh

, ,

an accompaniment o f nois e as he could make F inally he .

,

walked acros s the room with a measured tread to where the

window was He stopped t here and face d round
.
, .

The garret, built to be a depository for firewood an d the

like, w as dim and dark : for the window o f dormer shape
, ,

was in truth a door in the roof, with a little crane o v er it

for the hoisting up o f stores from the street : unglazed an d ,

closing up the middle in two p ieces , like an y other door

o f F renc h construction To excl u de the cold, o n e hal f of
.

this door was fast closed, and the other was opened but a
v ery little way Such a scanty portion o f ligh t was ad
.

m itt e d through these means that it was diflic u lt o n first

, ,

coming in, t o see anyth ing ; and long h abit alone could
h ave slowly formed in any o n e , the ability to do any work
re quiring nicety in such obscurity Yet work o f that kind .
,

was being done in the garret ; for w ith his back towards ,

the door and h is face to w ards the w indo w w h ere th e k e epe r

,
44 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

of the wine s h Op stood looking at h im a w h ite h aired m an

-
,
-

sat o n a lo w bench , stoop ing forward and v ery busy, mak

in g sho e s
.

C H A P T E R VI .

TH E S H O E M AKE R .

G O O D D AY ! said Mons ieur Defarge , l o oking down at

”

t h e white h ead that bent lo w o v er the S hoemaking .

It was raised f o r a moment and a v ery faint voic e

,

responded t o the salutation, as if it were at a distance

”
Good day !
Yo u are still h ard at work, I see ? ”

After a long silence, the head was lifted f o r anothe r

moment, and t h e v o ice replied, Yes “ — I am working
”
.

This time , a pair o f haggard eyes had looked at t h e q ue s

t ion e r, before the face had dropped again .

The faintnes s o f the voice w as pitiable an d dreadful It .

was n o t the faintness o f phys ical weakness , t h ough c o n fin e

ment and hard fare no doubt had their part in it I t s .

deplorable peculiarity was that it was t h e faintnes s o f

,

solitude and disuse It w as like the last feeble echo o f a

.

sound made long and long ago S o entirely had it lost the
.

life and resonance o f the human v oice, that it afie ct e d t h e

senses like a once beautiful colour faded away into a poo r
,

weak stai n . S o s u nken and suppressed it was that it w as ,

like a v oice underground S o express ive it was o f a h Ope

.
,

less and lost creature that a fam ished traveller w earied o u t

, ,

by lonely wandering in a wildernes s , would hav e remem

bered home and friends in suc h a tone befor e lying down
to die.

S ome m inutes o f silent work had pas sed, and the haggard
eye s h ad l o oked up again : n o t w ith any inter e st o r curi
46 A TALE OF T WO C ITI E S .

steadfastly v acant gaze, pausing in h is work H e never .

looked at the figure before him without first looking down ,

o n this side o f himself then o n that as if he had lost the

, ,

habit o f associating place with sound ; he ne ver spoke ,

without first wandering in this manner, and forgetting to

S peak .

“
Are you going t o finis h that pair o f shoes to day ? ” -

asked Defarge motioning t o Mr Lorry to come forward

, .
‘

“
What did you say ?
Do you mean to finish that pair o f shoes to day ? -

“ ’ ’
I can t say that I mean to I suppose so I don t . .

”
know .

But the ques tion reminded him o f his work and he bent ,

o v er it again .

Mr Lorry came silentl y forward leaving the daughter by

.
,

the door W h en he h ad stood for a minute o r two b y the

.
, ,

s ide o f Defarge the shoemaker looked up

,
He showed no .

s urprise at seeing another figure but the unsteady fingers ,

o f o n e o f h is hands strayed to h is lips as he looked at it

( h is lips and his nails were o f the same pale lead colour
)
-
,

an d then the hand dropped to his work and he once more ,

bent over the S hoe The look and th e action h ad occupied

.

but an instant .

You have a v isitor y o u see said Monsieur Defarge

, , .

”
W h at did y o u s ay ?
Here is a v isitor ”
.

The shoemaker looked up as before but without remo v i n g ,

a h and from his work .

“
C ome ! said Defarge
” “
Here is monsieur wh o knows
.
,

a well made shoe w h en he sees one

-
Show him that shoe .

”
you are working at Take it monsieur .
, .

Mr Lorry took it in his hand

. .

“
Tell mons ieur w h at kin d o f shoe it is, an d the maker s
’

”
n ame .
 A T AL E OF Tw o C ITIE S . 7

T he re w as a lo nger pause t h an usual , before the shoe

maker replied
“
I forget w h at it was y ou asked me W h at did y ou .

”
say ?
I said, c ouldn t y o u describe t h e kind o f s h oe, f o r m on
’

’
sieur s information ?
’ ’
It is a lady s S hoe It is a young lady s walking shoe
.
-
.

It is in the present mode I never saw the mode I have

. .

h ad a pattern in my hand ”
He glanced at the sh o e, with
.

some little passing touc h o f pride .

“ ’ ”
And the maker s n ame ? said Defarge .

N o w that he had no work to hold he laid t h e knuckles

,

o f the right hand in the hollow o f the left, and then the

knuckles o f the left hand in the hollow o f the right, and

then passed a hand across his bearded chin and so o n in ,

’
regular changes without a moment s intermission The
,
.

task o f recalling him from the vacancy into whic h h e always

sank when he had spoken was like recalling some v ery
,

weak person from a swoon, o r endeavouring in t h e h ope o f ,

some disclosure to stay the spirit o f a fast dying m an

,
-
.

“ ”
Did you ask m e f o r my name ?
”
Assuredly I did .

On e Hundred and F i v e, Nort h Towe r .

”
Is that all ?
On e Hundred and F ive , North Tower .

With a weary sound that was not a s igh , nor a groan, he

bent to work again , until the silence was again broken .

“
Yo u are not a shoemaker by trade ? ”
said Mr Lorry .
,

looking steadfastly at him .

H is h aggard eye s turned t o Defarge as if he would h ave

transferred the question t o h im ; but as no help came from
t hat quarter t hey turned back o n the questioner when the y
,

h ad sought the ground .

I am n o t a s h oemaker by trade ? N o I was not a S ho e

,
48 A TALE OF T WO C ITI E S .

maker by trade I . I learnt it h ere I taugh t mys e lf . .

I asked leave to
He lapsed away, even f o rminutes , ringing t h ose measured
changes o n his hands the whole time His eyes came slowly .

back at last to the face from which they had wandered ;

, ,

when they rested o n it, he started and resumed in the , ,

manner o f a sleeper that moment aw ake, reverting t o a sub

j e c t o f last night .

“
I asked leav e t o teach myself and I got it with much
,

difiicu lty after a lo n g w h ile , an d I have m ade sh o es ever

”
s ince .

As h e h eld o u t h is h and f o r t h e shoe t h at h ad been taken

from him, Mr Lorry said, still looking st e adfastly in his
.

face :
“
Monsieur Man e tte, do y ou remember nothing o f me ?
T h e s h oe dropped t o the ground and h e sat looking ,

fixedly at the questio n er .

“
Mon sieur Manette ; Mr Lorry laid h is h and upon
.

“
De f ar ge s arm ;
’
do y ou remember nothi n g o f this man ?
Look at h im Look at me I S there n o o ld banker, n o o ld
. .

business , n o o ld ser v ant, n o o ld time , rising in you r mind ,

M onsieur Manette ?

As t h e capti v e o f m any year s sat l o oking fi xedly , by turns

at Mr Lorry an d at Defarge , some long obliterated marks
.

o f an actively intent intelligence in the middle o f the fore

h ead, gradually forced themsel v e s through the black mist

that h ad fallen o n him They were o v erclouded again t h ey
.
,

were fainter t h ey were gone ; b u t they h ad been there

, ,
.

And s o exactly was th e expression repeated o n the fair

y oung face o f her w h o h ad crept along th e wall to a point
where she could see him and where she n o w stood looking
,

at him, with h ands whic h at first had been only raise d in

frightened compas sion , if n o t e v en to keep h im o ff and S hut
o u t t h e s ight o f him , but which were n o w extending toward s
 A TAL E OF TWO C ITI E S . 49

h im , trembling with eagerne ss t o lay the S pectral face upon

h er warm young breast, and love it back to life and hope
s o exactly was the expression repeated (though in stronger

characters ) o n h er fair young face that it looked as though ,

it had passed, like a moving light, from h im to her .

Darkness had fallen o n him in its place H e looked at .

the two less and les s atte n tively and his eyes in gloom y
, ,

abstraction sought the ground an d looked about him in the

o ld way F inally with a d e ep long sigh , he took the shoe
.
,

up and resumed his work

,
.

“
Have you r e cognised h im monsieur ? ”
asked Defarge , ,

in a whisper .

“
Yes ; for a moment At first I t h ought it quite h Ope
.

less but I have unquestionably s een for a single moment

, , ,

the face that I once knew well Hush ! Let us draw further .

”
back Hush !.

She had mo v ed from the wall o f t h e garret very near to ,

t h e bench o n which he sat There was something a wful in .

his unconsciousness o f the figure that could have put out its
hand and touc h ed him as he stooped over his labour .

N o t a word was spoke n not a sound was made She , .

stood like a S pirit bes ide him and he bent over his
, , ,

work .

It happened, at length that he had occasion to change t h e

,

’
instrument in his hand for his shoemaker s knife It lay
, .

o n t h at side o f him which was n o t the s ide o n which S h e

stood H e had taken it up an d was stooping to work

.
,

again when h is eye s caught the skirt o f her dress

,
He .

raised the m and saw her face The two S pectators started
,
.

forward, but s h e stayed them with a motion o f her hand .

She had n o fear o f h is striking at h er wit h the knife, though

t h ey h ad .

H e stared at h er with a fearful look, and after a while

h is lips began to form some words though no sound pr o ,
50 A T ALE OF Two C IT IES .

c e e de d fr om th e m By de grees , in t h e paus e s o f h is qu ick

.

and laboured breath ing, h e was he ard t o say :

Wh at is this !
With t h e tears streaming do wn her face s h e put h er tw o ,

h ands to h er lips an d kisse d them t o h im ; t h en clasped

.

them o n her breast as if s h e laid h i s r u i n e d he ad th e re

, .

“
Yo u are not the gaoler S daug h ter ?
’ ”

“ ”
She sighed N o .

Who are you ?

N o t yet trusting the tone s o f h er v oice s h e s at down o n ,

the bench beside him H e recoiled but she laid h er hand

.
,

upon his arm A strange t h rill struck h im w h en she did

.

s o , and v isibly pas se d o ver his frame ; h e laid t h e knife

down softly, as he sat staring at h er .

Her golden h air whic h s h e wore in long curls, h ad been

,

hurriedly pus h ed aside and fell down o v er her neck

,
.

Adv ancing his hand by little an d little he took it up and , ,

looked at it I n the midst o f t h e action h e w ent astray

.
,

and, with another deep sigh fell t o work at his S h oemaking

,
.

But, not for long Releas ing his arm she laid her h and
.
,

upon his shoulder After looking doubtfully at it t w o o r

.
,

three times as if to be sure that it was really there h e laid

, ,

down his work put h is hand t o h is neck and took Off a

, ,

b lackened string with a scrap o f folded rag attached to it .

He O pened this carefully , o n h is knee , and it contained a

,

very little quantity o f hair : not more than o n e o r t w o long

golden hairs , w h ic h h e h ad, in some o ld day, wound o ff
upon his finger .

He took her h air into h is hand again and looked closely ,

“
at it . It is the same H o w c an it be ! When w as it !
.

How was it !
As the concentrating expression returned to h is forehead ,

he seemed to become conscious that it was in hers too He .

turned her full to th e ligh t, and looked at her .

 A TALE or Tw o C ITIE S . 51

S h e h ad laid her h ead upon my shoulder, that night

when I was summoned o u t — she had a fear of my going ,

th ough I had none — an d when I was brought to the North

Tower they found t h ese upon my sleeve You will leave .
‘

me them ? They c a n never help me to escape in the body

,

though th ey may in the S p irit ’

Those were the words I .
-

said I remember t hem very well

. .

He formed this S peech with his lips man y times before he

could u t ter it But w h en h e did find spoken words f o r it,
.

they came to him coherently though slo wly , .

“
H ow was this ? — Was it yo u ? ”

O nce more the two spectators started as h e turned upo n

, ,

her with a frightful su ddenness But, s h e sat perfectly .

still in his grasp an d only said in a low v oice I entreat

,
“
, ,

you good gentlemen do not come near us do not speak do

, , , ,

n o t mo v e !
“
Hark ! h e exclaimed
” “
Wh ose v oice was th at ? ”
.

H is h ands released her as h e uttered this cry, and went

up t o h is white hair which they tore in a frenzy It died
,
.

out as everything b u t h i s shoemaking did die o u t o f h im

, ,

and he refolded his l ittle packet and tried to secure it in

h is breast ; but, he still looke d at her and gloomily S hook ,

h is head .

“
No n o no ; you are too young too blooming I t can t
, , , .
’

be S ee what the prisoner is T h ese are not the h ands she

. .

knew t h is is not the face she knew th is is not a voice she

, ,

ever heard No, no She was — and H e was — before the

. .

slow years o f the North To wer — ages ago What is your .

”
name my gentle angel ?
,

Hailing h is softened tone and manner his daughter fell ,

upon her knees before h im with h er appealing h ands upon ,

h is breast .

“
O sir at another time y ou shall know m y name and
, , ,

who my mother was , an d who my father an d how I never ,

52 A TALE OF Tw o C IT IE S .

knew t he ir h ard, hard h istory But I cannot t e ll y o u at

.

this time , an d I cannot tell y o u here All t h at I may tell .

o u here and n o w is t h at I pray to y o u t o touc h me and

y , , ,
”
to bless me Kis s me, kis s me ! O m y dear, m y dear !
.
.

H is cold white h ead mingled wit h her radiant hair which ,

warmed an d ligh ted it as though it were the light o f F ree

dom shining o n h im .

If y o u hear in my voice — ’
I don t know that it is so ,

but I h Ope it is if y o u h ear in my v oice any resemblance

t o a v oice that once was sweet music in your ears , weep for
it w eep f o r it ! If y ou touch , in touching my hair any
, ,

thing that recalls a belo v e d h ead that lay in your breast

whe n y o u were young and free weep f o r it, weep f o r it !,

If, w h en I hint t o y ou o f a H ome there is before us , where

I w ill be true t o y o u w ith all my duty and wit h all my
faithful ser v ice I bring back t h e remembrance o f a Hom e
,

long desolate , w h ile your poor h eart pined away, weep f o r

”
it w eep f o r it !
,

S h e held h im closer r ound t he n eck, and rocked h im o n

h er breast like a child .

“
If when I tell y ou , dearest d e ar t h at your agony is
, ,

o ver , and that I h a v e come h ere t o take y o u from it and ,

that we go t o E ngland t o be at peace an d at rest I cause ,

y o u t o thin k o f your useful life laid waste ,

and o f o u r native
F rance s o wicked t o y o u weep f o r it, weep f o r it ! And
,

if, w h en I s h all tell y o u o f my name , and o f my father who

is li v ing and o f my mother w h o is dead, y o u learn that I
,

hav e to kneel to my honoured father, and implore h is par

do n for having ne v er for his sake stri v en all day and lain
awake and wept all night because t h e love o f my poor
,

mother hid his torture from me weep for it, weep f o r it ! ,

Weep f o r h er then and f o r me ! Good gentlemen thank

, , ,

God ! I feel his sacred tears upon my face and his sobs strike ,
”
against my hear t 0 , see ! Thank G o d for us, thank God !
.
54 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

I do n ot do u b t th at y o u will fi nd h im, w h en y o u com e back,

as quiet as y o u leav e h im I n an y case I will take care o f
.
,

h im until y ou r eturn, and t h en w e will remo v e h im straight ”

.

Bot h M r Lorry and Defarge w ere rather dis inclined t o

.

t h is course , and in fa v our o f o n e o f them remaining But, .

as ther e we r e not only carriage and horses t o be seen t o, but

t rav elling papers ; and as time pressed, for t h e day was
d rawing t o an e n d, it came at last t o t heir h astily dividing
t h e bu sines s t h a t w as n ecessa ry t o b e d o ne , an d h u rrying
aw ay t o do it .

Then, as t h e dark n e ss closed in , th e daughte r laid h e r

h ead down o n t h e h ard ground clos e at t h e fath e r s s ide,’

and w atc h ed h im Th e darkness deepened and deepened,

.

an d t h ey bot h lay quiet, u ntil a ligh t gleam e d throug h t h e

c h inks in th e wall .

M r Lorry an d Monsieur Defarg e h ad made all ready f o r

.

t h e j ourney , an d h ad brought wit h t h em besides travellin g ,

c loaks and wrappers bread an d meat w ine an d h o t co ffee

, , ,
.

Mons ieur Defarge pu t t h i s prov ender, and the lamp h e

carried, o n the shoemaker s benc h (there was nothing els e
’

in the garret b u t a pallet bed ) and he and Mr Lorry roused

,
.

the captive and assisted him t o his feet

,
.

N o human intelligence could h a v e read the mysteries o f

h is mind, in t h e s cared blank wonder o f his face Wh et h er .

h e knew w h at had h appened, whether he recollected what

they had said t o him, whether h e kne w that he was free ,

w ere questions whic h no sagacity could h ave sol v ed They .

trie d S peaking to h im ; but, h e was s o confused and s o very ,

slow t o answer that they took fright at h is bewilderment

, ,

and agreed f o r the time to tamper with him no more He .

h ad a w ild, lost manner o f occasionally clasping h is head in

h is h ands , t h at h ad n o t bee n seen in him before ; yet h e ,

h ad so m e pleasure in th e mere sound o f h is daughter s vo ice

’
,

an d invariably turned to it when she spoke .

 A T AL E OF T wo C ITI E S . 55

In t h e submis si v e way o f o n e long accustomed to O b ey

un der coercion, he ate an d drank what they gave him t o eat
an d drink and put o n the cl oak and other wrappings that
,

they gav e h im to wear H e readily responded t o his dau gh

.

ter s drawing her arm through his and took — and kept
’
,

h er hand in both o f his o wn .

They began to descend ; Monsieur Defarge going first with

the lamp Mr Lorry closing the little proces sion They had
, . .

not trav ersed man y steps o f the long main staircase when he
stopped and stared at the roof and round at the walls
, .

“
Yo u remember the place, my father ? Yo u remember
coming up here ?

“
What did you say ?
But b e fore she could repeat the question, he murmured
,

an answer as if s h e had repeated it .

“
Remember ? N o , I don t remember It was s o very
’
.

”
long ago .

T h at h e h ad n o recollection w h atever o f his h av ing been

brought from his prison to that h ouse was apparent to ,

them They heard h im mutter O ne Hundred and F ive

.
“
, ,

North Tower ; an d when he looked abo u t h im it evidently ,

was for the stron g fortress walls which had long e n c o m

-

pass ed him O n t h eir reaching the court yard he instin o

.
-
,

t iv e ly altered his tread, as being in expectation o f a

drawbridge ; and when there was no drawbridge, and he
saw the carriage w aiting in the open street he droppe d h is ,

daugh ter s h and and clasped his head again

’
.

N o crowd was about the door ; no people were discernible

at any o f the many windows ; not even a c h ance passer b y -

w as in the street An unnatural silence and desertion

.

reigned there O nly o n e soul was to be seen and that was

.
,

Madame Defarge — who leaned against the door post knit -

,
:

tin g an d saw nothing

,
.

T he prisoner had go t into the coac h, and h is daughter

56 A TALE OF Tw o C IT I E S .

’
had followed him, when Mr Lorry s feet were arrested o n .

the step by h is aski n g miserably, f o r h is shoemakin g tools

,

an d the unfin ished shoes M adame Defarge immediately

.

called to her husband that she would get them , and went ,

knitting o u t o f the lamplight, through the court yard

,
-
.

She quickly brought them down and handed them in ;

and immediately afterwards leaned against the door post, -

knitting, and saw nothing .

“
D efarge go t upon the box, and gave the word To the
Barrier ! ”
The postilion cracked h is whip, and they clat
t e r e d away under the feeble o v er swinging lamps -
.

Under the o v er swinging lamp s

-
swin ging e v er brigh ter
in the better streets an d ever dimmer in the worse
,
and
by lighted shops gay crowds illuminate d coff ee houses
, ,
-
,

and theatre doors , t o o n e o f the city gates S oldiers with .

“
lanterns at the guard house there -
Your papers , travel .

” ”
lers ! S ee here then Monsieur the O fficer, said D e
,
“
farge, getting do wn, and taking him gravely apart these ,

are the papers o f monsieur inside wit h the white head ,

.

They were consigned to me with him , at t h e ,

He
dropped his voice there was a flutter among the m ilitar v
,

lanterns and o n e o f them being h anded into the coach by

,

an arm in uniform t h e eye s connected wit h the arm looked

, .

not an e v ery day o r an every night look, at mons ieur with

the white head .
“
It is well F orward ! from t h e uniform
”
. .

“ ”
Adieu ! from Defarge And so under a short grove o f
.
,

feebler an d feebler over swinging lamps, o u t under the

-

great grove o f stars .

B eneath that arc h o f unmov ed and eternal lights : some ,

so remo t e from this little earth that the learned tell us it

is doubtful whether t he i r rays have even yet discovered it,
as a point in space where anything is suffered or done : the
shadows o f the night were broad an d black All through .

the cold and restless inter v al until dawn, they once more ,
 A TAL E OF Tw o C IT I E S . 57

w h isp e red in t h e ears o f Mr Jarvis Lorry

. s ittin g O pposite
the buried m an who h ad been dug o u t and wondering what
,

subtle powers were for ever lost to him , an d wh at w e r e

capable of restoration the o ld inquiry
“
I hope y o u care t o b e r e calle d t o life ? ”

An d t h e o ld ans w e r
“ ’ ”
I can t say .
B OOK TH E S E C OND . TH E G OLDE N TH RE AD .

C H AP TE R I .

F IV E YE A RS L A TE R .

TE L L S ON S ’
B a k by Temple Bar was an o ld fas h ioned
n -

place even in t h e year o n e thousand se v en hundred and

,

eighty It was v ery small very dark, very ugly very

.
, ,

in com modious It was an o ld fas h ioned place moreover,

.
-
,

in t h e moral attribute t h at t h e partners in the House were

proud o f its smallness , proud o f its darkness, proud o f its
ugliness , proud of its incommodiousness They were even .

boastful o f its eminence in those particulars and were fired ,

by an expres s con v iction that if it were less obj ectio n able

, ,

it would be less respectable T h is was no passive belief

.
,

but an acti v e weapon w h ic h t h ey flashed at more c o n v e n

’
ie n t places o f business Te lls o n s (they said) wanted no
.

’ ’
elbow room Te lls o n s wanted n o light, Te lls o n s wanted
-
,

no embellis h ment Noakes and Co s might, o r Snooks

.
’
.

’ ’
Brothers m ight ; but Te llso n s thank Heaven ! ,

Any o n e o f these partners would h ave dis inherited his

’
s o n o n the question o f rebuilding Te lls o n s I n thi s re .

spect the House was much o n a par wit h t h e C ountry ; which

did v ery often disinherit its sons for suggesting impro v e
m ents in laws and customs that had long been highly o b j e c
t io n ab le , but were only the more respectable .

Thus it had come to pass , that Te lls o n s was t h e t r iu m

’

58
 A TALE OF TW O C ITIE S . 59

phant perfection of inconvenience After bursting open a .

door o f idiotic obstinacy with a weak rattle in its throat ,

’
you fell into Te lls o n s down two steps and c ame to y our ,

senses in a miserable little shop with two little counters , ,

where the oldest of men made your cheque shake as if the

wind rustled it while they examined the s ignature b y the
,

dingies t o f windo w s which were alway s under a shower

,

bath o f mud from F leet s t r e e t an d which were made the -

,
~

dingier by their o w n iron bars proper and the heavy ,

S hadow of Temple B ar If your busines s necessitated y our

.

“ ”
see ing the Hou se y o u were put into a species o f Co n
,

de m n e d Hold at the back where y ou meditated o n a m is ,

spent life until the House came with its hands in its pock
,

ets and y o u could hardly blink at it in the dismal twilight

,
.

Your money came o u t of or went into wormy o ld wooden , ,

drawers particle s of which flew up y our nose an d down

,

your throat when the y were opened an d shut Your bank .

notes had a musty odour as if they were fast decomposing ,

into rags again Your plate was stowed away among the
.

neighbouring cesspools and evil communications corrupted ,

its good polish in a day o r t w o Your deeds got into ex .

temporised strong rooms made o f kitchens an d sculleries ,

-

an d fretted all the fat o u t of their parchments into the

banking house air Your lighter boxe s o f family papers

-
.

went u p Stairs into a Barmecide room that alway s had a

-
,

great dining table I n it and never h ad a dinner and where

-
, ,

even in the y e ar o n e thousand seven hu ndred and eigh ty,

the first letters written to you by your o ld love o r b y your ,

little children were but newly released from the horror o f

,

being ogle d throug h the windows by the heads exposed o n ,

Temple Bar with an insensate brutality an d ferocity worth y

o f Ab yssinia o r Ashantee .

But indeed at that time putting t o death was a recipe

, ,

muc h in v ogue with all trades an d professions , and n o t least

60 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

of all wit h Te lls o n s Death is Nature s remedy for all

’
.
’

things an d wh y not Legislation s

,
Ac c ordingly the ’
,

forger was put to Death ; the utterer o f a bad note was put
t o Death ; the unlawful opener o f a letter w as put t o Deat h ;
the purloiner o f forty shillings and S ixpence was put to
Death ; t h e h older o f a h orse at Te lls o n s door who made
’
,

o ff with it was put to Death , the coiner o f a bad shilling

,

was put to Death , t h e s ounders o f three fourths of th e -

notes in the whole gamut o f C rime w ere put to Death .

N o t that it did the least good in t h e way o f prevention

it might almost h ave be en wort h remarking that the fact
was exactly the reverse — but it cleare d Off (as to this,

world) the trouble o f each par t icular case and left nothing ,

e lse connected wit h it to be looked after Thus Te lls o n s ’

.
, ,

in its day like greater places o f business its c o n t e m po ra

, ,

r ies h ad taken s o many li v es that if the heads laid lo w

, , ,

before it h ad been ranged o n Temple Bar instead o f being

pri vately disposed o f they w ould probably h ave exclude d
,

Wh at little light t h e ground floor had in a rather significan t ,

m anner .

C ramped in all kinds o f dim cupboards an d hutc h es at

Te lls o n s the oldest of men carried o n the business gravely
’
, .

Wh en t h ey took a young man into Te lls o n s London h ouse

’
,

they h id h im somewhere till h e was o ld They kept h im .

in a dark p lace like a c h eese , until h e h ad the full Te lls o n

,

fla v our and blue mould upon h im Then only was b e per

-
.

m itte d t o be seen spect acularly poring o v er large books

, ,

and casting h is breeches and gaiters into the general weigh t

o f the establis h ment .

O utside Te lls o n s — never by an y means in it unles s

’
,

called in — was an o dd j o b man an occasional porter and

- -
,

m essenger wh o ser v ed as the li v e S ign o f the h ouse

,
He .

was never absent during business hours , unless upon an

e rrand and t h en he was represented by his s o n : a grisly
,
62 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

Wh at ! said Mr C runc h er looking ou t o f bed f or a

”
.
,

“ ’
boot . Y o u re at it agin are you ? ,

After hailing the morn with this second salutation, h e

t h rew a boot at the woman as a third It was a v ery .

muddy boot and may introduce the o dd circumstance

,

connected with Mr C runcher s domestic economy , that,

’
.

whereas he O ften came home after banking hour s with clean

boots he often go t up next morning to fin d th e same boots
,

co v ered with clay .

“
What, said Mr C runcher v ary ing his apostrop h e
”
.
,

after missing his mark “

w h at are y o u up t o A gge raw ay ,

”
ter ?
“
I w as only saying my prayers .

Saying your prayers You re a nice woman ! W h at.

’

do y ou mean by flopping yourself down and praying

”
agin me ?
“
I w as n o t praying against y o u ; I was praying for y ou .

Yo u weren t ’
And if y o u were I won t be took t h e
.
,
’

liberty w ith Here ! your m oth er s a n ice woman, Young

.
’

’
Jerry , going a praying agin your father s prosperity .

You v e go t a dutiful mot h er, y ou h ave my s on You ve

’ ’
, .

g o t a religious mo th er , y
o u h a v e my b o y : going
,
and fl O p
ping herself down an d praying that th e bread and butter
,
- -

may be snatche d o u t o f the m outh o f h er only child !

Master C runcher (w h o w as in his s h irt) took t h is v ery
ill , an d, turning t o his mot h er strongly deprecated any,

praying away o f his personal board .

“
And w h at do y o u suppose, you conceited female said ”
,

Mr C runcher with unconscious inconsistency

.
,
“
th at t h e ,

wort h o f yo u r prayers may be ? Name the price that y ou

put yo u r prayers at !
T h ey only come from t h e h eart, Jerry T h ey are worth .

”
n o more than that .

“
Wort h n o more than that, repeate d M r C runc h er
”
. .
 A TALE OF T WO C IT IE S . 63

T h ey a in t w ort h m u ch , then Wh ether o r n o, I won t

’
.
’

’
be prayed agin, I tell you I can t aff ord it I m not . .
’

a going to be made u nlucky by you r sneaking If you must .

fl O in g yourself down , fl Op in fa v our o f your husband

g o pp
an d child and n ot in O ppos ition to em
,
If I had had an y .

but a u n n at r al w ife, and thi s poor boy h ad had any but a

’

u n n at r al mother, I m ight ha v e made some money last

’

week, instead o f being c o u n t e r pray e d and counterm ined

and religiously c ir cu m w e n t e d into t h e worst o f luck .

Bu u ust me !
- - ”
said Mr C runcher who all this time had .
,

been putt ing o n his clothes if I ain t what wit h piety and
“
,
’
,

o n e blowed thing and an O th e r been choused this last week ,

into as bad luck as ever a poor devil of a honest tradesman

m et with ! Yo u ng Jerry dress yourself my boy, an d , ,

while I clean my boots keep a eye upon your mother n o w

an d then and if y o u see any signs o f more fl Oppin g give
, ,

me a call F or, I tell you h ere he addres sed his w ife

.
”
,

“ ’
once more, I won t be gone agin in this manner I am ,
.

as rickety as a hackney coac h I m as sleepy as lau danum

-
,
’
,

’
my lines is strained to that d e gree that I shouldn t know ,

’ ’
if it wasn t for the pain in em which was me and which ,
’
somebody else yet I m none the better for it in pocket ;
,
’ ’
and it s my suspicion that you ve been at it from mornin g
to night t o prevent me from being the better for it in
pocket and I won t put up w it h it, A gge r aw ay t e r and
,
’
,

what do you say now !

“
Growling in addition suc h phrases as
, Ah ! yes !
,
’ ’
You re religious too You woul dn t put yourself in O ppo
,
.

sitiou to the interests o f your h usband and child would ,

”
you ? Not y o u ! and throwing OE other sarcastic sparks
from t he whirl ing grindstone of h is indignation Mr ,
.

C runch er betook himself to his boot -cleaning and his gen

eral preparations for busines s I n the mean time h is son, .
,

w h o se h ead was garnished with tenderer S pikes, and whos e

64 A T ALE or Tw o C ITI E S .

young eyes stood close by o n e anot h er, as h is fat he r s did, ’

kept the re quired watc h u n on his m o t he r H e greatly .

disturbed that poor woman at inter v als, by darting o u t o f

h is sleeping closet, where h e made his toilet with a sup ,

pressed cry o f You are going t o fl Op mot h er

“
Halloa, , .

fath er ! an d after rais i n g this fictitious alarm, darting in

”
,

again with an undutiful grin .

Mr C runcher s temper was n o t at all impro v ed when he

.
’

came to his breakfast H e res ented M rs C runc he r s say

.
’
.

in g Grace with particular animosity .

N o w, A gge r awayte r ! What are y ou up t o ? At it

agin ?

H is w ife explained that s h e h ad m erely asked a bles s

“

”
in g .

Don t do it ! said M r C runcher , looking about as if

’ ”
.
,

he rather expected to see the loaf disappear under the e ffi

’ “ ’
cacy o f h 1 s wife s petitions I ain t a going t o be blest
.

o u t o f h ouse and home I won t h av e my w ittle s blest Off

’
.

”
my table Keep still ! .

E xceedingly red eyed an d grim, as if he h ad been up all

-

night at a party whic h had taken anything but a convivial

turn , Jerry C runcher worr ied his breakfast rather than ate
it, gr o wling over it like any four footed inmate o f a m e n age
-

r ie . Towards nine o clock h e smooth ed his ruffled aspect

’
,

and, presenting as respectable and bus ines s like an exterior -

as h e could overlay his natural self with, issued forth to

t h e occupation o f the day .

I t could scarcely be called a trade , in S pite o f h is favour

ite desc r iption o f h imself as a honest tradesman
“ ”
His .

stock consisted o f a wooden stool ma de o u t o f a broken ,

backed c h air cut down, which stool Young Jerry walking ,

at his fat h er s s ide , carried e v ery morning to beneath the

’

bankin g house window that w as nearest Temple Bar : w h ere

-
,

w it h t he addition o f the first h andful o f straw t h at coul d

 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 65

be gleaned from an y passing vehicle to keep the cold and

’
wet from the o dd j ob man s feet it form ed the encampment
- -
,

for t h e day On this post o f his Mr C runcher was as well

.
,
.

known t o F leet street and the Temple as the Bar itself

-
,

and was almost as ill looking -

.

E ncamped at a quarter before nine, in good time to touch

his three cornered hat to the oldest o f men as they passed
-

’
in to Te lls o n s Jerry took up his station o n th is windy
,

March morning w ith Young Jerry standing by him when

, ,

n o t engaged in making forays through the Bar to inflict ,

bodily and mental injuries o f an acute description o n pass

in g boy s who were small enoug h for his amiable purpose .

F ather and son extremely like each other looking S ilently

, ,

o n at the morning traffic in F leet street with their t w o -

,

heads as near to o n e anoth er as the t w o eyes o f each were ,

bore a considera b le resemblance to a pair o f monkeys The .

resemblance was n o t lessened by the accidental circum

stance that the mature Jerry bit and S pat o u t straw, while
,

the twinkling ey es o f the youthful Jerry were as restlessly

watchful o f him as o f everything else in F leet street -
.

Th e head o f o n e o f the regular in door mes sengers -

’
attached to Te lls o n s establishment was put through the
door and the word was given
,

“ ”
Porter wanted !
Hooray father ! H ere s an early job to begin wit h !
,
’ ”

H aving thus given his parent God speed Young Jerry ,

seated himself o n t h e stool entered o n h is reversionary

,

interest in th e straw his father had been chewing and ,

cogitated .

‘
Al ways rusty ! His fingers is al way s rusty !
- ”
mut -

t e r e d Young Jerry Where does m y father get all that

.

iron rust from ? He don t get no iron rust he re ! ’ ”

66 A T A L E OF Tw o C ITIE S .

C H AP TE R II .

A S I GH T .

YO! kn ow t he O ld Bailey well , doubt ? said o n e o f no

t h e o ldest o f clerks t o Jerry the mes senger .

“
Ye e s, sir, returne d Jerry, in s omet h ing o f a dogged
- ”

“ ”
manner I d o know the Bailey .

“
Just s o An d y ou kno w M r Lorry ?
. .

I know Mr Lorry, s ir , muc h better than I know the

.

”
Bailey Much better said Jerry, not unlike a reluctant
.
,

“
witness at the establishment in question, than I, as a
h onest tradesman , wish t o know the Bailey .

“
Very well F ind the door where the witness e s go in
.
,

an d S how the doorkeepe r t h is n o t e f o r M r Lorry He will . .

”
then let y ou in .

“
Into t h e court s ir ? ”
,

”
Into the court .

Mr C runcher s eyes seemed t o get a little closer t o o n e

.
’

another and t o interchange the in quiry, Wh at do you

,
“

think o f this ?
“
Am I t o wait in t h e court sir ? h e asked, as t h e result
”
,

o f that conference .

“
I am going t o tell y o u The doorkeeper will pass the.

n ote to Mr Lorry and do you make any gesture that will

.
,

attract Mr Lorry s attention and S how him where you

.
’
,

stand Then wh at y o u h ave to do, is , to remain there until

.

h e wants you ”
.

“ ”
Is t hat all s ir ? ,

That s all He wishes t o h av e a messenger at h and

’
.

.
.

T h is is to tell h im you are there ”

.

As the ancient clerk deliberately folded an d superscribed

 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 67

the note Mr C runcher, aft er surveying him in silence until

,
.

he came to th e blotting paper stage remarked : -

,

“
I suppos e they ll be trying F orgeries this morning ?
’ ”

”
Treason !
’
That s quartering said Jerry B arbarous !
,
.

”
It is the law remarked the ancient clerk turning his
, ,

“
surprised spectacles upon him It is the law . .

“ ’ ’
It s hard in the law to S pile a man I thi n k It s hard , .

”
enough to kill him but it s wery h ard to S pile him sir
,
’
,
.

“ ” “
Not at all , returned the ancient clerk Speak well o f
the law Take care o f your c h est and voice, my good friend
.
,

and leav e the law to take care o f itself I give y o u that .

”
advice .

“
It s t h e damp s ir w h at settles o n my c h est and v oice
’
, , ,

“
said Jerry I leave you to judge what a damp way o f
.

”
earning a living mine is .

” “
“
Well well said the o ld clerk ; we all have o u r vari
, ,

o u s ways o f gaining a l ivelihood Some o f us hav e damp .

way s and some o f us have dry ways

,
Here is the letter . .

”
Go along .

Jerry took the letter, and, remarking to h imself with less

“
internal deference than he made an outward S how o f , You
are a lean O ld o n e too made his bow, informed his s on , in
”
, ,

passing o f his destination and went his way

, ,
.

They hanged at Tyburn , in those days , so the street o u t

s ide Newgate had not obtained o n e infamous notoriety that
h as s ince at tached to it But the gaol was a vile place in .
, ,

which most kinds of debauc h ery and villainy were practised ,

and where dire diseases were bred that came i n to court ,

with the prisoners , an d sometimes rushed straight from the

dock at my Lord C hief Justice himself and pulled him o fi ,

the bench It had more than once happened, that the judge
.

in the black cap pronounced his own doom as certainly as

’
the prisoner s and even died before him F or the rest the
,
.
,
68 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

O ld Bailey was famous as a kind o f deadly in n yard, from -

w h ich pale travellers s et o u t continually in carts and ,

coaches , o n a v iolent passage into t h e other world : trav ers

ing some two miles and a h alf o f public street an d road ,

and shaming few good citizens if any S o powerful is use , ,

.

and so desirable to be good use in the beginning It was .

famous too for the pillory a wise o ld institution that

, , , ,

inflicted a punish ment of whic h no o n e could foresee the

extent ; also f o r the whipping post, an other dear o ld insti
,
-

t u t io n very humanising and softening to behold in action ;

,

also for extensi v e transactions in blood money another

,
-
,

fragment o f ancestral w is dom systematically leading t o the

,

most frightf u l mercenary crimes that could be committed

under H eaven Altogether t h e O ld Bailey, at that date
.
, ,

was a choice illustration o f the precep t that Whate v er is

“
,

is right ; an ap h orism that would be as final as it is lazy ,

did it n o t include the trouble some c onsequence, that noth

ing that e v er was was wrong , .

Making his w ay thro ugh t h e tainted crowd dispersed up ,

an d down this hideous scene o f action with t h e skill of a ,

m an accustomed t o make his way q uietly t h e mes s enger ,

found o u t the door he sought, and handed in h is letter

through a trap in it F o r people then paid to see the play
.
,

at the O ld Bailey just as they paid to see the play in B ed

,

lam only the former entertainment was much the dearer .

Therefore all the O ld B ailey doors were w ell guarded

,

except indeed the social doors b y which the criminals got

, ,

there an d those were always left wide O pen

,
.

After some delay and demur the door grudgingly turned ,

o n its hinges a ver y l ittle way an d allowed Mr Jerry ,

.

C runcher to s queeze himself into court .

“
W h at s o n ?’ ”
he asked, in a whisper o f the m an he ,

found h imself next t o .

“ ”
Nothing yet .
70 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

Presently the dock became the c entral point o f interes t

, .

Two gaolers who had been standing there went o u t an d

, , ,

the pris oner was brought in, and put to the bar .

Ev erybody present except the o n e wigged gentleman who

,

looked at the ceiling stared at him All the human

, .

breath in the place rolled at him like a s ea o r a wind, or

, , ,

a fire E ager faces strained round pillars an d corners to

.
,

get a sight o f him ; S pectators in back rows stood up not to ,

miss a hair o f him ; people o n the floor o f the court laid ,

the ir hands o n the s h oulders o f the people before them to ,

’
h elp themselve s at anybody s cost to a view o f him
, stood ,

a tiptoe go t upon ledges , stood upon next t o nothing to see

-
, ,

e v ery inc h o f him C onsp icuous among these latter, like

.

an animated bit o f the spiked wall o f Ne wgate , Jerry stood :

aiming at t h e prisoner the beery breath o f a whet h e had
taken as h e came along and discharging it to mingle with ,

the w av es o f other beer and gin and tea, and coffee, and , ,

w h at n ot, t h at flowed at him and already broke upon the ,

great windows behind him in an impure mist and rain .

The object o f all this staring an d blaring was a young ,

m an o f about fiv e and t wenty well grown an d well looking,

- -
,
- -

wit h a sunburnt cheek an d a dark eye His condition was .

that o f a young gentleman H e was plainly dressed in .

black o r v ery dark grey, and his h air, wh ich was long and
,

dark, w as gathered in a ribbon at the back of h is neck :

more to be o u t o f his way than f o r ornament As an .

emotion o f the mind will express itself through any co v er

ing o f the body so the palenes s which h is situation
,

engendered came through the brown upon his cheek show ,

ing the soul to be stronger than the s u n He was otherwis e .

quite self possessed bowed to the Judge , and stood quiet

-
,
.

The sort o f interest with which this m an was stared and

breathed at was not a sort that elevated h umanity H ad
,
.

h e stood in peril o f a less horrible sentence had t h ere been

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 71

a ch ance o f an y o n e o f its savage details being spared — b y

just s o much would he hav e lost in his fascination The .

form that was t o be doomed to be so shamefull y mangled ,

was the s ight ; t h e immortal creature that was t o be so

butchered and torn as u nder yielded the sensation What ,
.

ever glos s the various spectators put upon the interest ,

according to t h eir several arts an d powers of self deceit, the .

-

interest was at the root o f it O greish

, ,
.

S ilence in the court ! C harles Darnay had yesterday

pleaded Not Guilty to an indictment denouncing him (with
in finite j ingle and j angle ) for that he was a false traitor to
o u r serene illustrious excellent and so forth prince, o u r
, , , ,

Lord the King by reason of his hav i n g o n divers occasions ,

, ,

and by divers means an d ways assisted Lewis the F rench , ,

King in his wars against our said s erene illustrious , excel

, ,

lent and s o forth ; that was to s ay by coming and going

, ,

between the dominions o f o u r said serene illustrious excel , ,

lent and so forth and those o f the said F renc h Lewis and
, , ,

wickedly falsely traitorously and otherwis e evil adv e rb i

, , ,
-

ou sl
y ,
reveal ing t o the said F rench Lewis what forces o u r

said serene illustrious excellent and so forth, had in

, , ,

preparation to s end to C anada and North America This .

much Jerry with his head becoming more and more spiky
, ,

as the law terms bristled it made o u t with h uge s at is f ac ,

tion and so arrived circuitously at the understanding that

,

the aforesaid and over and over again aforesaid C harles

, ,

Darnay stood there before him upon his trial ; that the jury
,

were swearing in ; an d that Mr Attorney General was .

-

making ready to speak .

The accused who was (and who knew he was ) being

,

mentally hanged, beheaded and quartered, by every body ,

th ere neither fiin ch e d from the situation nor assumed an y

, ,

theatrical air in it He was quiet and attentive ; watched

.

the opening proceedin gs wit h a grave interest ; and stood

72 A TALE OF Tw o C IT IE S .

wit h h is h ands resting o n the slab o f wood before him s o ,

composedly that they h ad n ot displaced a leaf o f the he rbs

,

with whic h it was strewn The court was all bestrewn

.

wi th herbs and sprinkle d with vinegar, as a precaution

against gaol air and gaol fever .

O v er t h e prisoner s h ead t h ere was a mirror to throw

’
, ,

the light down upon h im C ro w ds o f the wicked an d the

.

wretched h ad been reflected in it, and had passe d from its

surface and this earth s together H aunte d in a most
’
.

ghastly manner t h at abominable place would hav e been, if

t h e glass could ever h av e rendered back its r e fl e x io n s as ,

the ocean is o n e day t o give up its dead S ome passing .

thought o f the infamy and disgrace f o r whic h it had been

re s e r v ed, may have struck the prisoner s m i nd Be that as
’
.

it may a c h ange in h is position making h im conscious o f a

,

bar o f light across his face , he looked up ; an d when he saw

t h e glas s h is face flus he d, and his righ t h and pushed the
herbs away .

It h appened, th at t h e action turned h is face to t h at s ide

of the court which was o n his left About o n a level with .

h is eyes there s at in that corner o f the Judge s bench two

, ,
’
,

persons upon whom h is look im m ediately rested ; s o im m e d i

ately an d s o much to the c h anging o f h is aspect that all
, ,

t h e eyes that were turned upon him turned to them , .

The spectators saw in the two figures a young lady o f ,

l ittle more than twenty and a gentleman who was evidently

,

h er fath er ; a m an o f a very re m arkable appearance in respect

o f t h e absolute whitenes s o f his hair and a certain inde ,

scribable intens ity o f face : not o f an active kind but pon ,

d ering and self communing

-
When this expression was
.

upon h im , he looked as if he were old ; but when it was ,

stirred and broken up as it was n o w , in a moment, o n his

speaking to his daughter h e became a h andsome man, n o t
-

past the prime o f l ife .

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 73

His daughter had one o f her hands drawn through h is

arm , as she sat by him and the other presse d upon it She
, .

had drawn close to him in her dread of the scene and in

, ,

her pity f o r the prisoner Her forehead had been strik

.

in gly expressive of an engrossing terror and compassion

that saw nothing b u t the peril o f the accused This had .

been so very n oticeable so very powerfully and naturall y

,

shown that starers who had had no pity for h im were

,
“
touched by her ; and the whisper went about Who are
”
they ?
Jerry the messenger who had made h is o w n observa
,

tions , in his o w n manner an d who had been sucking the,

rust o ff his fingers in his absorption stretched his neck to ,

hear who they were The crowd about h im h ad pressed

.

and passed the inquiry o n to the nearest attendant, and from

him it had been more slowly pr e ssed and pass e d back ; at
last it go t to Jerry
“ ”
Witnesses .

F o r which s ide ?
”
Against
.

Against what s ide ?

” ’
The prisoner s .

The Judge whose eyes h ad gone in t h e g e neral direction

, ,

recalled them leaned back in his seat and looke d steadily

, ,

at the man whose life was in his hand as Mr Attorney , .

General rose to spin the r 0 pe grind the axe an d hammer , ,

t h e nails into the scaffold .

74 A TAL E OF T WO C IT IE S .

C HAP T E R III .

A D I S A PP O IN T M E N T .

MR . A TT O R NE Y GE NE R A L
had to inform the jury, t h at th e
-

pri s oner before them, though young in years was o ld in t h e ,

treasonable practices which claimed the forfeit o f his life .

That this correspondence with t h e public enemy was not a

correspondence o f to day, o r o f yesterday o r even o f last
-
,

year o r o f the year before That it was certain the pris

,
.
,

oner had for longer than that, been in the habit o f passing
,

an d repass ing between F rance an d E ngland, o n secret busi

ness o f which he could give no h onest account T h at, if it .

were in the nature o f traitorous way s to thrive (which

happily it never was ) the real wickedness and guilt o f hi s
,

busines s might have remained undiscovered That Provi .

dence however had put it into the h eart o f a person who

, ,

was beyond fear and beyond reproach to ferret o u t t h e ,

nature o f the prisoner s s chemes an d struck wit h horror

’
, , ,

to disclose t h em to h is Maj esty s C hief S ecretary o f State ’

and most h onourable P ri vy C ouncil That, this patriot .

would be produced before them That h is pos ition and .

,

attitude were o n the whole sublime That he had been

, ,
.
,
’
the prisoner s friend but at once in an auspicious and an
, ,

evil hour detecting his infamy had resolved to immolate ,

the traitor he could no longer cherish in h is bosom o n the ,

sacred altar o f his country That if statues were decreed .

,

in Britain as in ancient Greece and Rome to public bene

, ,

factors this shining citizen would assuredly have had o n e

, .

That as the y were not so decreed he probably would not

, ,

have o n e That Virtue as had been observed b y the poets

.
, ,

n many pas sages which h e well knew the jury would ha v e ,

( i
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 75

word f o r word, at the tips o f their tongues ; w h ereat the

jury s countenances display ed a guilty consciousnes s that
’

they knew nothing about the passages ) was in a m anner ,

contagious ; more especially the bright virtue known as

patrio t ism o r love of country That the lofty example of
,
.
,

this immaculate and unimpeachable Witness for the C rown ,

to refer to whom however unworthily was an honour had ,

’
communicated itself to the prisoner s servant an d had ,

engendered in him a hol y determination to examine his

’
master s table drawers and pockets and secrete his papers
-
,
.

That, he ( Mr Attorne y General ) was prepared to hear some

.
-

disparagement attempted of this admirable servant ; but

that in a general way he preferred him to his ( Mr
, ,
.

’
Attorney General s ) brothers and sisters and honoured him
-
,

’
more than his (Mr Attorne y General S ) father and mother
.
-
.

That he called with confidence o n the jury to come an d do

,

likewise Tha t the evidence o f these two witnes ses coupled

.
, ,

with the do c uments of their dis c overing that would be

produced would S how the prisoner to have been furn ished
,

with lists o f his M aj e s ty s f o r c e s an d o f their disposition

’ '

and preparation both by sea and land and would leave no

, ,

doubt that he h ad habitually convey ed such information to

a hostile po w er That, these l ists could not be proved to
.

’
be in the prisoner s handwriting ; but that it was all the
same ; that indeed it was rather the better for the prose ou
, ,

tion as showing the prisoner to be artful in h is precautions

,
.

That the proof would go back five years an d would sho w

, ,

the prisoner already engaged in these pernicious missions ,

within a few weeks before the date o f the very first a c tion
fought between the British troops an d the Americans .

That for these reasons the jury being a loy al j u r y (as he

, , ,

knew they were ), and being a responsible jury (as th ey knew

they were) must positively fin d the prisoner Guilty an d
, ,

make an e n d o f h im, w h et h er th ey liked it o r not That, .

76 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

they ne v er could lay their h eads upon their pillows ; t h at ,

they never could tolerate t h e idea o f their wives lay ing

their heads upon their pillows ; that they never could ,

endure the notion of their children laying their heads upon

their pillows ; in short that there never more could be for
, ,

them o r theirs any laying o f h eads upon pillows at all

, ,
’
unles s the prisoner s head was taken o ff That head Mr . .

Attorney General conclude d by demanding o f them in the

-
,

n ame o f everything he could think o f with a round turn in

it and o n the faith o f h is solemn asseveration that he

,

already considere d the prisoner as good as dead and gone .

When the Attorney General ceased a buzz arose in the

-
,

court as if a cloud o f great blue fl ie s were swarming about -

the prisoner, in anticipation o f what he was soon to become

When it toned down agai n , the unimpeac h abl e patriot ap
p e ar e d in the witness b o x -
.

’
Mr S olicitor General then, following his leader s lead,
.
-

examined the patriot : John B arsad gentleman by name , , .

The story o f his pure soul was exactly what Mr Attorney .

General had described it t o be perhaps if it had a fault , ,

a little t o o exactly Having released his noble bosom o f

.

its burden h e would have modestly withdrawn himself but

, ,

that the wigged gentleman with t h e papers before him ,

s itting n o t far from Mr Lorry, begged to ask him a few

.

questions The wigged gentleman s itting opposite , still

.

l o oking at t h e ceiling of the court .

H ad he ever been a S py himself ? N o h e scorned the ,

base insinuation What did he live upon ? His property

. .

’
Where was h is property ? He didn t precisely remember
where it was What was it ? N o busines s o f anybody s
.
’
.

Had he in h erited it ? Yes he had F rom whom ? Dis ,

.

tant relation . V ery distant ? Rat h er E ver been in .

pris on ? C ertainly n o t Ne v er in a de b t o r s prison ? D idn t

.
’ ’

s e e w hat t h at h ad t o do with it Ne v er in a debtor s ’

.
78 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

h ad n otput them there first He had seen the prisoner .

show t h ese identical lists to F rench gentlemen at C alais ,

and s imilar lists to F rench gentlemen both at C alais an d ,

Boulogne He lo v ed h is country and couldn t bear it,

.
,
’

and had given information He had never been suspected .

o f steali n g a silver teapot ; he had been maligned respect

ing a mustard pot but it turned out to be onl y a plated

-
,

on e . He had known the last witness seven or eight y ears ;

’
that was merely a coincidence He didn t call it a par t icu .

larly curious coincidence ; most coincidences were curious .

Neither did he call it a curious coincidence that true patri

o t is m was h is onl y motive t o o He was a true Briton and
'

,
.

hoped there were many like him .

The blue flie s buz z ed again an d Mr Attorney General

-
,
.
-

n
alle d Mr Jarvis Lorry
. .

” ’
Mr Jarvis Lorry, are y o u a clerk in Te lls o n s Bank ?
.

”
I am .

On a certain F riday night in November o n e thousand

seven hundred and seventy fiv e did business occasion y o u -
,

”
t o travel between London an d Dover by the mail ?
“ ”
It did .

Were there any other passengers in the mail ?

”
Tw o .

Did the y alight o n the road in the course o f t h e nigh t ? ”

”
They did .

Mr Lorry look upon the prisoner Was h e o n e of

.
, .

”
those t w o passengers ?

“
I cannot u n dertake to s ay th at he was .

Does h e re semble either of those two passengers ? ”

Both were so wrapped up and the night was so dark , ,

and we were all s o reser v ed th at I cannot undertake to say,

e v en that ”
.

“
Mr Lorry look again upon the prisoner Suppos ing
.
, .

hi m wrapped up as t h ose t w o passengers w ere , is t h ere any

 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .
79

thing in his bulk and stature to render it unlikely t h at h e

was o n e o f them ?
”
(i
NO .

Yo u will n ot swear, Mr Lorry , th at he was not

. on e of

S o at least y o u say he may hav e been o n e o f them ? ”

Yes E xcept that I rem ember them both to have been

.

l ike myself — timorous o f high waymen, and the prisoner

”
has not a timorous air .

“
Did y o u ever see a counterfeit o f timidity, Mr Lorry ? .

”
I certainly have seen that .

Mr Lorry, look once more upon the prisoner H av e

. .

”
you seen him to your cer t ain knowledge, before ?
,

“ ”
I have .

When ?
I was returning from F rance a few days afterwards ,

and at C alais the prisoner came o n board the packet ship

, ,
-

in which I returned and made the voyage with me ,

”
.

“
At w h at hour did h e come o n board ?
“ ”
At a little after midnight .

I n the dead o f the n ight Was he the only passenger .

who came o n board at th at untim ely hour ? '

He happened to be the only o n e .

Never m ind about happeni n g Mr Lorry H e w as ‘

,
’
. .

the only passenger who came o n board in the dead o f th e

”
night ?
“
He was .

Were y o u trav elling alone Mr Lorry, o r with any com ,

.

panion ?
“
With two companions A ge n tleman an d lady T h ey . .

”
are here .

“
They are h ere H ad y ou any con v ersation wit h the
.

”
prisoner ?
80 A TAL E OF T WO C ITI E S .

H ardly The weat h er was stormy an d the pas

an y .
,

sage lo n g and rough, an d I lay o n a sofa almost from s h ore ,

t o s h ore .

“
M is s M anette !
T h e young lady, t o w h om all eyes h ad been turned b e
fore, and were n ow turned again, stood up where s h e had
sat H er fat h er r o se wit h h er and kept h e r h and drawn
.
,

through h is arm .

“
Mis s Manette look upon th e prisoner
,
.

To be confronted with suc h pity , an d suc h e arn e st yout h

and beauty , was far more trying t o the accus e d t h an t o be
confronted with all t h e crowd Standing as it were apart .
, ,

wit h her on the edge o f h is grave , n ot all t he staring curi

os it y that looked o n could f o r th e moment, ner v e h im t o
, ,

remain quite still His hurried right han d parcelled o u t

.

t h e h erbs before h im into imaginary beds o f flower s in a

garden ; and h is e fforts t o control an d st e ady h is breat h ing,
s h ook the lips from w h ic h the colour rus h ed t o h is heart .

Th e buzz o f the great fli e s was loud again .

“
Miss Manette , h ave y ou seen t h e prison e r b e fo r e ?
”
Yes , s ir .

Wher e ? ”

On board o f t he pack e t ship just n o w referr e d t o, s ir,

-

”
and o n the sam e occasion .

Yo u are the young lady just n o w referred t o ?

“ ”
0 ! most unhappily, I am !
T h e plaintive tone o f her c o mpassion merged into the
less mus ical voice o f the Judge , as h e s aid something ,

“
fiercely : Answer the questions put t o y ou an d make no ,

”
remark upon them .

“
Miss Manette h ad y o u any conversation wit h th e pris
,

oner o n that passage acros s the C hannel ? ”

“
Yes, S ir .

”
Recall it .
82 A T ALE OF Two C ITI E S .

Like th es e in shape and s ize ? ”

Possibly, but indeed I don t know, alt h ough they stood

’

Whispering very near t o me : beca u se they stood at the top

o f the cabi n steps t o have the light o f the lamp that was

hanging there ; it was a dull lamp , and th ey spoke very

lo w an d I did not hear what they said, and saw only that
,
”
they looked at papers .

“
N o w , t o the prisoner s conversatio n Miss Manette
’
,
.

The prisoner was as O pen in h is confidence wit h me

w h ic h arose o u t o f my helples s s ituation as he was kind ,

”
an d good, an d useful t o my father I hope bursting into.
,

tears “
,
I m ay n o t repay h im by do ing h im harm t o day ” -
.

Buzzing from t h e blue fl ie s -

.

“
M is s Manette, if the prisoner does n o t perfectly under
stand t h at y ou gi ve t h e evidence which it is y our duty to
give wh ich y o u must give and which y o u cannot escape
from giving wit h great unwillingness , he is the only
person present in t h at condition Please t o go o n . .

“
He tol d me that h e was travelling o n business o f a del
ic at e and di fficult nature whic h might get people into
,

trouble and that he was t h erefore travelling under an

,

assumed name He said that this bus iness had within a

.
,

few days taken him t o F rance and m ight, at intervals

, , ,

take him backwards an d forwards between F rance and E ng

”
land f o r a long time t o come .

“
Did he say anything about America, Miss Manette ?
”
Be particular .

“
He tried t o explain t o me ho w t h at quarrel had arisen ,

and he said that s o far as he could judge it was a wrong

, ,

and foolish o n e o n E ngland s part H e added in a jesting

’
.
,

way, that perhaps George Washington might gain almost

as great a name in histor y as George the Third But there .

was no harm in his w ay o f say ing this : it was said laugh

”
in gly , and to beguile the t ime .
 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 83

Any strongly marked express ion o f face o n the part o f a

chief actor in a scene o f great interest to whom many e y es
are direc t ed, will be unconsciously imitated b y the s pe c t a
tors Her forehead was painfully anxious and intent as
.

she gave this e vidence and in the pauses when S h e stopped

, ,

for the Judge to write it down watched its effect upon the ,

C ounsel for and against Among the lookers o n there was .

-

the same expression in all quarters o f the court ; insomuch ,

that a great majority o f the foreheads there might have ,

been mirrors reflecting the witness when the Judge looked ,

up from his note s to glare at that tremendous heresy about

George Washington .

Mr Attorney General now signified to My Lord, that he

.
-

deemed it necessary as a matter o f precaution and form to

, ,

call the young lady s father Doctor Manette Wh o was

’
, .

called accordingly .

Doctor Manette look upon the prisoner Have you , .

”
ever s een him before ?
O nce When he called at m y lodgings in London
. .

”
Some three years or three y ears and a half ago
, .

Can you identify him as your fellow passenger o n board -

the packet o r speak to his conver sation with your dau gh

,

”
ter ?
S ir I can do neither
,
.

Is there any particular an d special reason for y our being

”
unable to do either ?
He answered, in a low voice There is .

“
Has it been your misfortune to undergo a long im pr is
onm ent without trial o r even accusation in your native
, , ,

”
country Doctor Manette ?
,

He answered in a tone that went to every heart A long

,
“
,
”
imprisonment .

“ ”
Were you newl y released o n the occas ion in question ?
”
They tell me s o .
84 A TALE OF Tw o C IT IE S .

”
Have yo u n o remembrance o f th e occas ion ?
None My m in d is a blan k, from some time
. I c an
n o t even s ay what time when I employed myself, in
my captivity, in making shoes, to the time when I found
myself liv ing in London wit h my dear daughter here She .

had become familiar to me , when a gracious God restored my

faculties ; but, I am quite unable e v en t o say h o w s h e had
become familiar . I hav e n o remembrance o f the proces s .

Mr Attorney General sat down , an d t h e father an d

.
-

daughter sat down together .

A singular circumstance then arose in the case The .

object in hand, being t o S how that the prisoner went

,

down, with some fellow plotter untracked, in the D over

-

mail o n that F riday night in No v ember fi v e years ago, and

g o t o u t o f t h e mail in the night as a blind, at a place where
,

he did n o t remain, but from whic h he travelled back s ome

dozen m iles o r more , t o a garrison and dockyard, an d there
.

collected information ; a witness was called t o identify

h im as having been at the precise time required in the ,

coffee room o f an h otel in that garrison and dockyard town,

- - -

waiting f o r another person T h e prisoner s counsel was

.
’

cross examining this witne ss with no result except that he

-
,

h ad never seen the prisoner o n any other occasion, w h en

the wigged gentleman who had all this time been looking
at the ceili n g o f the court wrote a word o r t w o o n a little
,

piece o f paper screwed it up and tossed it t o him O pen

, ,
.

ing this piece o f paper in the next pause the counsel looked ,

with great attention and curiosity at th e prisoner .

“
Yo u say again y o u are quite sure that it was th e pris
”
oner ?
The witness was quite sure .

Did y ou ever see any body very like th e prisoner ? ”

N o t so like (the witnes s said), as th at h e could be mis

t aken.
86 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

w h at t h ose affairs were a consideration f o r others w h o w ere

,

near and dear to him forbad him e v en f o r his life to dis

, , ,

close H o w the evidence that had been warpe d and wrested

.

from th e young lady , whose anguish in giving it they had

witnessed came to nothing involvi n g the mere little inno
, ,

cent gallantries and pol itenes ses likely t o pass between any
young gentleman an d young lady so thrown together :
with the exception o f that reference t o George Washington ,

which was altogether t o o extravagant and impossible , to be

regarded in an y other light than as a monstrous j oke How .

it would be a weakness in the government to break down in

this attempt to practise f o r popularity on the lowest national
antipathies and fears , an d therefore Mr Attorney General .
-

h ad made the most o f it ; h o w, ne v ertheless , it rested upon

nothing, sav e that v ile and infamous character o f evidence
t o o often disfiguri n g such cases and o f which the State,

Trials o f this country were full But there My Lord inter

.
,

posed (with as grave a face as if it had not been true) say ,

ing that h e could not s it upon that B enc h and suffer thos e
allus ions .

Mr Stry v er then called his few witnesses , an d Mr

. .

C runcher had next to attend while Mr Attorney General .

-

t urned the whole suit o f clothes Mr Stry ver had fitted o n .

the jury inside o u t ; showing how B arsad and C ly were

,

e v en a hundred times better than h e had tho u ght them an d ,

the prisoner a h undred times worse Lastly came My .

,

Lord himself, turning the suit o f clothes now inside ou t, ,

now ou t s ide in , but o n the wh ole decide dly t rimming and

s h aping them into grave clothes for the prisoner
-
.

An d now the j ury turned t o consider and the great flie s

, ,

swarmed again .

Mr C arton , who had s o long sat looking at the ceiling

.

o f the court, changed neither his place nor his attitude , ~

e v en in this exc itement While his learned friend Mr

.
,
.
 A TALE OF T WO C ITI E S . 87

Stry v er, massing h is papers before him whispered wi t h ,

those who sat near , and from time to time glanced an x

io u s ly at the jury ; while all the spectators moved more or
less , and grouped themsel v es anew ; while even My Lord
himself arose from his seat an d sl o wly paced up and down
,

his platform not unattended by a suspicion in t h e minds o f

,

the audience that his state was feverish ; t his o n e man sat
lean ing back, with his torn gown half off him his untidy ,

wig put o n just as it had happened to light o n his head

after its removal , his hands in his pockets , and his eye s o n
the ceiling as they had been all day S omething espec ially .

reckle ss in his demeanour not only gave him a dis r e pu t a

,

ble look but so diminished the s t rong resem b lance he u n

,

doubtedly bore to the prisoner (which his momentary

earnestness when they were compared together had
, ,

strengthened), that many o f the lookers o n taking note o f -

,

him now said to one another the y would hardly have

,

thought the two were so alike Mr C runcher made the . .

“ ’
o bservation to his next neighbour and added I d hold , ,

h alf a guinea that h e don t get no law work to do Don t

’ ’ -
.

look like the sort of o n e to get any do he ? ,

Yet this Mr C arton took in more o f the details o f t h e

, .

scene than he appeared to take in ; for now when Miss ,

’ ’
Manette s head dropped upon her father s breast he was ,

the first to see it and t o s ay audibly : Oflic e r ! look to that

,

’
young lady Help the gentleman to take her o u t Don t
. .

you see S h e will fall !

There was much commiseration for her as she was r e
moved, and much sympathy wit h her father It had evi .

de n t ly been a great distres s to h im to have the days o f h is

,

imprisonment recalled He had shown strong internal

.

agitation when he was questioned an d that pondering o r ,

brooding look which made h im old had been upon him like , ,

a heavy cloud, ever since As h e passed o u t, the jury, w h o

.
88 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

h ad turned back an d paused a moment, spoke, through their

foreman .

They were n o t agreed and w is h ed to retire My Lord ,

.

( perha p s with George Washi n gton o n his mind

) showed
s ome surprise that they were n o t agreed, but s ignified his

pleasure that they should retire under watch and ward and ,

retired h imself The trial had lasted all day and t h e

.
,

lamps in the court were n o w be ing lighted It began to be .

rumoured that the jury would be o u t a long while The .

S pectators dropped Off t o get refreshment and the prisoner ,

wi thdrew to the back o f the dock an d sat down ,

.

Mr Lorry, who had gone o u t when the young lady and

.

h er father went o u t n o w reappeared and beckone d to

, ,

Jerry : w h o , in t h e slackened interest, could easily get

n ear him .

“
Jerry if y o u wish t o take something t o eat y o u can
, ,
.

But keep in the way Yo u will be sure to h ear when the

,
.

’
jury come in Don t be a moment behind them for I want
.
,

y o u to take the verdict back t o the bank Y o u are the .

quickest messenger I kno w, and will get to Temple B ar

”
long b efore I can .

Jerry had just enough forehead to knuckle and he ,

knuckled it in acknowledgment o f this communication and

a S hilling Mr C arton came up at the moment and touched
. .
,

Mr Lorry o n the arm

. .

H ow is the young lady ? ”

She is greatly distressed ; but her father is comforting

h er, and she feels the better f o r being o u t o f court ”
.

“ ’ ’
I ll tell the prisoner so It won t do f o r a respectable .

bank gentleman like y o u , to be seen speaking to him pub

-

”
lic ly, y o u know .

Mr Lorr y reddened as if h e were conscious o f having

.
,

debated the point in h is min d, and Mr C arton made his .

way t o the ou tside o f t h e bar The way o u t o f court lay .

90 A TALE OF TWO C ITIE S .

Mr Lorry handed h im a paper t h roug h t h e t h rong

. .

Quick ! H av e y o u go t it ? ”

“ ”
Yes , sir .

H astily written o n the paper was t h e word A C Q U I TTE D

“

“
If y o u had sent t h e message , Recalled t o Life , again ’
,

muttered Jerry as h e turned, I should have kno wn what

,
“

”
o u meant, this time
y .

H e had n o opportunity o f sayi n g, o r s o muc h as th inking,

anything else, until he was clear o f the O ld B ailey ; for ,

t h e crowd came pouring o u t with a ve h emence t h at nearly

took h im o ff his legs , an d a loud buzz swept into the street
as if t h e baffled blue fl ie s were dispersing in searc h o f ot he r
-

carri o n .

C H AP T E R IV

C O N G R A TULA T O R Y .

F R O M t h e dimly ligh ted passages

-
t h e court t h e last
of ,

sediment o f the human stew that had been boiling there

all day , was straining o ff, when Doctor Manette Lucie ,

Manette his daughter Mr Lorry, the solicitor for the

,
.

defence, and its counsel Mr Stryver stood gathered around

.
,
‘

M r C harles Darnay — just released — congratulating him

.

o n his e scape from death .

It would have been difli cu lt by a far brighter light to ,

r e cognise in Doctor Manette intellectual o f face and u p

,

right o f bearing, the shoemaker o f the garret in P aris .

Yet n o o n e could have looked at him twice , without look

,

ing again : e v en though the O pportunity o f observation had

n o t extended to the mournful cadence o f his lo w grave

voice , and to the abstraction that overclouded him fitf u lly ,

w ithout any apparent reason While o n e external cause

.
,

an d t h at a reference to h is long lingering agony woul d ,

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 91

always — as o n the trial — evoke this condition from the

depths o f his soul it was also in its nat u re to aris e o f
,

itself and to draw a gloom over him as incomprehensible

, ,

to those u nacquainted with his s t ory as if the y had seen

the shadow of t h e actual Bastille thrown upon him b y
a summer sun w hen the substance was three hundred
,

miles away .

O nly his daughter had the power of charmi ng this black

brooding from his mind She was the golden thread that
.

united him to a Past beyond his misery and to a Present ,

beyond his misery : and the sound of her voice the light o f ,

her face the touch o f her hand had a strong beneficial ih

, ,

fl u e n c e with him almost alway s Not absolut ely alway s .

,

for she could recall some occasions o n which her power had
failed ; but they were few and slight and she belie v ed
, ,

them over .

Mr Darnay had kissed her hand fervently and gratefully

.
,

and had turned to Mr Stry ver whom he warml y thanked

.
,
.

Mr Stry ver a man of little more than thirty but looking

.
, ,

twenty years older than he was stout loud r e d blu ff and , , , , ,

free from any drawba c k o f delicacy had a pushing way o f ,

shouldering himself (morally and ph y s icall y ) into com

an ie s and conversations that argued well for his shoul
p ,

dering his w ay up in life .

H e still had his wig and gown on and he said s quaring , ,

himself at his late client to that degree that he s queezed

the innocent Mr Lorry clean o u t of the group : I am glad
.

t o have brought y o u o ff wit h honour Mr Darnay It was ,

. .

an infamous prosecution grossly infamous ; but not the less

,

”
likely to succeed o n that accoun t ,
.

“
Yo u have laid me under an obligation to y o u for l ife
”
in two senses s aid his late client tak ing his hand
, ,
.

“
I h ave done my best for y o u Mr Darnay ; and m y best ,
.

is as good as another man s , I belie v e ’

.
92 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

It clearly being incumbent o n somebody t o say, Muc h

”
b etter , Mr Lorry said it ; perhaps not quite disinterest
.

e dly, but with the interested o b j e ct o f s queez in g himself

back again .

“
Yo u think s o ? said Mr Stry v er
” “
Well ! y o u have
. .

been present all day, and y o u ou ght t o know Yo u are a .

”
man o f business too ,
.

“ ”
And as s u ch, quoth Mr Lorry whom the counsel .
,

learned in the law had now shouldered back into the group ,

just as h e had previously shouldered him o u t o f it as

suc h I will appeal t o Doctor Mari ette t o break up this
, ,

conference and order us all t o o u r homes Miss Lucie looks .

”
ill Mr Darnay has had a terrible day we are worn o u t
.
, .

” “
Speak f o r yourself, Mr Lorry , said Stryver ; I have
.

’ ”
a night s work t o do y e t Speak f o r yourself . .

“
I speak f o r myself, answered M r Lorry, an d f o r M r
”
. .

Darnay an d f o r Mis s Lucie , and

,
Mis s Lucie , do y o u
not think I may speak f o r us all ? ”
H e asked her the
question pointedly an d with a glance at h er father
, .

His face had become frozen, as it were in a v ery curiou s ,

look at Darnay : an intent look , deepening int o a frown o f

dislike an d distrust n o t even unmixed with fear With
, .

this strange expression o n h im h is though ts had wandered

away .

“
My father said Lucie, softly laying h er h and o n h is
, .

He slowly shook the shadow o ff and turned t o h er , .

“
Shall we go home , my father ?
Wit h a long breath , h e ans wered, Yes
“
.

T h e friends o f the acquitted prisoner h ad dispersed,

under the impress ion — which h e h imself had originated
that h e w ould not be released that night T h e lights .

were nearly all exti n guished in the passages , th e iron gates

were being closed with a jar and a rattle and the dismal ,

f
’

p lace was deserted until t o morrow morning s interest

-
o
94 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

It is a pity y ou h av e not s ir ,
.

“ ”
I think so too .

If y o u had, pursued Mr Lorry, per h aps y o u would

”
.

”
atten d to it .

Lord love y o u , no ! I shouldn t’ ”

said Mr C arton
-
, . .

Well S ir ! cried Mr Lorry thoroughl y heated by his

,
.
,

indifference , business is a very good thing and a very ,

respectable th in g And sir if busines s imposes its r e

.
, ,

straints and its silences and impediments , Mr Darnay as a .

young gentleman o f generos ity knows h o w to make allow

ance for that circumstance Mr Darnay good night God . .
, ,

bless y o u , s ir ! I h ope you have been this day preserved

f o r a prosperous and h appy l ife C hair there ! .

P erhaps a little an gry with himself as well as with the ,

barrister Mr Lorry bustled into the chair an d was carried

,
.
,

o ff to Te lls o n s C arton who smelt o f port wine an d did

’
.
, ,

n o t appear t o be quite sober laugh e d then and turned to , ,

D arnay '

“
This is a strange chance that throws y o u and me to
g ether. This must be a strange night to you standing alone ,

here with y our counterpart o n these street stones ? -

“
I hardly seem yet, returned C harles Darnay, to b e
” “

”
long t o this world again .

“ ’ ’
I don t wonder at it ; it s not s o long since y o u were
pretty far advanced o n your way t o anot h er Yo u S peak .

”
f aintly .

“ ”
I begin t o think I am faint .

Then why the de v il don t y o u dine ? I dined myself, ’

,

w hile those numskulls were deliberating which wo rld you

s hould belong to this o r some other Let m e S how you
, .

”
t h e nearest tavern to dine well at .

Drawing his arm t hrough his own he took him down ,

Ludgate h ill to F leet s t ree t and so up a covered way into

- -
, , ,

a tavern Here they were s h own into a little room w h ere

.
, ,
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 95

C harles Darnay was soon recruiting his strength with a

good plain dinner and good wine : while C arton sat oppo
s ite to him at t h e same table wit h his separate bottle of port ,

before him and his fully half insolent manner upon him
,
-
.

“
Do you feel yet that y o u belong to this terrestrial
, ,
”
scheme again Mr Darnay ?
,
.

I am fright f ully confused regarding time and place ; but

”
I am s o far mended as to feel that .

“
It must be an immens e satisfaction !
He s aid it bitterly an d fil le d up his glas s again : whic h
,

was a large one .

“
As to me the greatest desire I have is to forget that I
, ,

belong to it It h as no good in it for me — except wine

.

like this n o r I f o r it S o we are n o t muc h alike in that .

parti c ular Indeed I begin to think we are not much alike

.
,

”
in an y particular you an d I ,
.

C onfused by the emotion o f the day, an d feeling his

being there with this Double of coarse deportment to be ,

like a dream , C harles Dar n ay was at a los s h ow to answer ;

finall y answere d not at all
,

“
Now your dinn er is done C arton presently said, w hy “ '

don t y o u call a healt h, Mr Darnay ; wh y don t you give

’
.
’

your toast ?
“
What healt h ? What toast ? ”

Why, it s o n th e tip o f y our tongue It ough t t o b e it

’
.
,

’ ” ’
must be I ll swear it s there
, .

“ ”
Miss Manette then ! ,

”
Miss Manette , then !
Looking his companion full in h is fac e w h ile he drank
the toast C art on flung his glas s over h is shoulder against
,

the wall where it shivered to pieces ; then rang th e bell,

, ,

and ordered in an o ther .

’
That s a fa ir y o ung lady to hand to a coach in the dark,
M r Darnay ! he s aid filling his new goblet
.
, .
96 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

A slight frown and a laconic Yes , were th e answer

“
.

“ ’
That s a fair young lady to be pit ied by and wept f o r
by ! H o w does it feel ? Is it wort h being tried f o r one s ’

life , t o be the O b ject O f suc h sympathy an d compassion,

”
Mr Darnay ?
.

Again Darnay answered not a word .

“
She w as migh tily pleased t o have yo u r m e ssage, wh en
I gav e it h e r N o t that she s h owed she was pleased, but I
.

”
suppose S h e was .

The allus ion ser v ed as a timely reminder t o Dar n ay that

this disagreeable companion had, o f his o w n free will,
as sisted h im in the strait o f the day H e turned t h e dia ~ .

logue t o that point, an d thanke d h im f o r it .

I n e ith e r want any thanks n o r merit any, was t h e

’

“
,

careles s rej oind e r “

It was nothing t o do, in t h e firs t
.

’
place ; an d I do n t kn ow why I did it, in th e second Mr . .

Darnay, let me ask y o u a que stion ”

.

Willingly, an d a small return f o r your good Offices .

DO y ou think I particularly like y o u ?

Really, Mr C arton, returned the other, oddly discon
.
”

ce rt e d,
“
I h ave n o t asked myself t h e question ”
.

“ ”
But ask yourself the questio n n o w .

You h ave acted as if y o u do ; but I don t think y o u do

’
.

I don t think I do , said C arton

’ ” “
I begin t o have a
.

v ery good O pinion o f your understanding .

“
Ne v ertheless , pursued Darnay rising to ring t h e bell ,
”
,

there is nothing in that I h Ope t o pre v ent my call ing t h e

, ,

”
reckoning and o u r parting without ill blood o n either s ide
,
-
.

C arton rejoining, Noth ing in life ! Darnay rang

“
DO .

y o u call the whole reckoning ?

”
said C arton O n his a h .

s w e r in g in t h e a ffirmative ,
“
Then bring me another pint
o f t h is same wine , drawer , an d come and wake me at t e n
”
.

The bill being paid, C harles Darnay rose and wished him
good night Without returning the wish , C arton ros e t o o
.
98 A TAL E OF T WO C ITI E S .

C H AP TE R V .

TH E JA OKA L .

T H O S E w e redrinking days an d most m e n drank h ard

, .

S o ver y great is the impro v ement T ime h as brought about

in such habits , that a mo derate statement O f the quantity
o f wine and punch which o n e m an would swallow in the

course o f a night without any detriment to his reputation

,

as a perfect gentleman would seem in these day s , a ridi o

, ,

u lo u s exaggeration The learned profess ion o f the Law

.

was certainly not be h ind any other lea rned profes sion in its
Bacchanalian propens ities ; neither was Mr Stryver , already .

fast shouldering his way t o a large an d lucrative practice ,

behind h is compeers in this particular an y more than in ,

the drier parts o f the legal race .

A favourite at the O ld Bailey and eke at t h e Sess ions ,

,

Mr Stry ver had begu n cautiously t o h e w away the l ow e r

.

staves o f the ladder o n wh ich he m ounted Sessions and .

O ld Bailey had now to summon their favourite , specially ,

to the ir longing arms ; and s h ouldering itself towards the

visage o f the Lord C hief Justice in the C ourt O f King s ’

B ench the florid countenance o f Mr Stryver might be daily

, .

seen bursting o u t of the bed o f wigs like a great sunflower

, ,

pushing its way at the s u n from among a rank garden full -

o f flaring companions .

I t had once been noted at the Bar , that while Mr Stry v er .

was a glib m an and an unscrupulous and a ready an d a

, , ,

bold he had not that faculty o f extracting the essence from

,

a heap of statements , which is among the most striking and

’
n ecessary o f the advocate s accomplishments But a re .
,

markable impro v ement came upon him as to this The .

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 99

more bus iness h e got the greater his power seemed to gro w
,

o f getting at its pith an d marrow ; and h owever late at

night he sat carousing with S y dney C arton he alway s had ,

h is points at his fingers ends in the morning ’

.

Sydney C arton, idlest and most unpromising of men was ,

S t ry v e r s great ally What the two drank together b e

’
.
,

tween Hilary Term and Michaelmas , might have floated a

king s S hip Stryver never h ad a case in h and any where ,
’
.
,

but C arton was there with his hands in his pockets staring
, ,

at t h e ceiling o f the court ; they went the same C ircuit and ,

even there they prolonged their usual orgie s late into the
nigh t, an d C arton was rumoured to be seen at broad day ,

going home stealthily and unsteadily to h is lodgings like ,

a diss ipated cat At last it began to get about among

.
, ,

such as were interested in the matter that although Sydney ,

C arton would never be a lion, he was an amazingly good

jackal and that he rendered suit and service t o Stryver in
,

t h at humble capacity
“
Ten O clock, s ir said t h e m an at the tavern w h o m h e
’ ‘

, ,

h ad charged to wake him “ ’

t e n o clock , s ir
”
.

Wh at s the mat ter ?

’

”
Te n O clock sir’
, .

W h at do you mean ? T e n O clock at n ight

’ ? ”

Yes sir Your honour told me to call you

,
. .

O h ! I remember Very well v er y well

.
”
,
.

After a few dull eff orts to get t o sleep again, w h ich th e

‘

man dexterously combated by stirring the fire continuously

for five minutes he got up tossed his hat o n and walked
, , ,

ou t
. He turned into the Temple and h aving revived him , ,

s elf b y twice pacing the pavements O f King s B ench walk

’ -

and Paper buildings turned into the Stry ver chambers

-
,
.

The Stryver clerk who never assisted at these confer

,

e n c e s had gone h ome

, and the Str y ver principal O pened
,

the door H e had his slippers o n , an d a loose bedgown,

.
100 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

and his throat w as bare f o r his greater ease He had t h at .

rather wild, strained, seared marking about the eyes which ,

may be O bser v ed in all free livers o f his class , from the

portr ait o f J e fir ie s downward an d which can be traced,
,

under various disguises o f Art through the portraits o f

,

every Drinking Age .

“
You are a little late, Memory said Stry v er , .

About the usual time ; it may be a quarter o f an hour

”
later .

They went into a dingy room lined with books and l it

t e r e d wit h pap e rs , where there was a blazing fi re A kettle .

steamed upon the h ob , and in the m idst o f the wreck o f

papers a table s h one, with plenty o f wine upon it and ,

brandy, an d rum, an d sugar, and lemons .

“
Yo u hav e h ad y our bottle , I perceive , Sydney .

Two t o nigh t, I think

-
I hav e been dining wit h t h e
.

’ ’
day s client ; o r see ing him dine it s all o n e !
T h at was a rare point, Sydney, that you brought to
bear upon t he identification How did y ou com e by it ?
.

When did it strike you ?

I thought h e was rather a handsome fellow an d I thought ,

I s h ould h av e been much the same sort o f fellow, if I had

h ad any luck .

Mr Stry v er laughed, till he s h ook his precocious paunc h

. .

Yo u an d yo ur luck Sydney ! Get t o work, get t o work

,
”
.

Sullenly enough, th e j ackal loosened hi s dress went into ,

an adjoining room , an d came back w it h a large jug o f cold

water a basin , and a t o wel o r two

,
Steeping the towels in
.

the water, an d partially ringing them o u t, h e folded them o n

his head in a manner hideous t o behold, sat down at the
“ ”
table and said, N o w I am ready !
,

Not muc h boiling down to be done to nigh t, Memory -

,

s aid Mr Stry v er , gaily , as h e look e d among his papers

. .

“
H o w muc h ? ”
1 02 .
o

,
OF T WO C ITIE S .

rem ove d: th e t OW
’

e ls from his head, whic hhad

b ag i shoo k himself yawned shivered,
'

g a n ; , ,

and complied .

Yo u were very s ound, Sydney, in the matt er O f thos e

crown witnesses to day Ev ery question told -
. .

“
I always am sound ; am I n o t ?
’
I don t gainsay it What has roughened your temper ?
.

”
Put some punch to it and smooth it again .

With a deprecatory grunt t h e jackal again complied , .

“
T h e old Sydney C arton o f o ld Shrewsbury S chool, said
”

Stry v er, nodding his head over him as h e reviewed h im in

the present and the past, the O ld seesaw Sydney Up
“
.

o n e minute an d down t he next ; n o w in spirits an d n o w in

despondency !
“
Ah ! returned the other, sighing : yes ! T h e same
”

Sydney with the sam e luck E ven th e n, I did exercise s

,
.

”
f o r other boys and seldom did my o w n
,
.

“
And why not ?
G o d knows It was my way, I suppose
. .

H e sat with his hands in h is pockets and h is legs

,

stretc h ed o u t before him looking at the fire ,

.

“
C arton, said his friend s quaring himself at h im with
”
'

a bullying air as if the fir e grate had been the furnace in

,
-

which sustained endeavour was forged and the o n e delicate ,

thing to be done for the ol d Sydney C arton o f Old Shre w s

bury Sc h ool was to shoulder him into it y our way i s, and
“
,

always was a lame way You summon no energy an d pur

,
.

”
pose Look at me
. .

“
O h botheration ! returned S y dney with a lighter and
, ,

more good humo u red laugh, don t you be moral !

- “ ’ ”

“
H o w have I done what I have done ? ”
said Stryver ;
ho w do I do what I do ? ”

“
Partly through pay ing me to help y o u I suppose But ,
.

it s not worth your w h ile to apo s t r Oph i e me o r the air

’

g , ,
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 03

a bout it ; what you want to do you do Yo u were always , .

”
in the front rank, and I was always behind .

“
I had to get into the front rank ; I was not born there ,
was I ?
“
I was not present at the ceremony ; but m y opinion is
y o u were ,
”
said C arton At this he laughe
. d again ,
and ,

they both la u ghed .

“
B efore Shrewsbury and at Shrewsbury and ever since
, ,

Shrewsbury pursued C arton you have fallen into y our

, ,

r ank, and I h av e fallen into m ine E ven when we were .

fellow s t udents in the S t udent Quarter of Paris picking up

- -
,

F rench an d F rench law an d other F rench crumbs that we

, ,

didn t get much good o f you were always somewhere, and

’
,

I was always nowhere .

“
And whose fault was that ?
Upon my Soul I am not sure that it was not yours
, .

You were always driving and riving and shouldering and

press ing to that restless degree th at I had no chance for
,
’
my l ife but in rust and repose It s a gloomy thing how .
,
’
ever to talk about o n e s o w n past with the day breaking
, , .

Turn me in some other direction before I go .

“
Well then ! Pledge me to the pretty witness said ,

“
Stryver holding up his glass
,
Are y o u turned in a.

”
pleasant direction ?
Apparently not for h e became gloomy again
,
.

“ ”
Pretty witness he muttered looking down into his
, ,

glass .
“
I have h ad enough of witnesses to day an d to -

’
night ; who s your pretty witness ?
“ ’
The picturesque doctor s daughter, Miss Manette .

S h e pretty !
”
Is she n o t ?
No .

Wh y , man ali v e , s h e was the admiration o f th e w h ole

C ourt ! ”
1 04 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITIE S .

R ott h e admiration O f the whole C ourt ! Wh o made

the O ld Bailey a judge o f beauty ? She was a golden h air e d -

”
doll ?
Do y o u know Sydney, said Mr Stryver, looking at
, .

him with sharp eyes , and slowly dra wing a hand acros s h is
“
florid face : do y o u know, I rather thought at the time , ,

that y o u sympathised w ith the golden haired doll and were -

,

quick t o se e what happened t o t h e golden ha ired doll ? ” -

“
Quick t o see what happened ! If a girl, doll o r n o doll ,
’
swoons within a yard o r tw o o f a man s nose, he c an see it
without a perspecti v e glass I pledge y o u , but I deny the
-
.

’ ’
beauty And n o w I ll have n o more drink ; I ll get t o
.

”
bed .

W h en h is h ost followed him o u t o n th e staircase wit h a

candle to light h im down the stairs the day was coldly
, ,

looking in through its grimy windows W h en he got o u t .

O f the house t h e air was cold and sad, the dull sky over
,

cast t h e ri v er dark and dim , the whole scene like a life

,

le ss de sert And w reaths o f dust were spinning round and

.

round before the morning blast as if the desert sand had ,

-

r isen far away and the first spray o f it in its advance had
,

begun to overwhelm the city .

Waste forces within him an d a desert all around this

, ,

m an stood still o n his way acros s a s ilent terrace and saw ,

f o r a moment lying in the wilderness before him a mirage

, ,

O f honourable ambition , self denial and perseverance In-

, .

the fair city o f this vision there were airy galleries from
,

which the loves an d graces looked upon him gar d ens in ,

which the fruits o f life h ung ripening waters o f Hope that ,

sparkled in his sight A moment and it w as gone C limb

.
,
.

in g to a high chamber in a well o f houses he threw him self ,

do w n in his c lothes o n a neglected bed , an d its pillow was

wet with was t ed tears .

Sadly , sadly, the s u n ro se ; it rose upon n o sadder s ight

1 06 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

air o f retirement o n it T h ere were f e w buildings t h en,

.

no rth o f the O xford road, and forest trees flourished, and

- -

wild flowers grew, and the hawthorn blo ssomed, in the now
v anished fields As a consequence, country airs circulated
.

in S oho with v igorous freedom i n stead o f languishing into ,

the paris h like stray paupers without a settlement ; and

there was many a good sou t h wall, n o t far Off , o n which the
peaches ripened in their season .

The summer light struck into the corner brilliantly in

the earlier part o f the day ; but, when the streets grew h o t ,

the corner was in shadow , though n o t in s h adow s o remote

but that y o u could s ee beyond it into a glare o f brightness .

It was a cool spot, staid but cheerful, a wonderful place f o r

echoes and a v ery h arbour from the raging streets
,
.

There ought t o hav e bee n a tranquil bark in suc h an

anchorage , and there was The Doctor occupied t w o floors
.

o f a larg e still house , where several callings purported t o be

pursued by day but w h ereof l ittle was audible an y day,

,

and w h ic h was shunn ed by all o f them at nigh t In a .

building at the back attainable by a court y ard where a

,
-

plane tree rustled its green leaves, church organs claime d

- -

t o b e made , an d silver to be c h ased and likewise gold to be ,

beaten by some m y sterious giant who had a golden arm

starting ou t o f the wall of the front hall — as if had beaten
him self precious an d menaced a sim ilar convers ion o f all
,

visitors Very little o f t h ese trades , o r Of a lonely lodger

’

rumoure d t o l ive u p stairs , o r o f a dim coach trimming

- -

maker asserte d to have a counting house below was ever -

,

h eard o r seen O ccasionally, a stray workman putting his

.

coat o n traversed the hall , or a stranger peered about there

, ,

o r a distant clink was h eard across the court yard or a -

,

t h ump from the golden giant These howe v er were only .

, ,

the exceptions required to prove t h e rule that the sparrows

in the plane tree be h ind t h e house and the ec h oes in the
-
,
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . O7

corner before it, had their o w n way from Sunday morning

unto Saturday night .

Doctor Manette received such patients here as his old

reputation and its revival in the floating whispers o f his
,

story, brought him His scientific knowledge and his v igi

.
,

lance an d skill in conducting ingenious experi m ents brought ,

him otherwise into moderat e request an d he earned as ,

much as he wanted .

’
These things were within Mr Jarvis Lorry s knowledge , .

thoughts and notice when he rang the door bell of the

, ,
-

tranquil house in the corner o n the fine Sunday afternoon ,

.

“ ”
Doc t or Manette at home ?
E xpected home .

”
Mis s Lucie at home ?
E xpected home .

Mis s P ross at home ? ”

P ossibly at home but Of a certainty impossible for hand

,

maid to anticipate intentions o f Mis s Pross as to admission ,

o r denial o f the fact .

“ ” “
A S I am at home myself, said Mr Lorry I ll go u p .
,
’

”
stairs .

’
Alth ough the Doctor s d aughter had known nothing of
t h e country O f her birth , she appeared to have innately

derived from it that ability to make much of little means ,

which is o n e o f its most useful and most agreeable charac
t e r is t ic s
. S imple as the furniture was it was set Off by so ,

man y little adornments o f no value but for their taste an d

,

fanc y , th at its e ff ect was delightful The disposition of .

eve rythin g in the rooms from the largest O bject to the

,

least ; the arrangement o f colours the elegant variety an d ,

contrast ob t ained by thrift in t r ifl e s, b y delicate hands ,

clear e y es and good sense ; were at once so pleasant in

,

themselves, and so expressive o f t heir originator that as , ,

M r L orry stood looking about him the v ery chairs and

.
,
1 08 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

tables seemed to ask him , wit h something o f that p e culiar

expression which he knew s o well b y this time, whether h e
appro v ed ?
There were three rooms o n a floor, an d the doors by ,

which they communicated being put O pen that t h e air

m ight pass freely through them all, Mr Lorry, smilingly .

obser v ant o f that fanciful resemblance which he detected

all around h im walked from o n e to another T h e fir s t was
,
.

’
the best room, an d in it were Lucie s birds , an d flo wers ,
and books an d desk, and work table, and b o x O f water
,
-

colours ; t h e second was the Doctor s consulting room use d

’ -
,

also as t h e dining room ; the third, ch an gin gly speckled b y

-

the rustle o f the plane tree in the y a rd, was the Doctor s
- ’

bedroom, and there in a corner , stood the disused shoe

,

maker s benc h and tray o f tools , much as it had stood o n

’

the fift h floor o f the dismal hous e by t h e wine shop, in the -

suburb o f Saint Antoine in Paris .

I w onder said Mr Lorry, paus ing in h is looking about

”
,
.
,
“
that h e keeps that reminder o f his suffer ings by him !
And w h y wonder at that ? was the abrupt in quiry that
”

made him start .

It proceeded from Miss P ros s , t h e wild r e d woman , strong

o f hand, w h ose acquaintance he h ad first made at the Royal

George H otel at Do v er, an d had s ince impro v ed .

“
I should h av e t h ought Mr Lorry began . .

Poo h ! You d have t hought ! said Miss Pross ; and

’ ”

M r Lorry left Off

. .

“ ”
H o w do y o u do ? inquired that lady then — sharply,
and yet as if to expres s that S h e bore him n o malice .

“ ”
I am pretty well , I thank y o u ans wered Mr Lorry, ,
.

with meekness h o w are you ?

“
,
“ ”
Nothing to boast o f said Mis s Pross , .

Indeed ?
”
Ah ! indeed ! said Miss Pross I am v ery muc h pu t
.

o u t . a t Tnd b ir d
 1 10 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITIE S .

it it was h a r d enough ; n o t that I h av e any fault to find

,

w ith Doctor Manette, except that h e is not worthy o f such

a daughter which is n o imputation o n h im , f o r it was n o t
,

to be expe cted that anybody should be under any circum ,

stances But it really is doubly and trebly hard to have

.

crowds and multitudes o f people turni n g up after h im (I

’
c ould have forgiven him), t o take Ladybird s affections
a way from me .

Mr Lorry knew Miss Pross to be v ery j ealous but h e als o

.
,

k new her by this time t o be beneat h the surface o f her ,

eccentricity o n e o f those unselfish creatures — found only

,

a mong women — w h o will, for p u re love an d adm iration ,

bind themselves willing S laves to youth when they have ,

lost it to beauty that they never had to accompl ishments

, ,

t hat they were ne v er fortunate enough to gain to bright ,

hopes that never shone upon the ir o w n sombre lives He .

k new enou gh o f the world to know that there is nothing in

it better than the faithful service o f the heart ; so rendered
a n d s o free from any mercenary taint he had such an exalted ,

respect for it that in the retributive arran gements made

, ,

by his o w n mind — w e all make such arrangements m ore ,

or les s he stationed Miss Pros s much nearer to the lower

Angels than many ladies immeasurably better got up both
b y Nature and Art who had balances at Te lls o n s
,
’
.

“
There never was , nor will be but o n e m an worthy o f ,

”
Lady bird said Miss Pros s ; and that was my brother
,

”’
Solomon if he hadn t made a mistake in life
, .

’
Here again : Mr Lorry s inquirie s into Miss Pross s
.
’

personal history , had e stablished the fact that her brother

S olomon was a heartless scoundrel w h o had stripped her o f
everything she possessed as a stake to speculate with and , ,

had abandone d her in her po v erty for evermore with no ,

'

touch o f com p unction Miss Pross s fidel ity of belief in

’
.

S olomon (deducting a mere trifle for this slight mistake )

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 11 1

was quite a serious matt er with Mr Lorry , and had its .

weight in his good O pinion o f her .

As we happen to be alone for the moment and are both ,

people o f business , he said when they h ad go t back to the

”
,

drawing room and had sat down there in friendly relations

-
,

let me ask you does the Doctor in talking with Lucie , ,

”
never refer to the shoemaking time yet ? ,

“ ”
Never .

And yet keeps that bench an d th ose tools beside

h im ? ”

“
Ah ! returned M iss Pross , S haking her head
” “
But I .

don t say h e don t refer to it w ithin himself

’ ’ ”
.

”
D o you believe that he thinks o f it much ?
I do said Miss P ross
,
”

D O you im agine Mr Lorry h ad begun w h en .

,

M iss Pros s took him up short with :

“
Ne v er imagine anything Have no imagination at all . .

I stand corrected ; do you suppose — y o u go s o far as to

”
suppose sometimes
,
?

”
N o w an d then said Mis s Pross
,
.

Do you suppose Mr Lorry went o n wit h a laughing

”
,
.
,

“
twinkle in his bright eye as it looked kindly at her that
, ,

Doctor Manette has any theory of his own pres erved through ,

all those years , relative t o the cause O f h is being s o o p

pressed ; perhaps even to the name o f his oppressor ?
,

“ ’
I don t suppose anything about it but what Ladybird
”
tells me .

“
And that is
That she thinks he h as .

N o w don t be angr y at my asking all thes e questions ;

’

because I am a mere dull m an o f business, an d y ou are a

”
w oman o f bus iness .

“ ”
Dull ? Mis s Pross inquired with placidity ,
.

Rather wishing his mode st adjective away, Mr Lorry .

11 2 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

replied, N o no n o Sur e ly not To return t o bus ines s

“
, ,
. .

Is it n ot remarkable that Doctor Manette un questionably ,

i n nocent O f any crime as we are well assured he is s h ould ,

never touch upon that question ? I will n o t say with me ,

though h e had bus iness relations with me many years ago

an d we are n o w intimate ; I will say with the fair daughter

t o whom h e i s s o devotedly attached , and w h o i s s o de

v o t e dl
y attac h ed t o h i m ? B elieve me Miss Pross ,
I don ’
t ,

approach the t opi c with y o u , o u t o f curio sit y b u t o u t o f ,

zealous in t erest .

“ ’
Well ! To the best o f my understanding and bad s the ,

best you ll tell me said M iss Pros s , softened by t h e tone

’
,

o f the apology ,
“
he is afraid O f the whole subj ect ”
.

“ ”
Afraid ?

It s plain enoug h I should think, w h y h e m ay be It s

’
,
.
’

a dreadful remembrance B es ides that his loss o f h imself .

,

grew o u t o f it N o t knowing h o w he lost himself, o r h o w

.

h e recovered h imse lf, he m ay never feel certain o f not los

’
ing himself again That alone wouldn t make t h e subject
.

pleasant I should th ink

, .

It was a profounder remark than Mr Lorry h ad looked .

for.
“
True said h e and fearful t o reflect upon Yet
”
,
“
, .
,

a doubt lurks in my m ind Miss Pro ss whether it is good , ,

for Doctor Manette t o have that suppression always shut

up within him Indeed, it is this doubt and the uneas ines s
.

it somet i mes causes me that h as led me to o u r present

”
confidence .

“
C an t be helped said Miss Pross shaking her head
’ ”
, , .

Touc h that stri n g and he instantly changes for the worse

,
.

B etter leave it alone I n short must leave it alone l ike or

.
, ,

n o like . Sometimes he gets up in the dead o f the night

, ,

an d will be heard , by us overhead there walking up and ,

down walking up an d down in his room Lady bird has

, ,
.

learnt to know then that his mind is walking up and down,

,
11 4 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

r eady f o r lay i ng by and smoothing her rich h air wit h as

,

much pride as she could poss ibly have taken in her o w n hair
if she had been the v ainest and handsomest o f women .

H er darling was a pleasant sight too, e m b rac m g her and

than king her, and protes t ing against her taking s o muc h
trouble f o r her — w hich last she only dared to do playfully ,
o r Miss Pross sorely hurt would ha v e retired t o her o w n
, ,

c hamber and cried The Doctor was a pleasant sight t o o

.
,

looking o n at them, and telling Miss Pros s h o w she spoilt

Lucie , in accents and with eyes that had as much spoiling
in them as Miss P ros s had, and would ha v e had more if it
w ere pos sible Mr Lorry was a pleasant sight t o o beaming
. .
,

at all this in h is little wig and thanking his bachelor stars

,

f o r ha v ing lighted him in h is d ec lining years t o a Home .

But, no Hundre ds o f people came t o see the sights and Mr ,

.

Lorry looke d in v ain f o r the fulfilment o f Mis s P ros s s ’

prediction .

D inner time , and still n o Hundreds o f people I n the

-
.

arrangements o f the little household, Miss P ros s took charge

O f the lower regions and always acquitted herself mar v el

,

lo u s ly
. H er dinners o f a very modest quality were s o
, ,

well cooke d an d so well ser v ed and s o neat in their c o n ,

t r iv an c e s half E nglis h an d half F rench , that nothing could

,
’
be better Mis s Pross S friendship being o f the thoroughly
.

practical kind she had rav aged S oho and the adjacent
,

provinces in search o f impo v erished F rench w h o tempted

, , ,

b y shillings and h alf crowns would impart culinary m y s

-
,

t e r ie s to her F rom these decayed sons and daughters of

.

Gaul , S h e had acquired such wonderful arts that the woman ,

an d girl who formed the staff o f domestics regarded h er as

quite a Sorceres s , o r C inderella s Godmother : who would

’

s end o u t for a fowl, a rabbit a vegetable o r two from th e

,

garden, and change them into an y thing she pleased .

On S u n day s , Mis s P ros s dined at the Doctor s table , but

’
 A TAL E OF TWO C ITI E S .

on other days persisted in taking her meals at unknown ,

periods , either in t h e lower regions o r in her own room o n ,

the second fl o o r — a blue chamber, to which no o n e but h e r

Ladybird ever gained admittance On t his occasion Miss .

’
Pross responding to Lady bird s pleasant face and pleasant
,

efforts to please her, unbent exceedingly ; so the dinner was

ver y pleasant t o o ,
.

It was an O ppressive day and aft er d inner, Lucie pro , ,

posed that the wine should be carried o u t under the plane

tree and they should s it there in the air As everythin g
,
.

turned upon her and revolved about her they went out under ,

the plane tree and she carried the wine down for the special
-
,

benefit o f Mr Lorry She had installed herself some time

. .
,

’
before , as Mr Lorry s cup bearer ; and while they sat unde r
.
-

the plane tree , talking she kept his glas s replenished

-
, .

Mysterious backs and ends o f houses peeped at them as they

talked and t h e plane tree whispere d to them in its o w n w ay
,
-

above their heads .

Still, the Hundreds Of people did not present themselves .

Mr Darnay presented himself while they were s itting unde r

.

the plane tree but he was only O ne

-
,
.

Doctor Manette received him kindly and so did Lucie , .

But Mis s Pross suddenly became afflicted with a twitchin g

,

in the head and body, and retired into the house She was .

not unfrequently the victim o f this disorder and she calle d ,

it, in familiar con v ersation a fit o f the j erks

“ ”
,
.

The Doctor was in h is best condition and looked specially ,

young The resemblance between h im and Lucie was very

.

strong at suc h times an d, as they sat S ide b y s ide S h e lean

, ,

in g o n his shoulder and he re sting his arm o n the back o f

,

h er chair it was very agreeable to trace the likeness

,
.

He had been talking all day o n many subj ects and with ,

unusual v ivacity “
Pray, Doctor Manette
.
”
said Mr ,
.

Darnay as they sat under the plane tree

,
and he said it in -
1 16 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

the na t u ral pursuit o f the topic in h and, whic h h appened

t o be the o ld buildings o f London
“
have y o u seen muc h
o f the Tower ?

Lucie and I h ave been there ; but only casuall y We .

h ave seen enough o f it, t o know that it teems with interest ;

”
little more .

I ha v e been there as y o u remember said Darnay, wit h

“ ”
, ,
“
a smile though reddening a little angrily in another char
, ,

acter, an d n o t in a character that gives facilities f o r s eeing

much o f it T h ey told me a curious t h ing w h en I was
.

”
there .

“
What was t h at ? Lucie asked .

In making some alterations the workmen came upon an ,

o ld dungeon which had been for many ears built up a d

, y ,
n ,

forgotten Ev ery stone O f its inner wall was covered wit h

.

inscriptions w h ich had been carve d by pris oners — dates ,

names complaints , and prayers Upon a corner stone in

,
.

an angle o f the wall, o n e prisoner w h o seemed t o ha v e gone ,

to execution had cut as his last work, three letters

, ,
They .

were done wit h some very poor instrument, and hurriedly ,

with an unsteady hand At first t h ey were read as D I C .
,
. . .

but, o n being more carefully examined t h e last letter was ,

found t o be G There was n o record o r legend o f any pris

.

oner wit h those initials and many fruitles s guesse s were ,

made what the name could hav e been At length it was .

,

sugge sted that the letters were n o t initials but the complete ,

w ord DI G
,
T h e floor was examined v ery carefully under
.

the inscription and in the earth beneat h a stone o r tile

, , , ,

o r some fragment O f paving were found t h e as h es o f a ,

paper, mingled with the ashes o f a small leathern case o r

bag What the unknown prisoner had written will never
.

be read but he had wri t ten s omething and hidden it away

, ,

”
to keep it from the gaoler .

“ ” ”
My father ! exclaimed Lucie , you are ill !
11 8 A TALE OF TW O C ITI E S .

They spoke lo w, as people watching an d waiting mostly

do ; as people in a dark room watching an d waiting f o r ,

Lightning al w ay s do,
.

There was a great hurry in the streets o f people speeding ,

away to get shelter before the storm broke ; the wonderful

corner f o r echoes resounded with the echoes o f footsteps
coming and going yet not a footstep was there
, .

“
A multitude o f people and yet a solitude ! said Darnay ,

w h en they had listened f o r a while .

Is it n o t impress iv e , Mr Darnay ? ”
asked Lucie . .

S ometimes I h ave sat here o f an evening until I have

, ,

fancied — but e v en the S hade o f a foolish fancy makes me

shudder t o night wh en all is so black and solemn
-
,

“
Let us shudder too We may know what it is ? .

“
It will seem n othing to y o u Such w h ims are only .

impressive as we originate them I think ; they are not to ,

be communicated I have sometimes sat alone h ere o f an

.

e v ening listening until I have made the echoes o u t to be

, ,

the echoes o f all the footsteps that are coming b y and b y into - -

”
o u r lives .

“
There is a great crowd com ing o n e day into o u r lives ,
if that be s o , Sydney C arton struck in in his moody
”
,

way .

The footsteps were incessant, and the hurry o f them

became more and more rapid The corner echoed and .

r e echoed with the tread o f feet ; some as it seemed under

-
, ,

the windows ; some as it seemed in the room ; s ome com

, ,

ing some going some breaking o ff s ome stopping alto

, , ,

gether ; all in the distant streets and n o t o n e within sight ,

.

“
Are all these footsteps destined to come to all o f us ,

Miss Mariette o r are we to div ide them among us ?

,
”

“ ’
I don t know Mr Darnay ; I told you it was a foolish
,
.

fancy, but you aske d for it When I have yielded myself .

to it, I have been alone and then I have imagined them t h e ,

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 119

footsteps O f t h e people w h o are t o come into my life and ,

’ ”
m y father s .

I take them into mine ! said C arton I ask no ques .

tio n s and make no stipulations There is a great crowd .

bearing down upon us Mis s Manette , and I see them !

,
”
by the Lightni n g He added the last words , after there
.

had been a vivid flash wh ich had shown him lounging in

the window .

“ ”
And I hear them ! he added again after a peal o f ,

“ ”
thunder Here they come fast fierce an d furious ! , , ,

It was t h e rush an d roar of rain that he t y pified, and it

s topped him f o r no voice could be heard in it
,
A m e m or .

able storm o f thunder and lightning broke with that swe e p

o f water, an d there was not a moment s interval in c ias h ,

’

an d fire , and rain , until after the moon rose at midnight .

The great bell o f Saint P aul s was striking O ne in the ’

cleared air, when Mr Lorry, e scorted by Jerry high booted

.
,
-

and bearing a lantern set forth o n his return passage t o

,
-

C lerkenwell There were solitary patches of road on the

.

way between Soh o and C lerkenwell , and Mr Lorry , mindful .

o f footpads always retained Jerry for this service : though

,

it was usually performed a good t wo hours earlier .

“
What a night it has been ! Almost a night, Jerry said ,

“ ”
Mr Lorry , to bring the dead out o f their graves
. .

“ ’
I never see the night myself master — nor y e t I don t ,
”
expect to it what would do that answered Jerry
—
,
.

Good night Mr C arton,

said the man of business
.
,
.

Goo d night Mr Darnay S h all we e v er see such a night

,
. .

again, together !

Perhaps Perh aps see the great crowd of people with its
.
,

rush and roar, bearing down upon them , too .

1 20 A TALE OF T WO C ITI E S .

C H AP T E R V I I .

M O N S E I G N E UR IN T O WN .

M O N S E I GNE UR, on e the great lords in power at the

of

C ourt, h eld his fortnightly reception in h is grand h otel in

P aris Monseigneur was in hi s inner room, h is sanctuary
.

o f sanct uaries , the Holiest o f H o lie s t s t o the crowd o f w o r

s hippers ih the suite o f rooms without M onseigneur was .

about t o take his chocolate Monseigneur could swallow a

.

great many things with eas e an d was by some few sullen

,

min ds supposed t o be rather rapidly swallowing F rance ;

but h is morning s chocolate could n o t s o much as get into
,
’

th e throat o f Monseigneur, wit h out the aid o f four strong

m e n besides the C ook .

Yes It took four men all four a blaze with gorgeous

.
,
-

decoration and the C hief o f them unable to exist with fewer

,

t h an t w o gold watches in h is pocket emulative o f the noble

,

an d c h aste fashion set by Monseigneur t o conduct the ,

h appy chocolate t o Monseigneur s lips O ne lacquey car

’
.

r ied the chocolate t into the sacred presence a second

-
p o ;
milled an d frothed the Chocolate w ith the l ittle instrument
h e bore f o r that function ; a third presented the favoured
n apkin ; a four th he o f t h e two gold watches ) poured the
(
c hocolate o u t .It was impossible for Monseigneur to dis
pense w it h o n e o f these attendants o n the chocolate and
hold h is h igh place under the admiring Hea v ens Deep .

would hav e been the blot upon h is escutcheon if his choco

late h ad b een ignobly waited o n by only t h ree m e n ; he
must hav e died o f two .

Monseigneur had been o u t at a little supper last night ,

wh ere the C omedy and the Grand O pera were charmingly

1 22 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

prostrated before by mankind — alway s excepting superior

mankind o f the blood o f Monseigneur, w h o , h is o wn wif e
included, looked down upon him with t h e l oftiest contempt .

A sumptuous m an was th e F armer General -

Thirty .

h orses stood in h is stables twenty four male domestics sat

,
-

in his halls six body women waited o n his w ife

,
-
AS on e .

who pret ended t o do nothing but plunder and forage where

he could the F armer General — howsoever his matrimonial
,
-

relations conduced t o social morality — was at least t h e

greatest reality amo ng the personage s wh o attended at the
hotel o f Monseigneur that day .

F or the rooms , though a beautiful scene t o look at an d

, ,

adorned wit h every de v ice o f decoration that the taste an d

skill o f the time could achieve, were , in truth, not a sound
busines s ; cons idered with any reference to the scarecrows
in t h e rags and nightcaps elsewhere (and not s o far O ff,
either b u t that the watching towers o f Notr e Dame almost
,
-
,

e quidistant from the t w o extremes , could see them both ) ,

they would have been an exceedingly uncomfortable bus i

ness — if that could hav e been any body s business , at the
’

house o f Monse igneur Military O fficers destitute o f mili

.

tary knowledge ; naval O fficers with no idea o f a s h ip ; ci v i l

o fficers without a notion o f affairs ; brazen ecclesiastics o f ,

the worst world worldly with sensual eyes loose tongues

, , ,

and looser lives ; all totall y unfit for their se v eral callings
all lying horribly in pretending t o belong to them but all ,

nearly o r remotely o f the order o f Monseigneur and there ,

fore foisted o n all public employments from which any thing

was t o be got ; these were to be told O ff by the score and the
score People n o t immediately connected with Mons eigneur
.

o r the State , yet equally unconnected with an thing that

y
was real, o r with live s passed in trav elling by any straight
road to an y true earthly end were no less abundant
,
.

Doctors who made great fortune s o u t o f dainty remedies f o r

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 23

imaginary disorders that never existed smiled upon their ,

c ourtly patients in the ante chambers of Monseigneur

-
.

P rojectors who had discovered every kind of remedy for the

little evils with which the State was touched exc ept the ,

remedy of setting to work in earnest to root out a single s in ,

poured their distracting babble into any ears they could lay
hold of at the reception of Monseigneur
,
Unbelieving .

P hilosophers who were remodelling the world with words ,

and making card towers o f Babel to scale the skies with
-
,

talked with Unbelieving C hemists who had an e y e on the

transmutation of metals at this wonderful gathering a c c u
,

m u lat e d by Monseigneur E xquisi t e gentlemen of the finest

.

breeding which was at that remarkable time — and has

,

been since — to be known by its fruits of indifference to

every natural subject of human interest were in the most ,

exemplary state of exhaustion at t h e hotel of Monseigneur

,
.

Such home s had these various notabilities left behind them

in the fin e world of Paris that the Spie s among the
,

assembled de v otees of Monseigneur forming a goodly half

o f the polite compan y — would have found it hard to dis

cover among the angels of that sphere one sol itary wife ,

w h o in her manners an d appeara n ce owned to being a

, ,

Mother Indeed except f o r the mere act o f bringing a

.
,

troublesome creature into this world — which does not go

far towards the realisation o f the name o f m other — there
was no su c h thing known to the fashion Peasant women .

kept the unfashionable babies close and brough t them up ;

,

an d charming grandmammas of sixty dressed and supped as

at twenty .

The leprosy o f unreality disfigure d every human creature

in attendan ce upon Monseigneur In the outermost room
.

w ere half a doz en exceptional people w h o had had for a ,

few years some va gue misgiving in them that things in

,

general were going rather wrong As a promising way of

.
1 24 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

setting them right, half o f the half dozen h ad become mem -

bers o f a fantastic sect of C on v ulsionists , and were even

then considering within themselves whether they should
foam rage roar and turn cataleptic o n the spot — thereby
, , ,

setting up a highly intelligible fin ge r post to the F uture -

,
’
f o r Monse igneur s guidance Besides these Dervishes , were
.

other three wh o h ad r u s hed into another sec t , which mended

matt ers with a j argon about the C entre o f truth : holding
“

that M an had go t o u t o f t h e C entre o f truth — w h ich did

n o t need much demonstration — but had not go t o u t O f the

C ircumference, an d that he was t o be kept from fly ing o u t

o f the C ircumference an d was e v en t o be sho v ed back into
,

the C entre by fasting an d seeing o f S pirits Among t hese

,
.
,

accordingly much discoursing with S pirits went o n — and

,

it did a world o f good wh ich ne v er became manifest .

But th e co m fort was, that all the company at the grand

,

h otel o f M onseigneur were perfectly dressed If the Day .

o f Judgment had only been ascertained t o be a dres s day ,

everybody there would hav e been eternally correct Such .

frizzling an d powdering and sticking up o f h air, such del i

cate complexions artificially preser v ed an d mended such ,

gallant swords t o look at and such delicate h on ou r to the

,

sense O f smell would surely keep anything going for ever

, ,

and ever The exquisite gentlemen o f the finest breeding

.

wore little pendent trinkets that chinked as they languidly

moved ; these golden fetters rang like prec i ous little bells ;
an d what with that ringing and wit h the rustle o f s ilk and
,

brocade and fine linen there was a flutter in the a i r that

,

fanned Saint Anto ine and his devouring h unger far away .

Dress was the o n e unfailing talisman and charm used f o r

keeping all things in their places E verybody was dressed .

f o r a F ancy Ball that was never to leav e OE F rom the .

P alace O f the Tuileries through Monseigneur and the whole

,

C ourt, t h rough the C ham b ers, the Tribunals O f Justice an d ,

1 26 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

I d ev ote yo u , said thi s person stopping at t h e last do o r

,

o n his way , an d t u rning in the directio n o f t he sanctu ary,

“ ”
t o the Devil !
Wit h t h at h e s h ook the snu ff from his fingers as if h e
,

h ad shaken the dust from h is feet, and quietly walked down

stairs .

H e was a m an o f about s ixty, h andsomely dressed h augh ty ,

in man n er, an d wit h a face like a fin e mask A face o f a .

tr ansparent palenes s ; e v ery feature in it clearly defined ;

o n e set expression o n it The nose beautifully formed other
.
,

wise, was very slightly pinc h e d at the top o f eac h nostril .

I n those t wo compress ions , o r dints the only little change ,

that the face ever showed resided They persisted in

,
.

changing colour sometimes an d they would be occas ionally

,

dilated and contracted by something like a faint pulsation ;

then, they gave a look o f treachery, and cruelty t o the ,

whole countenance E xamined with attention , its capac ity

.

o f helping such a look was t o be found in the line o f the

mouth and t h e lines o f the orbits o f the eye s being much

, ,

t o o horizontal and thin ; still in the e ffect the face made ,

,

it was a handsome face , an d a remarkable o n e .

Its owner went down stairs into t h e court yard go t into -

,

h is carriage , an d drove away N o t many people had talked

.

with him at the reception ; h e h ad stood in a litt le space

apart an d Monseigneur might h ave been warmer in his
,

manner It appeared under the circumstances rather agree

.
, ,

able to h im to see the common people dispersed before his

h orses, and often barely escaping from being ru n down .

H is m an dro v e as if he were charging an enemy an d the ,

furious recklessness o f the m an brought no check into the

face o r to the lips o f the master The complaint had
, , .

sometimes made itself audible even in that deaf city and ,

dumb age , that, in the narrow streets without footways the ,

fi e r ce patrician custom of h ar d dri v ing endangered an d

 A T AL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 27

maimed the mere vulgar in a barbarous manner But few .

,

cared enough for that to think o f it a second time and in , ,

this matter as in all others the common wretches were left

, ,

to get o u t o f the ir di fficulties as they could .

With a wild rattle and clatter and an inhuman abandon ,

ment o f cons ideration not easy to be understood in thes e

days , the carriage dashed through streets and swept round
corners with women screaming before it and men clutching
, ,

e ach other and clutch ing children o u t o f its way At last .

,

S wooping at a street corner by a fountain o n e o f its wheels ,

came t o a sickening little j olt and there was a loud cry ,

from a number of vo ices and the horses reared and plunged

,
.

But for the latter inconv enience the carriage probably ,

would not h ave s t Oppe d : carriages were O ft en known t o

drive o n and leav e their wounded behin d and why not ?
, ,

But the frightened v alet had go t down in a hurry, an d there

,

were twenty h ands at the horses bridles’

.

“
What has gone wron g ? said Monsieur, calmly lo ok ing
”

ou t .

A tall man in a nightcap had caught up a bundle from

among the feet o f the horses and had laid it o n the base ,

ment of the fountain and was down in the mud an d wet,

,

h owling o v er it like a wild animal .

“
Pardo n , Monsieur t h e Mar quis ! said a ragged and sub
“ ”
m issive man, it is a child .

“
Wh y do es h e make that abomin able n o ise ? Is it his
child ?
“
E xcuse me Monsieur the Mar quis it is a pity yes
,
- .

The fountain was a little removed ; f o r the street opened,

where it was into a S pace s o me ten o r twelve yards square
,
.

A s the tall m an suddenly go t up from the ground an d came ,

running at the carriage Monsieur the Mar quis clapped his

,

h and f o r ah ins t ant o n his sword hilt

,
-
.

“
Killed ! shrieked the man, in wild desperation extend
”
,
1 28 A TAL E OF Two C ITI E S .

in g both arms at their lengt h above his h ead and staring at ,

“ ”
him Dead !
The people closed round and looked at Monsieur the ,

Marquis There was nothing revealed by the many eyes

.

that looked at him but watchfulnes s an d eagerness ; there

was no vis ible menacing or anger Neit h er did the people .

s ay anything ; a f ter the first cry they had been s ilent , and ,

they remaine d so The voice o f the submissive m an who

.

had spoken, was flat an d tame in its extreme submission .

Monsieur the Marqu i s r an his e y es o v er them all, as if t h ey

had been mere rats come o u t of their holes .

He took o u t his purse .

“
It is extraordinary to me said h e, th at y o u peopl e
“
,

cannot take care o f y oursel v es and y our children On e o r .

the other o f y o u is for ever in the way How do I know .

what injury y o u have done my horses See ! Give him .

that .

He threw o u t a gold coin f o r the valet t o pick up and all ,

the heads craned forward that all the e y es might look down
at it as it fell The tall man called o u t again with a most
.

unearthly cry Dead ! ,

He was arrested by the quick arrival o f anoth er m an , for

whom the rest made way On seeing him, the miserable .

creat u re fell upon his shoulder sobbing and crying and , ,

pointing to the fountain , where some women were stooping

over the motionless bundle and moving gently about it , .

The y were as silent however, as the men , .

“ ”
I know all I know all said the last comer
, ,
Be a .

brave man my Gaspard ! It is better for the poor little

,

plaything to die s o than to live It h as died in a moment

,
.

without pain C ould it have lived an hour as happily

.
? ”

“
Yo u are a philosopher y o u there said the Mar quis,
, ,

”
smiling . How do they call y ou ?
“ ”
They call me Defarge .
1 30 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

He was dri v en o n and other carriages came w h irling by

,

in q uick succession ; the Minister the State Proj ector, t h e ,

-

F armer General, the Doctor the Lawyer, the E ccles iastic,

-
,

the Gran d O pera the C omedy the whole F ancy Ball in a

, ,

bright continuous fl o w , came whirling by The rat s had .

crept o u t o f their holes t o look o n and they remained look ,

in g on for hours ; soldiers and police o f t e n pas s in g between

‘

them and t h e s pe ct acle and makin g a barrier behind which

‘

they slunk, an d through which they peeped The father .

h ad long ago taken up h is bundle and hidden himself away

w ith it, when the women who had tended the bundle while
it lay o n the base o f the fountain sat there wat ching the ,

running o f the water and the rolling o f the F ancy Ball

when the o n e woman w h o h ad stood conspicuous , knitting ,

still knitted o n with the steadfastness o f F ate The water .

o f the fountain ran the swift river ran the day r an into
, ,

evening so much life in the city r an into death according

,

to rule time and tide waited for n o man the rats were
, ,

sleeping close together in their dark holes again the F ancy ,

Ball was ligh ted up at supper all things r an t h eir course

, .

C H A P T E R V III .

M O N SE I GNE UR IN TH E C O U N T RY .

A BE A U T I F U L landscape with the corn bright in it but n o t

,

abundant Patches o f poor rye where corn should have

.

been patches o f poor peas an d beans patches o f most coarse

, ,

vegetable substitutes f o r wheat On inanimate nature as .

,

o n the men and women who cultivated it a prevalent t e n ,

de n cy to wards an appearance o f vegetating unwillingly a

dejected disposition to give up and w ither away ,
.

Mons ieur the Marquis in his trav elling carriage (wh ich
 A TA LE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 31

might h av e been lighter), conducted by four post horses and -

t w o postilions fagged up a steep hill ,

A blush o n the .

countenance o f Monsieur the Marquis was n o impeachment

o f his high breeding ; it was not from within ; it was occa

s io n e d b y an external circumstance beyond his control the

s etting sun .

The sunset struck s o br llian tly into the travelling car i

r iage when it gained the hill top that its occupant w as

-
,

“ ”
steeped in crimson It will die o u t said Monsieur the
.
,

“ ”
Marquis glancing at his hands , directly
,
.

In e ff ect the s u n was so lo w that it dipped at t h e moment

,
.

When the heavy drag had been adjusted to the wheel and ,

the carriage s lid down hill with a cinderous smell, in a-

,

cloud o f dust the red glow departed quickly ; the s u n an d

,

the Mar quis going down toget h er, there was n o glow left
w h en the drag was taken O ff .

But there remained a broken country, bold an d O pen, a

,

little village at the bottom o f the h ill, a broad sweep and

rise beyond it a church to w er a windmill a forest f o r the
,
-
, ,

chase and a crag wit h a fortress o n it used as a prison

, .

Round upon all these darkening obj ects as the night drew
o n the Marquis looked, with the air o f o n e w h o was coming
,

near home .

The village had its o n e poor street, with its poor brewery ,

poor tannery, poor tavern, poor stable yard f o r relays o f -

post horses poor fountain all usual poor appointments

-
, , .

It had its poor people too All its people were poor, and .

many o f them were sitting at their doors shredding spare ,

onions and the like for supper, while m any were at the
fountain washing leaves and grasses and any such small
, , ,

y ieldings o f the earth that could be eaten E xpressiv e .

signs o f w h at made them poor were n o t wanting ; the tax ,

f o r t h e state t h e tax f o r the church the tax for the lord

, , ,

tax local and tax general , w ere t o be paid here and t o be

1 32 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

paid t h ere, according to s olemn inscription in the little vil

lage, until the wonder was , that there was any village left
unswallowed .

F ew c hildren were t o be seen, and no dogs As to the .

men an d women , their choice o n earth was stated in the

prospect Life on the lowest terms that could sustain it ,

d own in the little village under the mill ; o r captivity and

Death in the dominant prison o n the crag .

Heralded by a cour i er I n adv ance an d b y the cracking of ,

’
his postilions whips which twined snake like about their
,
-

heads in the evening air, as if he came attended b y the

F uries , Monsieur the Marquis drew up in his trave lling
carriage at the posting house gate It was hard by the
-
.

fountain, and the peasants suspended their operations to

look at him He looked at t hem, an d saw in them without
.
,

knowing it, the slow sure filing down o f misery worn face -

an d figure , that was to make the meagreness O f F renchme n

an E nglish s uperstition whic h should survi v e the trut h .

through the best part of a hundred year s .

Monsieur the Marquis cast his eyes over the submissi ve

faces that drooped before him as the like o f himself had ,

drooped before Mons eigneur of the C ourt only the diffe r

ence was that these faces drooped merel y to suffer and not
,

to propitiate when a gr izzled mender o f the roads j oined

the group .

“ ”
Bring me hither that fellow ! said the Marquis to the
courier.

The fellow was brought cap in h and and the other f e l

, ,

lows closed round to look an d listen , in t h e manner of the

people at the Paris fountain .

“ ”
I passed y o u o n the road ?
Monseigneur it is true I had th e h onour o f being
,
.

passed on the road .

’

“
C oming up the hill an d at the top of the hill both ?
,
”
,
1 34 A TALE OF T WO C ITIE S .

great mout h o f yours B ah ! Put h im as ide, Monsieur

.

Gabelle !
Monsieur Gabelle was t h e Po st master and some other
tax ing fu nctionary, united ; h e h ad come o u t with great
obsequiousnes s to assist at this exami n ation, an d had held
th e examined by the dr apery o f h is arm in an official
manner .

“ ”
Bah ! G o aside ! said Monsieur Gabelle .

Lay hands o n this stranger if h e s eeks to lodge in your

v illage t o night, an d be sure that his business is honest,
-

”
Gabelle .

“
Monsei gneur, I am flattered t o devote myself t o your
”
or ders .

“
Did h e ru n away fellow ? — where is that Accursed ?
,
”

The accursed was already under the carriage with s om e

h alf dozen particular friends po inting ou t the chain with
-
,

h is blue cap Some h alf dozen other particular friend s

.
-

promptly haled h im o u t an d presented h im breathles s t o

,

Monsieur the Marquis .

“
D id t h e m an ru n away, Dolt, when w e stopped f o r th e
”
drag ?
“
Monseigneur he precipitated him self o ver the h ill s ide
,
-

head first as a person plunges into the ri v er

,
”
.

“ ”
S ee to it, Gabelle Go on ! .

The half dozen who were peering at the chain were still
-

among the w h eels like sheep ; the wheels turned so sud

,

de n ly that they were lucky to save their skins and bones ;

they had very little else t o sav e o r they might n o t h av e ,

been s o fortunate .

The burst with w h ic h the carriage started out of the vil

lage an d up the rise beyond was s o on check e d by th e st e ep ,

ness o f the hill Gradually it subsided t o a foot pace ,

.
,

swinging and lumbering upward among the many sweet

sc e nts o f a summer night The postilions with a thousand .
,
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 35

gossam e r gnats circling about them in lieu o f the F uries ,

quietly mended the points to the lashes of their whips ; the

valet walked by the horses ; the courier was audible trot ,

ting O h ahead into the dim distance .

At the steepest point o f the hill there was a little burial

groun d with a C ross an d a new large figure of O ur Saviour
,

o n it ; it was a poor figure in wood done by some in e x pe ,

r ie n c e d rustic carver , but h e had studied the figure from the

life — his own life may be — for it was dreadfully spare

,

an d thin .

To this distressful emblem of a great distress that had

long been grow ing worse an d was n o t at its wors t a woman, ,

was kneeling She t urned her head as the carriage came

.

up to her rose quickly and presented herself at the car

, ,

r ia e door
-
g .

“
It is you Mons eigneur ! Monseigneur a petition
, ,
.

With an exclamation o f impatience but with his u h ,

changeable face Monseigneur looked out

,
.

“ ”
How then ! What is it ? Always petitions !
,

Monseigneur F or th e love of the great God ! My hus

.

band the forester

,
.

“
What of your husband, t h e forester ? Al ways the same
”
with you people He cannot pay something ?.

“
He has paid all Monseigneur He is dead ,
. .

Well ! He is quiet Can I restore him to y o u .

? ”

Alas no Monseigneur ! But h e lies yonder under a

, ,

”
l ittle heap of poor grass .

“
Well ?
Monseigneur there are s o m any little heaps o f po o r
,
”
grass ?
“ ”
Again well ?
,

Sh e looked an o ld woman but was young H er manner ,

.

was o n e o f passionate grief ; by turns she claspe d h e r vein

o u s an d knotte d hands toget h er with wild energy and laid ,
1 36 A TALE OF TWO C ITI E S .

on e them o n the carriage door — tenderly caressingly

of
-
, ,

as if it had been a human breast and could be expected to ,

feel the appealing touch .

“
Monseigneur hear me ! Monseigneu r hear my peti
, ,

tion ! My husband died o f want ; so many die o f want ; s o

”
many more will die of want .

“
Again, well ? C an I feed them ?
’
Monse igneur, the good God knows ; but I don t ask it .

My petition is that a morsel o f stone o r wood w ith my

, ,
’
husband s name, may be place d over him to S how where h e
lies .O therw ise, the place will be quickly forgotten it ,

will never be found when I am dead o f the same malady , I

shall be laid under some other heap o f poor grass M o n .

seigneur, they are so many, they in c rease s o fast there is ,

so much want Monseigneur ! Monse igneur !

'
.

The valet had put her away from the door, the carri age
had bro ken into a brisk trot the post ilions had quickened
,

the pace she was left far behind and Monseigneur again
, , ,

escorted by the F uries was rapi dly diminishing the league

,

o r tw o O f distance t h at remained between him and his

ch ateau .

The sweet scents of t h e summer night rose all around

him and rose as the rain falls impartially o n the dusty
, , , , ,

ragged, and toil worn group at the fountain not far away ;
-

to whom the mender of roads with the aid o f the blue c ap,

without which he was nothing still enlarged upon his m an ,

like a S pectre as long as the y could bear it By degrees

,
.
,

as the y could bear no more the y dropped o ff o n e b y o n e

, ,

and lights twinkled in little e as e m e n t s ; which lights as ,

the casements darkened and more stars came out seeme d

, ,

to have shot up into the sky instead of having been e xt in

gu is h e d .

The shadow o f a large high roofed house an d o f many -

,

overhanging trees , was upon Monsieur th e Marquis by that

138 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

s word s , and kni v es o f t h e c h ase ; grimmer wit h c e rt ain

h eav y riding rods and riding w h ips, o f which many a peas
- -

an t gone t o his benefactor Death , had felt the weight when

,

h is lord was angry .

Avo iding the larger rooms, which were dark and mad e
fast f o r the night, Monsieur the Marquis with his fl am ,

beau bearer going o n before , went up the staircase to a doo r

-

in a corridor This thrown open admitted him to his o w n

.

private apartment o f three rooms ; his bed chamber and -

t w o others High vaulted rooms with cool uncarpete d

.

floors great dog s upon the hearths f o r the burning o f wood

,

in winter time and all luxuries befitting the state o f a

,

marquis in a luxurious age an d c ountry The fashion o f .

the last L o uis but o n e o f t h e line that was never t o break

,

— the fourteenth Louis — was conspicuous in their ric h

furniture ; but, it was div ersified by many objects that were

illustrations o f o ld pages in t h e h istory o f F rance .

—
A supper table was laid f o r t w o in the third o f t h e ,

r o om s a roun d room in o n e o f t h e c h ateau s four e xt in

, ,
’

g u i s h e r t o pp e d t o wers
-
A small l o f ty room
.
,
with its w in '

do w wide O pe n , and t h e w oo den jalousie blinds closed -

,

s o t h at the dark night only showed in S lig h t h orizontal

lines o f black , alternating wit h t h eir broad lines o f st o n e

colour .

“
My n e p he w, s aid the Marquis , glancing at t h e supp e r
”

“
preparation ; they s aid he was not arr ived .

N o r was h e ; but, he h ad been expected wit h M o n

seigneur .

“
Ah ! It is n o t probable h e will arri v e t o nigh t ; never ~ -

t h e le s s , leav e the table as it is I shall be ready in a quar

.

”
ter o f an hour .

I n a quarter o f an hour , Monseigneur was ready, an d sat

down alone t o h is sumptuous an d choice supper His .

chair w as O pposite t o t h e window, and he had taken his

 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 1 39

s oup, an d was rais ing his glass o f B ordeaux to h is lips ,

when he put it down .

“
What is that ? ”
he calmly asked looking with att e n ,

tion at the horizontal lines o f black an d stone colour .

“ ”
Monseigneur ? That ?
O utside the blinds O pen t h e blinds . .

I t was done .

“
Well ?
Monseigneur it is not h ing T h e tr e es and the night
,
.

”
ar e all that are here .

The servant who spoke h ad thrown the bl inds wide had , ,

looked o u t into the vacant darkness and stood with that , ,

blank behind him looking round for instructions

, .

“ ”
Good said the im perturbable master
,
“
C los e them .

”
again .

T h at was done t o o and t h e Marquis went o n wit h his

,

s upper He was half way through it, when he again

.

s toppe d with his glas s in h is hand hearing the sound Of ,

wheels It came o n briskly and came up to the front o f

.
,

t h e ch ateau .

“
Ask who is arrived .

It was the nephew o f Monseigneur H e had been some .

f e w leagues beh ind M onseigneur early in the afternoon ,

.

He h ad diminished the distance rapidly, but not so rapidly

as to come up w ith M onseigneur o n the road He had heard .

o f Monseigneur at the posting houses as being before h im

,
-
,
.

He was t o be told (said Monseigneur) that supper awaited

h im then and there and that he was prayed to come to it
,
.

I n a little while he came ,

He had been known in E ngland .

a s C harles Darnay .

M onseigneur received h im in a courtly manner, but they

did not shake hands .

You left P aris yesterday sir ? ”

h e said t o M o n s e i ,

gn e u r as h e took his seat at tabl e

, .
1 40 A TA L E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

”
Yesterday And y ou ?
.

”
I come direct .

F rom Lon don ? ”

”
Yes
.

Yo u have been a long time c o mi n g, said t h e M ar quis ,

with a smile .

“
On the contrary ; I come direct .

Pardon m e ! I mean not a long time o n the j ourney ;

,
”
a long time intending the j ou rney .

“ ” —
I have been detained by the nephew stopped a
momen t in h is answer “
various busines s ”
.

“ ”
Without doubt said the polished uncle
,
.

So long as a ser v ant was present no other words passe d ,

be tween them When coffee h ad been served and they

.

were alone together the n ephew looking at the uncle an d

, ,

meeting the eyes o f the face that was like a fine mask,
O pened a conversation .

“
I have come back sir as y o u anticipate pu rsuing t h e
, , ,

o bj ec t that took me away It carried me into great and

.

unexpected peril ; but it is a s acred obj ect and if it ,

had carried me to death I hope it would have sustaine d

me .

“
N o t to death ”
said t h e uncle ; it is not necessary t o
,

”
S ay to death
,
.

“
I doubt sir , returned t h e nep h ew, w h et h er if it h ad
,
” “
,

carried me to the utmost brink o f death , y ou wou ld hav e

”
cared to stop me there .

The deepened marks in th e nose and the lengthening o f ,

the fine straight line s i h t h e cruel face , looked ominous as

'

to that ; the uncle made a graceful gesture o f protest, w h ich

was s o clearl y a slight form o f good breeding that it w as
n o t reassuring .

“
Indeed s ir, pursued t h e nep h ew, for anyt h ing I
,
“

know, y o u may h av e expressly w orked to gi ve a m o re sus

1 42 A T A LE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

it is usel e s s to discus s t h e questi o n I am, as y o u say, at a

. .

disad v antage These little instruments o f correction, t h ese

.

gentle aids t o the power and honour o f families these slight ,

favours that m ight S O incommode y o u , are only to be

obtained n o w by interest and importunity T h ey are sought .

by s o many, and they are granted (comparati v ely ) to s o few !

It used n ot t o be s o , but F rance in all such things is changed
f o r the worse. O ur not remote ancestors held t h e right o f
life and deat h o v er the surrounding v ulgar F rom this .

room many such dogs have been take n o u t t o be h anged ; in

,

th e next room (m y bedroom ) o n e fellow to o u r kn owledge,

, ,

was poniar ded o n th e spot f o r professing s ome insolent

delicacy respecting his daug h ter 7 h is daughter ! We have
—

lost many privileges ; a new philosophy has become the

mode ; and the assertion o f o u r station in these days m ight , ,

( I d o not go s o far as t o say would but might ) caus e

, us real
inconvenience All v ery bad, very bad !
.

The Marquis took a gentle little pinc h o f snu ff an d ,

s h ook h is head ; as elegantly despondent as he could b e co m

in gly be o f a country still containing h imself, that great
,

means o f regeneration .

“
We h ave so as serted o u r station , bot h in the o ld tim e
and in the modern time also said the nep h ew, gloomily
”
, ,

“
that I belie ve o u r name t o be more d etested than any
n am e in F rance
”
.

“
Let us hope s o said t h e uncle
,
“
Detestation o f t h e
.

h ig h is t h e involuntar y homage o f the low

”
.

“
T h ere is n o t pursued the nephew in his former tone ,
”
, ,

a face I can look at in all this country round about us ,

,

w h ich looks at me with any deference o n it but the dark

d eference o f fear and slavery .

“ ” “
A compliment said the Marquis , to th e grandeur o f
,

t h e family , merited b y the manner in whic h the family

h as sustained its grandeur H ah ! . And he took an
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 143

other gentle little pinch o f snuff, and lightly crossed his

legs .

But when his nephew, leaning an elbow o n the table ,

,

covered his eyes thoughtfully and d ejectedly with his hand,

the fine mask looked at him s ideways with a stronger con
centration of keenness closeness and dislike than was
, , ,

’
comportable with its wearer s assumption of indifference .

“
Repress ion is the only lasting philosophy The dark .

deference o f fear and slav ery, my friend ”

O bserved the ,

M arquis , will keep the dogs obedient to the whip as long ,

” “ ”
as this roof looking up to it, shuts o u t the sky
,
.

That might n o t be so long as t h e Marquis supposed If .

a picture o f the ch ateau as it was to be a very few years

hence, an d of fifty like it as they t o o were to be a very few
years hence, could hav e been shown to him that night, he
might have been at a los s to claim his o w n from the ghastly
fir e charred plunder wrecked ruins
-
,
-
As f o r the roof he .

vaunted, he might have found th at shutting o u t the s k y in a

n e w way — to wit for ever , from the eye s o f the bodies into
,

which its lead was fired o u t o f the barrels o f a hundred

,

thousand muskets .

“
Meanwh ile, said t h e Marquis , I will preserve the
” “

honour and repose of the family if y o u will n o t But y o u ,

.

must be fatigued S h all we terminate o u r confer e nce f o r

.

”
the night ?
“
A moment more .

An hour if you please

,

S ir, said the nephe w ,

w e h a v e done wrong and are ,

reaping t h e fruits of wrong .

“
We have done wrong ? repeated the Marquis with an
”
,

in quiring smile and delicately pointing first to his nephew,

, ,

then t o himself .

“
O ur family ; o u r h onourable family, w h ose honour is o f
s o much account t o bot h o f us in such di ff erent ways .
,
1 44 A TALE OF T WO C ITI E S .

E ven in my fath er s time we did a world o f wrong, in j u r

’
,

ing every human creature who came between us and our

p leasure whatever it was Wh y need I S peak o f m y
,
.

'

father s time when it is equally yours ? Can I separate

’
,

my father s twin brother, joint inheritor, and next suc

’ -

”
cessor from himself
,
?

“ ”
Death has done that ! said the Marquis .

”
And has left me, answered the nephew, bound to a
system that is fright f u l to me responsible for it, but ,

powerless in it ; seeking to execute the last request o f my

’
dear mother s lips , an d obey the last look o f m y dear
mother s eyes which implored me t o have mercy and t o
’
,

redress ; an d tortured by seeking assistance and power in

v ain ”
.

“
Seeking them from me my nephew said the Marqu is , , ,

touching him o n th e breast with his f o r e fin ge r — t h ey were

n o w standing by the hearth
“
you will for ever seek th em
in v ain, be assured ”
.

E very fine straight line in the clear whiteness o f his face ,

was c ruelly, craftily, and closely compressed, while he stood

looking quietly at his nep h ew, wit h his s h u fi box in his -

h and O nce again he touched him o n th e breast as though

.
,

his finger were t h e fin e point o f a small sword with which , ,

in del icate finesse , he r an him through the body and sai d , ,

“
My friend, I will die , perpetuating the system under
w h ich I have lived ”
.

When he had said it he took a culminating pinch o f

,

snuff and put h is box in his pocket

, .

“ ”
Better to be a rational creature , he added the n after ,

“
ringing a small h e ll o n the table and accept your natural ,

destiny But you are lost Monsieur C harles I see

.
”
, ,
.

“
This property and F rance are lost to me , said the
”

“ ”
nephew sadly ; I renounce them
, .

Are they bot h yours to renounce ? F rance may be but ,

 1 46 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

country T h e family name c an sn fie r from me in n o o th er,

.

”
f o r I bear it in n o other .

The r in gin g o f the bell had caused the adj oining bed
'

chamber to be lighted It now shone brightly, through the

.

door o f commun ication The Marquis looked that way, and

.

listene d f o r the retreating step o f his v alet .

“
E ngland is very attractive t o y ou seeing h ow in difl e r ,

ently y o u hav e prospered there he obser v ed then turning

”
, ,

his calm face to his nephew wit h a smile .

“
I hav e already said that for m y prospering there I am
, ,

sensible I may be i n debted to you s ir F o r the rest it is ,

.
,

”
my Refuge .

They say those boastful E nglish that it is t h e Refuge

, ,

o f man y . You know a compatri o t w h o h as found a Refu ge

”
there ? A Doctor ?
“
Yes
.

”
With a daughter ?
Yes
.

Yes
,
said the Marq u is “
You ar e fatigued Good
. .

”
n ight !

As he bent h is head in h is most courtly manner there ,

was a secrecy I n h is smiling face , and h e conveyed an air o f

mystery t o those words which struck the eyes and ears o f
,

his nephew forcibly At t h e same time, the thin straigh t

.

lines of the setting o f the eyes and the thin straight lips , ,

and the markings in the n ose, curved with a sarcasm that

looked h andsomely diabolic .

“
Yes , r e peated the Marquis
”
A Doctor wit h a dau gh.

ter Yes S o commences the n e w philosophy ! Yo u are

. .

”
fatigued Good night !
.

It would h ave been o f as much a v ail to interrogate any

stone face outside the ch ateau as to interrogate that face o f
h is The nep h e w looked at him, in v ain, in pass ing o n t o
.

t h e door
.
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 47

Good nigh t ! said t h e uncle

”
I look to the pleasure
o f seeing y o u again in the morning Good repose ! Light
.

M onsi e ur my nephe w to his chamber there ! — And burn

M onsieur my nephew in h is bed, if y o u will, he added to
”

h ims elf before he rang his little bell again, and summoned
,

h is valet t o h is o wn bedroom .

The valet come and gone , M onsieur the Marquis walked

to and f ro in his loose chamber robe t o prepare himself -
,

gently f o r sleep that h o t still n ight Rustling about the

,
.

room , his softly slippered feet making no noise o n the floor

-
,

h e moved like a refined tiger : looked like some enchanted

marquis o f the impenitently wicked sort, in story whose ,

periodical change in to tiger form was either just going o ff,

o r just coming o n .

He moved from end to end o f his v oluptuous bedroom,

’
looking again at the scraps o f t h e day s j ourney that came
unbidden into his m ind ; t h e slow toil up the h ill at sunset ,

t h e setting sun , the descent the m ill, the prison o n the

,

crag the little village in the h ollow t h e peasants at th e

, ,

fountain and the mender o f roads w it h his blue cap point

,

ing o u t the chain under the carriage That fountain sug .

gested th e Paris fountain, t he little bundle l y ing o n the

step the women bending o ve r it, and the tall man wit h h is
,
“ ”
arms up crying Dead !
, ,

“
I am cool n o w said Monsieur the M arquis and may
, ,

”
g o t o bed .

S o leaving only o n e light burning o n the large hearth, h e

,

let his thin gauze curtains fall around him , and heard the
nigh t break its s ilence with a long sigh as h e composed
h imself t o S leep .

The stone faces o n the outer walls stared blindly at the

black night f o r t h ree heavy h ours ; f o r three heavy hours ,

the horses in the stables rattled at their racks the dogs ,

barked and the o w l made a noise with very little resem

,
1 48 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

blance in it to t h e noise conventionally ass igned to t h e o w l

by m e n poets But, it is the obstinate custom o f such crea
-
.

tures h ardly e v er t o say w h at is set down for them .

F o r three heavy h ours , the stone faces o f the ch ateau , lion

and human, stared blindly at the nigh t Dead darknes s lay .

o n all the landscape , dead darknes s added its o w n hush to

the b u s h in g dust o n all the roads The burial place had .

-

g o t t o t h e pass that its little h eaps o f poor grass were undis

t in gu ish ab le from o n e another ; the figure o n the C ros s

might hav e come down for anything that could be seen o f
,

it In t h e village , taxers and taxed were fast asleep

. .

Dreaming per h aps , o f banquets as the starved usually do

, , ,

and o f eas e and rest, as the driven slave and the yoked o x
m ay its lean inhabitants slept soundly, and were fed and
,

freed .

T h e fountain in the village flowed unseen and un h eard ,

and th e fountain at the ch ateau dropped unseen and unheard

— both melting away like the minutes that were falling
,

from the spring o f Time — throug h three dark hours .

T h en the grey water o f both began to be ghostly in the

,

ligh t and the eye s o the stone faces o f the ch ateau were
,
f -

O pened .

Lighter and ligh ter, until at last the s u n touched the tops
o f the still trees an d poured its radiance over the hill
,
In .

the glow the w ater o f the ch ateau fountain seemed to turn

,

t o blood, and the ston e faces crimsoned The carol o f the .

birds was loud and h igh and o n the weather beaten s ill of
, ,
-

t h e great window o f th e bed chamber o f Monsieur the Mar -

quis o n e little bird sang its sweetest song with all its
,

might At this t h e nearest stone face seemed to stare

.
,

amazed and with O pen mouth and dropped under j aw

, ,
-
,

looked awe stricken -

.

N o w the s u n was full up an d mo v ement began in the v il

, ,

lage C asement windows O pened craz y doors were unbarred

.
, ,
1 50 A TAL E OF Tw o C IT I E S .

ing ab out in th eir depresse d manner and w h ispering lo w, ,

but showing n o ot h er emotions than grim curiosi t y an d

surprise T h e led cows hastily brough t in and tethered t o
.
,

anything that would hold them, were looking s t u pidly o n ,

o r ly ing down chewing the cud o f nothing particularly

repaying their trouble which they had picked up in their

,

interrupted saunter So m e o f th e people o f the ch ateau,

.

an d some o f those o f the posting house and all the taxing

-
,

authorities , were armed more o r less and were crowded o n ,

the other s ide o f the little street in a purposeless w ay, t hat

was highly fraught with nothing Already t h e mender o f .
,

roads had penetrated into the midst o f a group o f fifty

particular friends and was smi ting himself in the breast
,

wit h his blue cap W h at did all this portend and what
.
,

porte n ded th e swift hoisting u p o f Mons ieur Gabelle behind

-

a servant o n horseback an d the conveying away o f the said

,

Gabelle (double laden though t h e horse was ) at a gallop

-
, ,

like a new version O f the German ballad o f Leonora ?

It portended that there was o n e stone face t o o many, u p
at t h e ch ateau .

The Gorgon had sur v eyed the building again in th e nigh t,

and had added the o n e stone face wanting ; the stone fac e
for which it h ad waited through about t wo hundred y ears .

It lay back o n the pillow o f Monsieur the Marquis It .

was like a fine mask suddenly startled made angry an d

, , ,

petrified Dri v en home int o the heart o f the stone figure

.

attached to it was a knife Round its hilt was a frill o f

,
.

paper o n wh ich was scrawled :

,

D rive h im f as t to h is to m b . Th is , f ro m JA C Q U E S .
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 151

C HAP TE R X .

TW O PR O M I SE S .

M O RE m onths , to the number of twelve, h ad come and

gone and Mr C harles Darnay was established in E ngland
,
.

as a higher teacher o f the F rench language who was con

versant with F rench literature In this age he wo uld .

,

have been a Professor ; in that age he was a Tutor He ,

.

read with young men who could find any leisure and inter
e s t for the study of a living tongue spoken all over the

world an d he cultivate d a taste for its stores of knowledge

,

an d fancy He could write o f them besides in sound

.
, ,

E nglish and render them into sound E nglish Such mas

,
.

ters were not at that time easily found ; Princes that had
been, and Kings that were to be were not y e t o f the ,

Teacher class , and no ruined nobility had dropped o u t of Tell

’
s on s ledgers to turn cooks and carpenters As a tutor
,
.

’
whose attainments made the student s w ay unusually pleas
an t and profitable and as an elegant translator w h o brough t
,

s omething to his work bes ides mere dictionar y knowledge

young Mr Darnay soon became known and encouraged

. .

H e was well ac quainted moreover with the circum stances

, ,

o f his country an d those were o f ever growing interest

-
, .

S o wit h great pers everance and untiring industry, he pros

,

pered .

In London, he had expected neit h er t o walk o n pave

ments o f gold, nor to lie o n beds o f roses ; if he had had
any such exalted expectation he would not have prospered
,
.

He had expected labour and he found it and did it and

, , ,

made the best o f it In this his prosperity consisted

.
,
.

A certain portion o f his time was passed at C ambridge ,

152 A TALE OF TW O C ITIE S .

where h e read with undergraduates as a sort o f tolerated

smuggler who drove a contraband trade in E uropean lan
guages instead o f conveyi ng Greek and Latin through the
,

C ustom h ouse The rest o f his time he pass ed in London

-
. .

N o w from the days w h en it was al w ays summer in E den ,

,

t o thes e days when it is mostly winter in fallen latitudes ,

the world o f a man has invariably gone o n e way C harles
D arn ay s way — the way o f the lo v e o f a woman
’
.

He had lo v ed Lucie Manette from the hour o f his danger .

He had never heard a s ound so sweet and dear as the sound

o f her compassionate voice ; h e had ne v er seen a face s o

tenderly beautiful as h e r s w h e n it was confronted with

,

his o w n o n the edge o f the grav e t h at had been dug for

him But he had n o t yet S pok en t o her o n t he subj ect ;
.
,

the assassination at the de serted ch ateau far away beyond

the heaving water an d the long long dusty roads —the
, ,

solid stone ch ateau which h ad itself become the mere mist

o f a dream had been done a year , and he had ne v er yet,
by so much as a S ingle spoken word disclosed to h er the ,

state o f his heart .

That he h ad h is reasons f o r t h is he kne w full well It

,
.

was again a summer day w h en lately arri v ed in London

,

from his college occupation , h e turned into the quiet corner

in So h o bent o n seeking an O pportunity o f openin g his
,

mind t o Doctor Manette It was the close of the summer

.

day, and he kn e w Lucie to be o u t with Miss Pross .

He found the Doctor reading in his arm chair at a window -

.

The energy which had at once supported him under his o ld

sufferings an d aggravated their S harpness had been gradu ,

ally restored to him He was n o w a very energetic m an

.

indeed, with great firmness of purpose strength o f resolu ,

tion , and vigour o f action In his recovered energy he was

.

sometimes a little fit f u l and sudden as he h ad at first been

,

in the exercise o f h is other recovered faculties ; but thi s ,

1 54 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

v ery har d f or me t o hear her spoken of in th at tone o f

yours C harles Darn ay
,
”
.

“
It is a tone o f fer v ent admiration true homage and ,

deep love Doctor Manette ! he said, deferentially

,
.

There w as another blank silence before her father r e

j oined
“
I belie v e it I do y o u justice ; I belie v e it
.
”
.

H is constraint was s o manifest, and it was s o manifest,

t o o , that it originated in an unwillingness t o approac h t h e
S ubj ect, that C harles Darnay hes itated .

“ ”
Shall I go o n , s ir ?
Another blank .

“ ”
Yes go o n
,
.

Yo u anticipate w h at I would say t h ough y ou canno t ,

know h o w earnestly I say it, h o w earnestly I feel it with ,

o u t knowing my secret heart, and the hopes an d fears and

anxietie s w ith which it has long been la den Dear Doc .

t o r M anette , I lo v e your daughter fondly, dearly disinter ,

e s t e dly, de v otedly If ever there were lo v e in the world,

.

I lo v e h er Yo u h a v e lo v ed yourself ; let your o ld lo v e

.

speak f o r me !
The Doctor sat with h is face turned away, an d his eyes
bent o n the ground At the last words , h e stretched o u t
.

his hand again hurriedly and cried :

, ,

“
N o t that, sir ! Let that be ! I adjure y ou , d o n o t recall
”
that !
His cry was so like a cry of actual pain, that it rang in
Ch arles Darn ay s ears long after he had ceased He
’
.

motioned with the hand he had extended and it seemed ,

to be an appeal to Darnay to pause The latter so recei v ed .

it, and remained silent .

“
I ask your pardon, said t h e Doctor in a subdued tone
”
, ,

after some moments I do n o t doubt your lo v ing Lucie ;

.

y o u may be satisfied o f it .
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 1 55

He t urned towar d s him in his chair but did not look at ,

h im o r raise h is eyes His chin dropped upon his han d

,
.
,

and his white hair o v ershadowe d his face

Hav e y o u S poken t o Luci e ?
”
No .

Nor written ?
Ne v er ”
.

It would be unge n erous to a ffe ct n ot to kn o w th at y our

s e lf denial is to be referred to your cons ideration f o r her
-

father Her father thanks you

. .

He ofie r e d his hand ; but his eyes did not go wit h it , .

“
I kno w said Darnay respectfully how can I fail to
,
“
, ,

know, Doctor Manette , I who have seen you togeth er from

day to day that betwee n you and Mis s Manett e there is an
,

affection so unusual s o touching s o belongin g to the cir

, ,

c u m s t an c e s in which it has been nurtured that it can h ave ,

few parallels , even in the tenderness between a father and

child I kno w, Doctor Manette
. how can I fail to k now
— that m ingled with the affection and duty o f a daughter
,

who h as become a woman there is in her heart towards , ,

you all the love and relian ce of infancy itself I kno w

,
.

that as in her childhood she had no parent s o she is now

, ,

devoted to you with all the constancy and fervour o f her

present years and character united t o the trustfulness and ,

attachment o f the early days in which you were lost to her .

I know perfectly well that if you had been restored to her

from the world beyond this life you could hardly be i h ,

v ested in her S ight wit h a m ore sacred character than that

, ,

in which y o u are always with h er I know that when she .

is clinging to y o u the hands of baby girl and woman

, , , ,

all in o n e are round your neck I know that in lo v ing you

, .

sh e sees an d lov es her mother at her o w n age sees and ,

loves y o u at my age love s her mother broken h earted,

,
-

l o v es y o u through your dr eadful trial and in your blessed

156 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

rest o ration I h av e known t h is, nigh t and day, sinc e I

.

h ave known y ou in your home .

Her father sat s ilent with h is face bent down H is

, .

breathing was a little quickened ; but he repressed all ot h er

signs o f agitation .

“
Dear Doctor M anett e , always knowing this , always
seeing her and y o u with this hallowed light about y ou I ,

h ave forbo rne, and forborne, as lon g as it was in the nature

o f man to do it . I h ave felt an d do e v en n o w feel that t o
, ,

bring my lo v e — e v en mine — between you, is t o t o uc h

your history wit h somethi n g n o t quite s o good as itself .

But I love h er H eaven i s my witnes s that I lo ve

.

”
her !
“
I b e lie v e it ans w ered h er father , mournfully
,
“
I .

h ave thought s o before n ow I belie v e it

,
”
. .

“
But do n o t belie v e , said D arnay, upon w h ose ear t h e
,
”

mournful voice struck wit h a reproac h ful sound that if “

,

my fortune were s o cast as t h at, being o n e day s o happy as

to make her m y wife I must at any time put any separation
,

between h er and y o u I could o r would breathe a word o f

,

what I n o w say B es ides that I shoul d know it to be hope

. .

less, I should know it t o be a basenes s If I had any such .

pos sibility, even at a remote distance o f years harboured ,

in my thoughts and hidden in my h eart — if it ever h ad

been t h ere if it e v er could be there I could not now
touch this honoured h and ”
.

H e laid his o w n upon it as h e spoke .

“
N O, dear Doctor Manette Like y o u a voluntary ex ile
.
,

from F rance ; like you driven from it by its distractions

, ,

O ppressions and miseries ; like y o u striving to l i v e away

, ,

from it by m y o w n exertions an d trusting in a happier ,

future ; I look only to sharing y our fortunes sharing your ,

life and home, and being faithful t o yo u to the death N o t .

t o di v ide w it h Lucie her priv ilege as your c h ild c o m pan ,

1 58 A TALE OF Tw o C I T IE S .

in any suitor s fav our, would out w eigh h erself and all th e
’

”
world F o r which reason , Doctor Manette , said Darnay ,
.

“
modestly but firmly , I would not ask that word, to save
my life .

I am sure o f it C harles Darnay, mysteries arise o u t

.

o f close lo v e , as well as o u t o f wide di v ision ; in the former

case they are subtle an d delicate , an d difficult to penetrate

,
.

My daughter Lucie is in this o n e respect such a mystery

, ,
‘

t o me ; I c an m ake no guess at the state o f her heart .

“
May I ask, sir if y o u think she is
,
As he hes i
t at e d, her father supplied the rest .

“ ”
Is sought by an y other suitor ?
“ ”
It is w hat I meant t o say .

Her father cons idered a little befor e h e answered

“
Yo u ha v e seen Mr C arton here , yourself . Mr Stry v er . .

is here t o o occasionally I f it be at all, it c an only be by

,
.

”
o n e o f these .

”
O r both said Darnay,
.

I had n o t thought o f both ; I s h ould n o t think either,

likely Yo u want a promise from me Tell m e what it is
.
”
. .

“
It is , that if Mis s Manette S hould bring to y o u at any
time , o n her o wn part, such a co n fidence as I have v e n
tur o d to lay before y o u you will bear testimony to what I
,

have said and to your belief in it I h Ope you may be able

, .

to think s o well of me as to urge no influence against me

, .

I say not h ing more o f my stake in this ; this is what I ask .

The condition o n which I ask it an d which y o u have an ,

undoubted right to require , I will Observe immediately ”

.

“ ” “
I give the promise said the Doctor, without any c o n
,

dition I believe y our obj ect to be pure ly an d truthfu lly

.
, ,

as y o u h ave stated it I believe your intention is to per

.

p e t u at e ,
an d n o t to weaken , the ties between me and my

other and far dearer self If she S hould e v er tell me .

t h at yo u ar e essential t o h er perfect h appiness , I will gi v e

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 15 9

h er to y o u . If there were — C harles Darnay if ther e ,

were
The young m an had taken his hand gratefully ; thei r
hands were j oined as the Doctor spoke
any fancies an y reasons any apprehensions an y
, , ,

thing whatsoever, new or old against the man she really ,

loved — the direct respons ibility thereof n o t lying o n h is

head they should all be obliterated for her sake She is .

e v eryth ing to me ; more to me than suffering, more to m e

”
than wrong more to me
, Well ! This is idle talk .

S o strange was the way in whic h he faded into s ilence ,

and so strange his fixed look when h e had cease d to speak,
that Darnay felt his o w n hand turn cold in the hand that
slowly released and dropped it .

“
Yo u said someth ing to me, said Doctor Manette , break
”

”
ing into a smile What was it y o u said to me
.
?

He was at a loss how to answer until he remembered ,

h aving spoken o f a condition Relieved as his mind r e .

v erted to that he answered ,

“
Your confidence in me ought to be returne d with full
confidence o n my part My present name t h ough but .
,
’
slightly changed from my mother s is not as you will re , ,

m ember, my o w n I wis h to tell y o u w h at that is , and

.

why I am in E ngland ”
.

Stop ! said the Doctor o f B eauvais .

I wish it that I may the better deser v e your confidence ,

,

and have n o secret from you .

Stop !
F or an instant th e Doctor e v en h ad his t w o h ands at h is
,

ears ; f o r another instant, even had h is tw o han ds laid o n

Dar n ay s lips
’
.

“
Tell me when I ask y o u n o t n o w If your suit should
,
.

prosper if Lucie should love y ou y o u shall tell me o n you r

, ,

m arriage morning D o y o u promise ? ”

.
1 60 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

Willingly .

Give me your h and She will be h ome directly and it

.
,

is better she should n o t s ee us together to night Go ! -

.

”
G o d bless y o u !

It was dark w h en C harles Darnay left him , and it was an

h our later an d darker when Lucie came home ; she hurrie d
into the room alone for Miss Pross had gone straight u p
-

s tairs an d was surprised to fin d his readi n g chair empty -

.

“
My father ! she calle d to him “
F ather dear ! .

Not h ing was said in answer but she heard a lo w hammer

,

ing sound in his bedroom Pas sing l ightly across the inter
.

mediate room she looked in at his door and came running

,

back frightened, crying to herself, with h er blood all chilled ,

What shall I do ! What shall I do !

Her uncertainty lasted but a moment ; she hurrie d back ,

an d tapped at his door, an d softly called to him The noise .

c eased at the sound o f her voice an d he presently came o u t

,

t o her , an d they walked up an d down together for a long

time .

S h e cam e down from her bed, to look at him in h is sleep

that nigh t He slept heavily and his tray o f shoemaking
.
,

t ools an d h is o ld unfinished w ork were all as usual

, ,
.

C H AP TE R XI .

A C O M PA NI O N P I C T URE .

S Y D N E Y,
said Mr Stryver, o n that self same night o r
.
-
,

“
morning, to his j ackal ; m ix another bowl o f punch ; I
h ave something to say to y ou ”
.

Sydney had been working double tides that night and the ,

night before and the night before that an d a good many

, ,
1 62 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

An d y o u , returned Sydney, busy concocting t h e punch,

”
ar e such a sensitive and poetical spirit .

C ome ! rej oined Stry v er, laugh ing boastfully t h oug h

“
,

I don t prefer any claim to being the soul o f Romance (for

’

I h Ope I know better), still , I am a tenderer so rt o f fellow

t han yo u .

“
You are a luckier, if y o u mean that .

’
I don t mean that I mean, I am a m an o f more
.

m ore
“
Say gallantry w h ile y o u are about it, suggested C arton
,
”
.

’
Well ! I ll say gallantry My meaning is , that I am a
.

man said Stry v er inflating himself at his friend as he

,
”
,
“
made the punch, w h o cares more to be agreeable, who
takes more pain s t o be agreeable, w h o knows better h ow
t o be agreeable , in a woman s society, t h an y ou do
’ ”
.

G O on ”
,
said Sydney C arton .

N o ; but before I go o n , said Stry v er shaking his h ead

”
,

in h is bully ing way, I ll hav e th is o u t wit h y o u

“ ’
You hav e .

been at Doctor Manette s h ouse as much as I h ave , o r more

’

t h an I h ave . Why, I h av e be e n ashamed o f your mor o se

ness there ! Your manners have been o f that silent and
s ullen an d hang do g kind that upon my life and s oul I
-
, , ,

h av e been as h amed o f y o u , Sydney !

“
It should be very bene fi cial t o a m an in y our practice at
”
t h e bar, to be ashamed o f anything returned Sy dney ;
,

“
y o u oug h t to be much obliged to me ”
.

“
Yo u shall n o t get o ff in that w ay, rejoined Stry v er
’
s houldering the rej oinder at him ; n o, S y dney it s my duty ,

t o tell y ou — and I tell y o u t o your face to do y o u good

that y o u are a de v ilis h ill conditioned fellow in t h at sort
- -

o f society . Yo u are a disagreeable fellow .

Sydney drank a bumper o f the punch he had made an d ,

laughed .

“
Look at me ! said Stry v er, squaring h imself ; I h a ve
” “
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 63

less need t o make myself agreeable than y o u have, being

more independent in circums t ances Wh y do I do it ? ”
.

“
I never s aw y o u do it y e t muttered C arton
”
, .

’
I do it because it s politic ; I do it o n pr inciple And .

”
look at me ! I get o n .

You don t get o n with your account o f your matrimonial

’

intentions answered C arton with a careless air ; I wish

”
,
“
,

you would keep to that As to me — will y ou never under

.

stand that I am incorrigible ?

He asked the question with some appearance o f scorn .

“
Yo u have no business to be incorrigible ”
w as h is ,

’
friend s answer , delivered in no very soothing tone .

“
I ha v e no business t o be at all that I know o f , said
,
”
,

Sydne y C arton “
Who is t h e lady ?
.

’
Now don t let my announcement o f t h e name make y ou
,
”
uncomfortable Sydney said Mr Stry ver preparing him
, ,
.
,

with ostentat ious friendliness f o r the disclosure h e was

“ ’
about t o make because I kn ow y o u don t mean half yo u
,

say ; and if you meant it all it would be o f n o importance

, .

I make t h is little preface , because y o u once m e n tioned th e

”
young lady to me in slighting terms .

“ ”
I did ?
C ertainly ; and in th ese chambers .

Sydney C arton looked at h is punch and looked at h is c o m

placent friend ; drank h is punch and looked at h is compla
cent friend .

“
Yo u made mention o f the young lady as a go lde n haired -
‘

doll The young lady is Miss Manette If you had been a

. .

fellow o f any sensitivenes s o r delicacy o f feeling in that

kind o f way S y dney I might have been a little resentful
, ,

o f your employing such a designation ; but you are not .

Yo u want that sense altogether ; therefore I am no mor e ,

annoyed when I think o f the expression than I should be ,

annoye d by a man s O pinion o f a picture o f mine w h o had

’
,
1 64 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

no eye f o r pictures ; o r o f a piece O f music of mine w h o ,

”
had no ear f o r mus ic .

Sydney C arton drank the punch at a great rat e ; drank it

by bumpers , looking at his friend .

“
N o w y o u know all about it S y d ”
said Mr Str y v er
,
I ,
. .

’
don t care about fortune : S h e is a charming creature , an d I
have made up m y mind to please m y self : o n the whole ,

I think I c an afford to please myself S h e will have in me .

a man already pretty well Off and a rapidly rising man and
, ,

a m an o f some distinction : it is a piece o f good fortune f o r

h er b u t S h e is worthy o f good fortune Are you astonished ?
,
”
.

C arton still drinking the punch rejoined Why S hould

,
“
, ,

I be ast onished ?
“
Yo u approve ? ”

C arton still drinking the punch rej oined, Why S hould

,
“
,
”
I not approve ?

Well ! said his friend Stry ver you take it more easily ,

than I fancied y o u would and are less m ercenary o n my

,

behalf than I thought you would be ; though to be sure , ,

u know well enough b

y o y this time that your ancient chum
is a m an of a pretty strong will Yes Sydne y , I have had .
,

enough of this sty le o f life with no other as a change from

,

it ; I feel that it is a pleasant thing for a man to h ave a

’
home when he feels inclined to go to it (when he doesn t ,

he c an stay away ) and I feel that Mis s Manette will tell

,

well in an y station and will always do me credit S o I

,
.

have made up m y mind And now, S y dney , O ld b o y I want

.
,

to s ay a word to yo u about yo u r prospects Yo u are in a .

bad way you know ; y o u reall y are in a bad way Yo u

, .

’ ’
don t know the value of m oney y o u live h ard y ou ll knock
, ,

up o n e o f these day s and be ill an d poor ; you really ought

,

”
to think about a nurse .

The prosperous patronage with wh ic h he said it made ,

him look twice as big as he was , and four times as O ff ensive .

1 66 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

t u rn t o c o nsider After trying it, Stry v er C J was satisfied

. . .

that n o plainer case could be .

Accordingly Mr Stry v er inaugurated the Long Vacation

, .

with a formal pr Opos al to take Mis s Manette to Vauxhall

Gardens ; that failing t o Ranelagh ; that unaccountably ,

failing t o o it behoved him t o prese n t himself in S oho, and

,

there declare his nob le m i nd .

Towards S oho, therefore Mr Stryver shouldered h is w ay , .

from the Temple whil e th e bloom o f the Long Vaca t ion s

,
’

infancy was still upon it Anybody w h o h ad seen him .

proj ecting him self into Soho w h ile he was yet o n Saint
Du n s t an s side o f Temple B ar bursting in h is full blo wn
’
,
-

way along the pav ement, t o t h e j ostlement o f all weaker

p e ople , migh t hav e seen h o w safe an d strong he was .

H is way taking h im past Te llso n s and he both banking

’
,

’
at Te lls o n s and knowing Mr Lorry as the intimate friend
,
.

o f the Manettes it entered M r S t r y v e r s mind t o enter t h e

’
, .

bank, an d r ev eal t o M r Lorry t h e brightness o f the Soho .

h orizon S O h e pushed O pen the door w ith the weak rattle

.
,

in its t h roat stumbled down the t w o st eps go t past the tw o

, ,

ancient cashiers an d shouldered himself into the musty

,

back closet where Mr Lorry sat at great books ruled f o r .

figures , w ith perpendicular iron bars t o his window as if

that were ruled f o r figures t o o and e v eryth ing under th e ,

clouds were a sum .

“
Halloa ! said M r Stry v er H o w do y o u do ? I hope
. .

y o u are well !
It was S t ryv e r s grand peculiarity that h e alway s s eemed
’

t o o big f o r an y place , o r space He was s o much too big f o r .

Te lls o n s that o ld clerks in distant corners looked up wit h

’
,

looks o f remonstran ce , as though he squeezed them aga i nst

the wall The House itself magnificently rea ding the paper
.
,

quite in th e far o ff perspecti v e, lowered displeased as if th e

-
,

Stryver head had been butted into its responsible waistcoat .

1 68 A TAL E OF Tw o C I TI E S .

M r Lorry adjusted his l ittle wig at bot h ears as a mean s

.

t owards that end, an d bit the feather o f a pen .

“ ”
D— n it all , sir ! said Stryver, staring at him , am I
not eligible ?
’ ”
O h dear ye s ! Yes O h yes you re eligible !
.
,

Mr Lorry
.
“
If y o u say el igible y o u are eligible
.
”
,
.

“
Am I n o t prosperous ? asked Stryver .

O h ! if y o u come t o prosperous , y o u are prosper ous ,

s aid M r Lorry . .

“
An d advancing ?
I f y ou com e to advancing , y ou know, said Mr Lorry, .

delighted t o be able to make anot he r admission, nobody “

”
c an doubt that .

“
T h en what o n earth is your m eaning M r Lorry ? ”
, .

demanded Stryver, perceptibly crestfallen .

“
Well ! I Were y ou going t h ere n ow ? asked Mr
”
.

Lorry .

“
Straigh t ! s aid Stryver with a plu m p o f h is fist o n th e
”
,

desk .

“
T h en I think I wouldn t if I was y o u
’
, .

Wh y ? said Stry v er N o w , I ll put y o u in a c o rner,

’
.

“
fo rensic ally shaking a forefinger at him You are a m an .

o f business and bound t o h av e a reason State your reason . .

W hy wouldn t y o u go ?
’

” “ ’
B ecause said Mr Lorry I wouldn t go o n such an
,
.
,

Obj ect w ithout h aving some cause t o belie v e that I s h oul d

”
succeed .

“ —
D n ME ! ”
cried Stry v er, but th is beats e v erything
“ ”
.

M r Lorry glanced at the distant House, and glanced at

.

the angry Stry v er .

“ ’
Here s a man o f bus iness a man o f years a m an o f
” “
e xperience in a Bank said Stryver ; ,
and having
s ummed up t h ree leading reasons for complete succes s h e ,

’
s ays there s n o reason at all ! Says it wit h h is head o n ! ”
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 69

Mr Stry v er remarked upon the peculiarity as if it would

.

h av e been infinitel y less remarkable if he had said it with

h is head Off .

“
When I speak o f success I speak o f succes s wit h the ,

youn g lady ; and when I speak o f causes and reasons to

make succes s probable , I speak of causes and reason s that
will t e ll as such with the young lady The young lady my .
,

good s ir said Mr Lorry mildly tapping the Stryver arm ,

,
.
,
“ ”
the y oung lady The y oung lady goes before all
. .

Th en y o u mean to tell me Mr Lorry said Str y v er,

”
,
.
,

s quarin g his elbows that it is your deliberate O pinion that

“
,

the you n g lady at present in question is a mi n cing F ool ?

“ ’
Not exactly s o I mean to tell you Mr Stryver,
.
,
.

“
said Mr Lorry reddeni n g
.
,
that I will hear n o d is r e
,

S pe c t f u l word of t h at y oung lady from an y lips ; and that

if I knew any m an which I hope I do n o t whose taste

was so coarse and w h ose tem per was so overbearing that
, ,

h e could not restrain himself from S peaking disrespectfully

’
o f that young lady at this desk not even Te lls o n s should ,

”
prevent my giving him a piece of m y mind .

The necessity o f being angry in a suppres sed tone h ad

’
p u t Mr . Str y ver S blood vessels into a dangerous
-
state when
’
it was his turn to be angry ; Mr Lorry s veins methodical .
,

as their courses could usually be were in n o better state ,

now it was his turn .

“
That is what I mean to tell you s ir said Mr Lorry , ,
. .

”
Pray let there be no mistake about it .

Mr Stryver sucked the e n d o f a ruler for a little while ,

.

and then stood hitting a tune out o f his teeth with it whic h ,

probabl y gav e him the toothache He broke the awkward .

s ilence by say ing

“
This is s omething new to me Mr Lorry Yo u d e lib ,
. .

e r at e ly advise me n o t to go up to S oho an d o ffer myself

m yself, St ry v er o f the King s Bench bar ?

’
1 70 A TAL E OF TW O C ITI E S .

D o y ou ask m e for my adv ice , Mr Stry v er ? .

”

”
Ye s I do .

V ery good T h en I gi v e it, and you hav e repeated it

.

correctly .

“
A n d all I c an say o f it is , laughed Stry v er wit h a
”
,

v exed laugh, that this h a ha ! — beats everything past

“ -
, ,

”
pre s ent and to come ,
.

“
N o w understand me
‘
pursued Mr Lorry As a man ,
. .

o f business , I am not justified in saying anything about

this matter, f o r, as a m an O f business , I know nothing o f

it But, as an o ld fellow, w h o has carrie d Miss Manette
.

in h is arm s who is the trusted friend of Miss Manette and

,
'

Of h e r father t o o , and w h o h as a great a ffection for them

both I hav e S poken

,
The confidence is not o f my seeking, .

recollect Now you think I may not be right ?

.
,

“ ” “ ’
N ot I ! said Str y ver, whis tling I can t undertake .

to find third parties in common sense ; I can only find it f o r

myself I suppose sense in certain quarters ; y o u suppos e
.

’
mincing bread and but ter nonsense It s n e w to me, but - -
.

you are right I dare s ay ,

.

“
What I suppose Mr Stryver I claim to characterise ,
.
,

”
f o r m y self And u n derstand me, sir, said Mr Lorr y,
. .

“
quickly flushing again I will n o t — not even at Tell .

s o n s — have it characterised f o r me by any gentleman

’

”
breathing .

“
There ! I beg y our pardon ! said S t ryver .

Granted Thank you Well Mr Stry ver I was about

. .
,
.
,

to say z — it might be painful to you to find yourself mis

taken, it might be painful to Doctor Manette to h av e the
t ask o f being explicit with you , it might be very pain f ul

to Miss Mane t te to have the task o f being explicit with y o u .

You know the terms upon which I hav e the honour and hap
p in e s s t o stand with the family If y o u please committing .
,

o u in n o way , representing y o u in no way, I will undertak e

y
1 72 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

papers littered o u t f o r the purpose seemed t o hav e not h ,

ing les s o n his mind than the subject o f the morning .

He e v en showed surprise w h en he saw Mr Lorry an d w as .

,

altogether in an absent and preoccup ied state .

“ ”
Well ! said that good natured emissary , after a full
~

h alf hour o f bootles s attempts t o bring him round to the

-

question I hav e been to Soho

“
,
”
.

“ ” “
To Soho ? repeated Mr Stryver, coldly . O h, t o be .

sure ! What am I thinking o f !

“
And I h ave n o doubt said Mr Lorry, that I was
”
,
“
.

right in the conversation we had My O pinion is confirmed, .

”
and I reiterate my advice .

I as sure y ou returned Mr Stry ver in the friendlie st

, .
,

“
way that I am sorry f o r it o n your account an d sorry f o r
, ,

’
it o n the poor father s account I know this must alway s
.

be a sore subj ect with t h e family ; let us s ay n o more

”
about it .

“
I don t understand y ou , said M r Lorry
’
.

I dare say not rejo ined Stryver, nodding h is h ead in

”
,

a smoothing and final way ; no matter no matter , .

“
But it does matter M r Lorry urged
”
,
. .

N O it doesn t ; I assure y o u it doesn t

’ ’
H aving sup .

posed t h at there was sense where there is n o sense and a ,

laudable ambition where there is not a laudable ambition ,

I am well o u t o f my mistake and no harm is done Young

,
.

women ha v e committed s imilar follies O ften before, and

have repented them in poverty and obscurity often before .

I n an unselfish aspect I am sorry th at the thing is dropped

, ,

because it would have been a bad thing for me in a worldl y

point o f view ; in a selfish aspect I am glad that the thing ,

has dropped, becaus e it would have been a bad thing f o r me

in a worldly point o f view it is hardly necessary t o say
I could hav e gained nothing by it Th e re is n o h arm at all .

do n e I h ave n o t proposed to th e young lady, an d, b e

.
'
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 73

tw een oursel v es I am b y no means certain , o n reflection

, ,

that I ever S hould have committed myself to that extent .

Mr Lorry, y o u cannot control the mincing v anities and

.

giddinesse s o f empty heade d girls ; y o u must not expect

-

to do it, o r you will always be disappointed Now pray .

,

say no more about it I tell y o u I regret it o n account o f

.
,

others , but I am satisfie d o n m y o wn account An d I am .

really v ery much obliged t o you f o r allowing me to sound

y ou and
,
for giving me your advice ; you know the y oung
lady better than I do ; you were right, it never would have
”
done .

Mr Lorry was s o taken aback, that he looked quit e

.

stupidly at Mr Stry ver shouldering him to w ards the door

.
,

with an appearance o f showering generos ity forbearance , ,

“
an d good will o n his erring head , Make the best o f it, .

my dear sir said Stry ver ; s ay no more about it ; thank

,

y o u again f o r allowing me to sound y o u ; good night !

Mr Lorry was o u t in the night before he knew where
.
,

he was Mr Stryver was lying back o n h is sofa, w in king

. .

at h is ceilin g .

C H A P T E R ! III .

TH E FE LL O W O F NO D E L I C A CY .

I F Sydn ey C arton e v er shone anywhere, he certainly

n e v er shone in the house o f Doctor Manette H e had been ;

there O ften during a whole year, and had always been the
,

same moody an d morose lounger there When he cared to .

talk he talked well ; but the cloud o f caring for nothing,

, ,

which ov e rshadowed him with such a fatal darkn ess w as ,

v ery rarely pierced by the ligh t within him .

And yet he did care something for the streets that e n

v iro n e d that h ouse , an d f o r t h e senseles s stones that mad e
1 74 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

their pavements Many a night he vaguely an d unhappily

.

wandered there when wine had brought n o transitory glad

,

nes s to him ; many a dreary day break revealed his solitary

figure lingering there , and still lingering there when the
first beams o f the sun brought into strong relief removed ,

beauties of architecture in spires o f c hurches and lofty

buildings as perhaps the quiet time brought so m e sens e
,

o f better things else forgotten an d unattainable into his

, ,

mind O f late , the neglected bed in the Te mple court had

.

known him more scantily than ever ; and often when he had
thrown himself upon it no longer than a few minutes , he
had got up again and haunted t h at neighbourhood
, .

On a day in August when M r S t ry v e r (after notifying

,
.

“
t o his j ackal that he had thought better of that marrying
matter ) had carried his delicacy into De v onshire an d
”
,

when t h e S ight and scent o f flowers in the C ity streets had

s ome waifs o f goodnes s in them for the worst o f health for ,

t h e s ickliest, an d o f youth f o r the oldest S y dney s feet still ,

’

trod those stones F rom being irresolute and purposeless

.

his feet became animated by an intention and in the work , ,

ing out o f that intention, they to ok him to the Doctor s ’

d oor .

He was s h own u p stairs and found Lucie at her work

, ,

alone She had ne v er been quite at her ease with him and
.
,

received h im with some little embarrassment as he seated

himself near h er table But looking up at his face in the
.
,

interchange o f the first few common places she obser v ed -

,

a change in it .

‘
I fear you are not well Mr C arton ! ,
.

No But the life I lead Mis s Manette is not condu

.
, ,

c ive to health What is to be expec t ed o f o r by such

.
, ,

rofl i at s?
p g e
“
it not — forgive me ; I have begun the question
IS on
”
my lips a pity t o live no better life ?
1 76 A TA LE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

have returned the love o f the man y o u see before y ou

s elf —
fl u n g away, wasted, drunken poor creature o f misuse ,

as you know him to b e h e w ould have been conscious th is

d ay and hour in spite o f h is h appiness , that h e would
,

bring you to misery bring y o u t o sorrow and repentance ,

,

bligh t y ou disgrace vo u pull y o u down with him I know

, ,
.

very well that y ou c an have no tenderness for me ; I ask

f o r none ; I am even thankful that it cannot be .

“
Without it can I not save y o u , Mr C arton ? Can I
,
.

not recall you — forgive me again ! — t o a better course !

C an I in no way repay y our confiden c e ? I know th is is a
”
confidence she modestly said after a little hesitation and
, , ,

“
in earnest tears I know y o u would say this t o n o o n e else
,
.

C an I turn it to no good account f o r yourself, Mr C arton

?
.

H e shook his head .

To none N o Miss M anette , to none

.
,
I f you will hear .

me through a v ery little more all y o u c an e v er do for me

,

is done I wish y o u to know that y o u hav e been the last

.

dream o f my soul I n my degradation I have n o t been so

.
,

d egraded but that the sight o f you with your father and o f ,

this home made such a hom e by y o u has stirred o ld S had ,

o w s that I thought had died o u t o f me S ince I knew yo u , .

I hav e been troubled by a remorse that I though t would

ne v er reproach me again, an d have heard wh ispers from old
v oices impelling me upward that I thought were S ilent for
,

ever . I have had unformed ideas o f stri ving afresh ,

beginning anew shaking o ff S loth and sensualit y and figh t
, ,

ing o u t the abandoned fight A dream all a dream that .

, ,

ends in nothing an d leav es the sleeper where he lay down

, ,

”
but I w ish y o u to know that y o u inspired it .

“
Will nothin g of it remain ? O Mr C arton think again ! .
,

Try again !
“
N O Mis s Manett e ; all through it I have known m y
, ,

s elf t o be quite undeser v ing An d yet I ha v e h ad the

.
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 77

weakness , an d have still the weaknes s to wis h y o u to know ,

with what a sudden mastery y o u kindled me, heap o f ashes

t hat I am , into fir e — a fire however inseparable in its , ,

nature from myself quickening nothin g lighting nothing

, , ,

”
doing no service , idly burning away .

“
S ince it is my misfortune Mr C arton to have made ,
.
,

o u more unhappy than you were before you knew me

y
“ ’
Don t say that Miss Manette for you would have r e
, ,

claimed me if any thing could Yo u will not be the cause

,
.

”
o f my becoming worse .

‘
S ince the state o f y our mind that you describe is at , ,

all events attributable to some influence o f m ine

,
this is
what I mean if I c an make it plain
, can I use no in fl u
ence t o serve you ? Have I no power for good with you, ,

at all ?
“
The u tmost good that I am capable o f n o w , Miss Ma
nette I hav e come here to realise Let me carry through
,
.

the rest o f m y misdirected life the remembrance that I ,

opened m y heart to y o u last o f all the world ; and that ,

there was something left in me at this time which you

”
could deplore an d pity .

“
Which I entreated y o u to belie v e again and again, most ,

fervently with all my heart, was capable o f better things

, ,

Mr C arton !
.
”

“
E ntreat me to believe it n o more Miss Manett e I ,
.

have proved m yself and I know better I distress you ;

,
.

I draw fast to an end Will y o u let me believe when I .

,

recall this day that th e last confidence o f m y l ife was r e

,

posed in your pure and innocent breast and that it lies ,

t h ere alone and will be shared b y no o n e ?

,
“
If that will be a consolation to you y e s ,
.

Not even by t h e dearest o n e e v er to be known to you ?

Mr C arton she answered after an agitated pause
.
”
, , ,
”
“
t h e secret is yours not mine ; and I promise to respect it
,
.

N
1 78 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

T h ank y o u And again, G o d bless y ou

. .

He put h er hand t o his lips , and moved towards t h e door .

“
Be under n o apprehension, Miss Manette o f my e v e r ,

resuming this conv ersation by s o much as a passing word .

I will never refer to it again If I were dead that could

.
,

not be surer than it is henceforth In the hour of my death .

,

I shall hold sacred the o n e good remembrance and S h all

thank and bless y o u for it that my last avowal of myself
was made to you and that my name, and faults and mis
, ,

eries , were gently carried in your heart May it otherwise .

be light and h appy !

He was so unlike what he h ad ever S hown himse lf to be ,

and it was s o sad to think h o w much he had thrown away ,

and h o w much he e v ery day kept down and perverted that ,

Lucie Manette wept mournfully f o r him as he stood looking

back at her .

“
Be comforted ! h e said I am n o t worth such feeling,
” “
,

Miss M anette An hour o r t w o hence and the low com

.
,

panions and lo w h abits that I s corn but yield to will render ,

me less worth suc h tears as those than any wretch who ,

creeps alo hg the streets B e comforted ! But within

.
,

myself I shall always be towards y o u what I am n o w

, , , ,

though outwardly I shall be what you have heretofore seen

me The last supplication but o n e I make to y o u , is , that
.

you will believe this o f me .

“
I will Mr C arton
, .
”
.

My last supplication o f all is this ; an d with it I will, ,

relieve y o u of a visitor with whom I well know you have

nothing in unison, an d between whom and y o u there is an
Impassable S pace It is useless to say it I know but it
.
, ,

rises o u t o f my s oul F or y o u an d for any dear to y o u , I

.
,

would do an y thing If m y career were o f th at better kind

.

that there was any O pportuni t y o r capacity o f sacrifice in it ,

I would embrace any sacrifice f o r you an d for those dear to

1 80 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

s h ore .Brief as suc h companionship was in ev e ry separate

instance , Mr C runcher never failed t o become so interested
.

in the lady as t o express a strong de sire t o hav e the honour

o f dr inking her v ery good h ealth And it was from t h e .

gifts bestowed upon h im towards the execution o f this

bene v olent purpose, that h e recruited h is finances , as just
n o w obser v ed .

Time was when a poet sat upon a stool in a public place

, ,

and mused in the sight o f men Mr C runcher, S i tting o n a . .

stool in a public place, but n o t being a poet, mus e d as littl e

as possible , and looked about him .

It fell o u t that h e was thus engaged in a season w h e n

cro wd s were few and belated women few and wh en h is
, ,

affairs in general were s o unprosperous as t o awaken a

strong suspicion in h is breast that Mrs C runc h er must have .

“
been fl Oppin g in some pointed manner when an unusual ,

concourse pouring down F leet street westward, attracted h is -

attention Looking that way, Mr C runc h er made o u t t h at

. .

s ome kind o f funeral was coming along, and that there

was popular obj ection t o this f u neral, which engendered
uproar .

“
Young Jerry said M r C runcher turning t o h is o ff
,
.
,
“ ’
spring it s a ,

“
H o o r o ar father ! ”
cried Young Jerry
, .

The young gentleman uttered this exultant s ound with

mysterious significance The elder gentleman took the cry
.

s o ill that he watched his opportunity an d smote th e

, ,

y oung gentleman o n the ear .

“ ’
What d ye mean ? What are y ou h o o ro ar in g at ? What
do y o u want to c o n w e y to your o w n father y o u young Rip ? ,

This boy is getting too many for m e ! said Mr C runche r,

”
.

sur v eying him “

Him and his h o o r o ars ! Don t let me ’

hear n o more o f yo u , o r y o u shall feel some more o f m e .

’
D ye hear ?
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI ES . 1 81

’ ”
I warn t do ing n o harm , Young Jerry protested, rub
bing his cheek .

“
Drop it then said Mr C runcher ; I won t have none
,
“
.
’

’
o f yo u r no harms Get a to p of that there seat and look
.
,
”
at the crowd .

His s o n obeyed, and the crowd approached ; the y were

bawling and hissing round a dingy hearse and dingy mourn
ing coach in which mourning coach there was onl y one
,

mourner, dressed in the dingy trappings that were con

s ide r e d essential to the dignity o f the position The posi .

tion appeared by no means to please him however with , ,

an increasing rabble surrounding the coach deriding h im , ,

making grimaces at h im and inces santly groaning and ,

calling out : Yah ! Spies ! Tst ! Yaha ! Spies ! with many

“ ”

compliments too numerous an d forcible to repeat .

F unerals had at all times a remarkable attraction for Mr .

C runcher ; he always pricked up his senses and became ,

excited w h en a funeral passed Te lls o n s Naturally there

,
’
.
,

fore a funeral with this uncommon attendance excited him

,

greatly and h e asked o f t h e first man w h o ran against him

,

“
What is it brother ? W h at s it about ?
,
” ’

’
I don t know said t h e man
,
“
Spies ! Yah a ! Tst ! .

”
Spies !
H e asked another man “
Who is it ? ”
.

“ ’
I don t kno w ”
returned t h e man : clapping h is h ands to
,

his mouth ne v ertheless, and vociferating in a surprising

“
heat and w ith the greatest ardour Spies ! Yaha ! Tst, tst ! ,

S pi ies !
-

At length , a person better informed o n t h e merits o f the

case tumbled against him and from th is person he learn ed
, ,

that the funeral was the f u neral o f o n e Roger C ly .

“
Was H e a spy ? asked Mr C runcher
”
. .

O ld Bailey spy returned his informant

,
Yah a ! Tst ! .

Yah ! O ld Bailey Spi i ie s ! - -

1 82 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

Wh y ,
be sure !toexclaimed Jerry recalling the Trial
,

at whi c h he had assisted “

I ve seen h im
’
. Dead is he ? .
,

” “ ’
Dead as mutton returned the other and can t be t o o
, ,

dead Hav e em ou t, there ! Spies ! Pull em out t here !

.
’ ’
,

”
Spies !
The idea was s o acceptable in the prevalent absence o f
any idea that the crowd caught it up with eagerness and
, ,

loudly repeating the suggestion to have em o u t, and to pull

em o u t, mobbed the t w o vehicles s o closely that the y came
to a stop On the crowd s opening the Coach doors the o n e
.
’
,

mourner s cu ffl e d o u t o f himself an d was in their hands f o r

a moment ; but he was s o alert and made such goo d use o f
,

his time that in another m oment he was scouring away up

,

a b y street, after S hedding h is cloak, hat long hatband,

-
,

white pocket handkerchief an d other symbolical tears

-
,
.

These the people tore t o pieces and scattered far and

, ,

wide with great enj oyment, while th e tradesmen hurriedly

shut up t heir S hops ; for a crowd in those times stopped at
nothing and was a monster much dreaded
,
They had .

already go t the length of O pening the hearse to take the

coffin o u t when some brighter genius propos ed instead its
, ,

being escorted to its destination am idst general rej oicing .

Practical suggestions being much needed this suggestion , ,

too, was received with acclamation and the coach was ,

immediately filled with eight inside and a do z en o u t while ,

as many people go t o n the roof o f the h earse as could by

an y exer c ise o f ingenuity stick upon it Among the first .

of these vol u nteers w as Jerry C runcher himself w h o ,

modestly concealed his S piky head from t h e observation o f

Te lls o n s , in the further corner o f the m ourning coach
’
.

The O fficiating undertakers made some protest against

these changes in the ceremonies ; but the river being ,

alarmingly near and several voices remarking o n the

,

e fficacy o f cold immersion in bringing refractory members

1 84 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

perhap s they ne v er came, an d this w as the usual progres s

o f a mob .

Mr C runcher did not assist at the closing sports but had

.
,

remained b ehind in the churchy ard to confer and condole ,

with the u ndertakers The place had a sooth ing influenc e

.

o n him . He procured a pipe from a neighbouring public

h ouse and smoked it looking in at the railings and maturely
, ,

c onsidering the spot .

“
Jerry ”
said Mr C runcher apostrophising h imself in
,
.
,

h is usual way, y o u see that th e re C ly that day and y o u ,

see wit h your o wn e ye s that h e was a young u h and a

’

’ ”
straight made u h .

Hav ing smoked his pip e ou t and ru m inated a littl e ,

longer, he turned himself about, that h e might appear,

before the h our o f closing o n his station at Te lls o n s
,
’
.

Wh ether h is m e ditations o n mortality had touched his liver ,

o r whether h is general health h ad been previously at all

amiss, o r whether he desired t o S how a little attention t o

an emin e nt m an , is not s o much t o th e purpose as t h at h e ,

made a sho rt call upon his medical adviser a distinguished

surgeon — o n his way back .

Young Jerry relie v ed h is fat h er wit h dutiful interest,

and reported N o j ob in h is absence T h e bank closed, the .

ancient clerks came o u t , the usual watch was s et, an d Mr .

C runc h er and h is s o n went hom e t o tea .

“
N o w I tell y o u where it is !
,
said Mr C runcher to h is .

“
w ife , o n entering If, as a honest tradesman , my w e n tu r s
.

goes wrong t o nigh t , I s h all make sure that y ou ve been

-
’

praying again me , and I shall work y ou for it just the sam e

as if I seen y ou do it .

The dej ected Mrs C runcher shook h e r h ea d

. .

Why , you re at it afore my face ! said M r C runche r,

’ ”
.

with signs o f angry apprehension .

“ ”
I am saying nothing .
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 85

Well , then ; don t meditate nothing You migh t as well

’
.

fl op as meditate Yo u may as well go again me o n e way as

.

”
another Drop it altogether
. .

“ ”
Ye s , Jerry .

Yes , Jerry repeated Mr C runc h er, s itting down to

,
.

tea.
“
Ah ! It is yes , Jerry T h at s about it You may .
’
.

say yes Jerry ,

.

Mr C runcher had n o particular meaning in th ese sulky

.

corroborations , b u t made use o f t h em, as people not u n f r e

quently do to expres s general ironical dissatisfaction
,
.

“
Yo u and your yes , Jerry ”
said Mr C runc h er, taking a , .

b ite o u t o f his bread and butter and seeming t o help it - -

,

down wi t h a large invis ible oyst e r o u t o f his saucer Ah !

“
.

”
I think s o I believe y ou
. .

“
Yo u are going o u t t o night ? ”
ask e d his d e c e nt wife, -

when he took anot h er bite .

“ ”
Ye s , I am .

May I go with y o u father ? asked h is son briskly

”
, ,
.

N o y o u may n t
,
I m a going — as your mother knows
’ ’
.

’ ” ’
a fishing That s where I m going to Going a fishing
. . .

“ ”
Your fish in g r o d gets r ayth e r rusty ; don t it father ?
- ’
,

Never you m ind .

Shall you bring any fi sh h ome father ? ,

If I don t, you ll h ave short commons t o morrow,

’ ’ -

“ ’
returned that gentle m an shaking his head ; that s ques ,

tions enough for you ; I ain t a going o u t, till y ou v e been

’ ’

”
long a bed -
.

He devoted himself during the remainder of the e v ening

to keeping a most vigilant watch o n Mrs C runcher an d .
,

sullenly h olding her in conversation that she might be pre

vented from meditating any petitions to his disadvantage .

With this view he urged his son t o hold her in c onversa

,

tion als o, an d led the unfort unate woman a hard life by

dw elling o n an y causes o f complaint he could bring against
1 86 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

h er rather than h e would leave her f o r a moment t o h er

,

o w n reflections
:

The de v outest person could have rendered

.

no greater homage to the efficacy o f an honest prayer than

he did in t h is distrust o f his wife It was as if a professed
’

unbel ie v er in ghosts should be frightened by a ghost story .

“
And mind y o u ! ”
said Mr C run cher .
“
N o game s to .

morrow ! If I , as a honest tradesman succ e ed in providing ,

a j in t e o f meat o r t w o none o f your not touching o f it and

, ,

sticking t o bread If I as a h onest tradesman, am able t o

.
,

pro v ide a little beer, none o f your d e claring o n water .

When y o u go to Rome do as Rome does Rom e will be a

, .

ugly cust o m e r t o yo u , if y o u don t I m your R o m e, y ou

’ ’
.

”
kno w .

T h en h e began grumbling again

Wit h your flying into th e face o f your o w n w itt le s and
drink ! I don t know h o w scarc e y o u mayn t mak e th e
’ ’

w ittle s and drink h ere , by y o ur flopping tricks an d your

unfee ling conduct Look at y our b o y : he is y o ur n, ain t
.
’ ’

he ? He s as thin as a lat h Do y ou call yourself a

’
.

mother, an d n o t kn o w t h at a mother s first duty is t o blow

’

he r b oy ou t ? ”

This touc h e d Young Jerry o n a t e nder place ; w h o adjured

h is moth er t o perform h e r first duty, and, whatever else she
did o r neglected, abo v e all t h ings t o lay special stres s o n
the discharge o f that maternal function s o aff ectingly an d
delicately indicated by his other parent .

Thus the evening wore away with the C runcher family,

until You n g Jerry was ordered t o bed, and his mother laid ,

under similar injunctions , obeyed them Mr C runcher . .

beguiled the earlier watches o f the night with solitary

p ipes and did n o t start upon h is excursion until nearly
,

’
o n e o cloc k To wards that small and ghostly hour, he rose
.

up from his chair, took a key o u t o f his pocket, O pened a

locked cupboard, and brought forth a sack, a cro wbar o f
1 88 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

a watery an d cloude d moon , nimbly scaling an iro n gate .

He was soon ov er, and then the s econd fisherman go t over,

an d then the third They all dropped softly o n the ground
.

within the gate, an d lay there a little listenin g perhaps .

Then they moved away o n their hands an d knees

, .

It was n o w Young Jerry s turn to approach th e gate ’

whic h he did, holding h is breath C rouching down again .

in a corner there , an d looking in he made o u t the three ,

fishermen creeping through some rank grass ; an d all the

gravestones in the c hurchy ard it was a large churchyard
th at they were in looking o n like ghosts in w hite while ,

the ch u rch tower itself looked o n like the ghost o f a m o n

strous giant They did not c r e e p f ar, before they stopped
.

an d stood upright And then they began t o fish

. .

They fished with a S pade at first P resently the ,

.

h onoured parent appeared to be adjusting some instrument

like a great corkscrew Whatever tools they worked with,
.

they worked hard until the awful striking o f the church

,

clock so terrified Young Jerry, t h at he made Off with his ,

h air as s tiff as his father s

’
.

But his long cherishe d desire to know more about these

,
-

matters n o t only stopped him in his running away but lured

, ,

h im back again They were still fish ing perseveringly

.
,

when he peeped in at the gate f o r the second time ; but ,

n o w they seemed to ha v e got a bite There was a screwing .

an d complaining sound down below, and their bent figures

were strained as if by a weight By slow degrees the weight

, .

broke away the earth upon it an d came t o the surface , .

Young Jerry v ery well knew what it would be ; but when ,

he saw it and s aw his honoured parent about to wrench it

,

O pen, he was s o frightened being new t o the sight that he

, ,

made Off again, an d never stopped until he had run a mile

o r more .

H e would n ot h av e stopped then, f o r anyth ing less n e c e s

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 89

sary than breath, it being a spectral sort of race that he r an ,

and o n e highly des irable to get to the e n d o f He had a .

strong idea that the coffin he had seen was running after
him ; an d pictured as hopping o n behind him bolt upright
, ,

upon its narrow end, always o n the point of overtaking him

and h opping on at his s ide perhaps taking his arm it
was a pursuer to shun It was an inconsisten t and ubiqui
.

tous fiend too, for, while it was making th e whole night

behind him dreadf u l he darted o u t into the roadway to
,

avoid dark alleys fearful o f its coming hopping o u t o f

,
’
them like a dropsical boy s Kite without tail and wings
-
.

It hid in doorway s to o rubbing its horrible shoulders

,

against doors an d drawing them up to its ears , as if it w ere

,

laughing It got into shadows on the road and lay cun

.
,

n in gly o n its ba c k to trip him up All this time it was .

,

incessantly hopping o n behind an d gaining o n him so that ,

when the boy got to his o w n door h e had reason for being
half dead And even then it would not leave him but fol
.
,

lowed him u p stairs with a bump o n every stair, scrambled

-

into bed with h im and bumped down dead and h e avy o n

, , ,

his breast when he fell asleep .

F rom his oppressed slumber Young Jerry in his clo set ,

was awakened after day break and before sunrise by the ,

presence o f his father in the family room S omething had .

gone wrong with him ; at least so Young Jerry inferred , ,

from the circumstance of h is holding Mrs C runcher by the .

ears an d knocking the back o f her head against the head

,

board o f the bed .

“
I told you I would, ”
said Mr C runcher and I .
,

Jerry, Jerry, Jerry ! h is wife implored ”

.

You O ppose y ourself to the pro fit o f t h e business

said Jerry and me and my partners s n fi e r Yo u was to
“
,
.

’ ”
honour and obey ; why the de vil don t you ?
1 90 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

“ ”
I ll try t o be a good wife , Jerry the poor woman pr o
’
,

tested, with tears .

“
Is it being a good wife to oppose your husband s busi ’

nes s ? Is it honouring your husband to dishonour his busi

-

ness ? Is it obe y ing your husband t o disobey him o n the

w it al subject o f his business ?

“
Yo u hadn t taken to t h e dreadful business then Jer ry
’
, .

It s enough for you retorted Mr C runch er, to be the

’ ” “
,
.

wife o f a honest tradesman, and n o t to occupy y our female

mind with calculations when he took to his trade o r when
’
he didn t A h onouring and obeying wife would let his
.

trade alone altogether C all yourself a religious woman ? .

’
If you re a religious woman gi v e me a irreligious o n e ! You ,

have no more n at r al sense o f duty than the bed o f this’

here Thames r iver has o f a pile and s im ilarly it must be ,

”
knocked into y ou .

The altercation was conducted in a lo w tone o f v o ice, and

term i nated in the honest tradesman s kicking O ff his clay
’

soiled boots and ly ing down at his length o n the floor

,
.

After t aking a timid peep at h im ly in g o n his back with '

his r u sty hands under his head for a pillow his s o n lay ,

d ow n t o o and fell asleep again

,
.

T h ere was no fish for breakfast and not much o f any ,

thing else M r C runcher was ou t o f S pirits and o u t o f

. .
,

temper and kept an iron pot lid b y him as a proj ectile for
,
-

t h e correct ion o f Mrs C run c her, in case he should observe .

any symptoms o f her say ing Grace H e was brushed and .

washed at the usual hour, and set O ff with his s o n to pursue

his ostensible calling .

Young Jerry walking with the stool under his arm at

,

h is father s s ide along sunny and crowded F leet street

’ -
,

was a v ery different Yo u n g Jerry from h im o f the previous

night running home through darkness and solitude from
,

his grim pursuer His cunning was fres h with the day, .
1 92 A TAL E OF TWO C ITIE S .

C H AP T E R XV .

K N I TT I N G .

T H E RE h ad been earlier drinking t h an usual the in

’
wine shop o f Monsieur Defarge As early as s ix o clock
-
.

in the morning sallow faces peeping throu gh its barred

,

w indows had descried other faces withi n bending over ,

measures o f wine Monsieur Defarge sold a very thin wine

.

at the best o f times , but it would seem to have been an

unusually thin wine that he sold at this time A sour .

wine moreover o r a s o u r l n g, f o r its influence o n the mood

, ,

o f those who drank it was t o make them gloomy No .

vivacious Bacchanalian flame leaped o u t o f the pres sed

grape o f Monsieur Defarge : but a smouldering fire that ,

burnt in the dark lay h idden in the dregs o f it

, .

This had been t h e t hird morning in succession o n wh ich ,

there had been early drinking at the wine shop o f Monsieur -

Defarge It had begun o n Monday and here was We dn e s

.
,

day come There had been more o f early brooding than

.

drinking ; f o r many m e n had listened and whispered and

,

slunk about there from the time O f the O pening o f the door ,

who could not have laid a piece o f money o n the counter to

save their souls Thes e were to the full as interested in
.

the place however as if they could have commanded whole

, ,

barrels of wine ; and they glided from seat t o seat and ,

from corner t o corner swallowing talk in lieu o f drink,

,

with greedy looks .

Notwithstanding an unusual fl o w o f company the master ,

o f the wine shop w as not vis ible He was not missed ; f o r

-
.
,

nobody who crossed the threshold looked for him , nobody

asked f o r him , nobody wondered t o see only Madame De
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S . 1 93

farge in h er seat, presiding over the distribution o f wine ,

with a bowl o f battered small coins before her, as much
deface d and beaten o u t o f their original impres s as
the small coinage of humanity from whose ragged pockets
they had come .

A suspended interest and a prevalent absence o f mind ,

were perhaps observed by the spies who looked in at the

wine shop as they looked in at every place high and low,
-
, ,

’ ’
from the king s palace to the criminal s gaol Games at .

car d s languished players at domi n oes mus ingly built

,

towers with them drinkers drew figu res o n the tables with
,

S pilt drops of wine Madame Defarge herself picked o u t the

,

pattern o n her sleeve with her toothpick and saw and heard ,

something inaudible and invisible a lo n g w ay o ff .

Thus , Saint Antoine in this vinous feat u re o f his , until

mid day
-
It was high noontide when two dusty men
.
,

passe d through his streets and under his swinging lam p s

o f whom o n e was Mons ieur Defarge : the other a men d er
, ,

o f roads in a blue cap All adust and ath irst the two
.
,

entered the wine shop Their arrival h ad lighted a kind

-
.

o f fire in the breast of S ain t Antoine , fast S preading as they

came along which stirred and flickered in flames of faces

,

at most doors and windows Yet no o n e had followe d them .

, ,

and n o man spoke when they entered the wine s h Op though -

,

the eyes of every man there were turned upon them .

“ ”
Good day gentlemen ! said Mons ieur Defarge
,
.

It may have been a signal for loosening the general

“ ”
tongue It elicited an answering chor u s of Good day !
.

“ ”
It is bad weather gentlemen said Defarge S haking
, , ,

his head .

Upon which every man looked at his neighbour and

, ,

then all cast down their eyes and sat silent E xcept o n e .

man who go t up and went o u t

, .

“ ”
My wife said Defarge aloud, address ing Madame
,

O
1 94 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

Defarge ; I h ave travelled certain leagues w it h t h is good

“

mender o f roads, called Jacques I met him — b y acciden t .

’
a day and a half s journey o u t o f Paris He is a good .

child this mender o f roads, called Jac ques Gi v e him t o

,
.

”
drink my wife !
,

A second man got up and went o u t Madame Defarge .

s et wine before the mender o f roads called Jacques , w h o

doffed his blue cap to the company and drank In the ,
.

breast o f his blouse he carried some coarse dark bread ; he

,

ate o f this between whiles , and sat munching and drinking

near Madame D e f arge s counter A third m an go t up an d ’
.

went o u t .

Defarge refreshed himself with a draught o f wine — but ,

he took less than was gi v en to the stranger, as being h im

self a man t o whom it was n o rarity and stood waiting
until the countryman had made h is breakfast He looked .

at n o one present, an d n o o n e n o w looked at h im ; not even

Madame Defarge w h o had taken up her knitting and was
, ,

at work .

“
Have you finished your r epast friend ? he asked, in
”
,

due season .

“
Yes thank y ou
,
.

C ome then ! You shall see the apartment that I told

you y o u could occupy It will suit y o u to a mar v el . .

O ut o f the wine shop into the street o u t o f the street into

-
,

a court yard o u t of the court yard up a steep staircase o u t

-
,
-
,

o f the staircase into a garret — formerly the garret where a

white haired m an sat o n a low bench , stoop ing forward and

-

v ery bus y making shoes , .

No white haire d m an was there now ; but the three m e n

-
,

were there w h o had gone o u t o f the wine shop singly And -

.

between them an d the white haired man afar off was the -
,

o n e small link that t hey had once looked in at him through

,

t h e chinks in the wall .

1 96 A T AL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

plis h e d,
either did h e confide in me O bserve ! Unde r
n .

those circ u mstances even, I do n o t O ffer my testimony .

Monsieur th e Marquis i n dicate s m e with his finger , stand

ing near o u r little fountain , and says To m e ! Bring that ,

’
rascal ! My faith messieurs , I offer nothing
, .

“
He is right there Jacques , murmured Defarge t o h im
, ,

w h o had interrupted Go o n ! .

“ ”
Good ! said the mender o f roads , with an air o f m y s
“
t e ry . The tall man is lost, and he is sought h o w many
”
months ? N ine , ten, eleven ?
“ ” “
N o matter , the number said Defarge ,He is well .

h idden , but at last he is unlu ckily found G o o n ! ”

.

“
I am again at work upon the hill S ide , and the s u n i s -

again about to go t o bed I am collecting my tools t o de

.

scend t o my c o ttage down in the village below, where it is

already dark, when I raise my eyes , and see coming over
the h ill , six soldiers I n t h e midst o f them is a tall m an
.

wit h his arms bound tied to his s ides like this ! ,

With the aid o f his indispensable cap , h e represented a

man with his elbows bound fast at his hips , with cords that
were knotted behind him .

“
I stand aside mes sieurs , by my heap o f stones , t o se e
,

the soldiers and their prisoner pas s (for it is a solitary

road that, where an y spectacle is well worth looking at)
, ,

and at first as they approach I see no more than that they

, ,

are S ix soldiers with a tall m an bound and that they ar e ,

almost black to my sight — except o n the s ide of the s u n

going to bed where they have a re d edge mes sieurs Also
, ,
.
,

I see that their long shadows are o n the hollow ridge o n the
O pposite s ide o f the road and are o n the hill above it and
, ,

are like the shadows of giants Also I see that they are .
,

covered wit h dust and that the dust move s with them as
,

they come tramp , tramp ! But when they ad vance quite

,

near t o me , I recognise the tall man and he recognises me ,

.
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 1 97

A h, but h e would be well c ontent to precipitate himself

over the hill S ide once again, as o n the evenin g when he and
-

I first en c ountered, close to the same S pot !

He described it as if he were there and it was evident that ,

he saw it vividly ; perhaps he had not seen much in his life .

I do not show the s oldiers that I recognise t h e tall m an ;

h e do es n o t show the soldiers that he recognise s me ; we do
it and we know it with our e y es
, ,
C ome o n ! say s the
.
‘ ’

c hief o f that company , poi n ting to the village , bring him ‘

’
fast to his tomb ! and the y bring him faster I follow . .

His arms are swelled because of being bound s o tight his ,

wooden S hoes are large and clumsy and he is lame Be ,

.

caus e he is lame and consequently slow they drive him

, ,

with their guns like th is !

’
He imitated the action of a man s being impelled forward
by the butt ends of muskets
-
.

“
As they descend the hill l ike madmen running a race ,

he falls They laugh and pick him up again His face is

. .

bleeding and covered with dust but he cannot touch it ; ,

thereupon they laugh again They bring him into the vil
.

lage ; all the village runs to look ; the y take him past the
mill an d up t o the prison ; all the village sees the prison
,

gate O pen in the darkne ss o f the night and swallow him ,

— like this !

He opened his mout h as wide as he could and shut it ,

with a sounding snap of his teeth O bservant of his u n .

s

willingnes s to mar the effect b y opening it again Defarge ,

“ ”
s aid, Go on Jacques
,
.

”
All the village pursued the mender o f roads on tip
, ,

“
toe an d in a low voice withdraws ; all the village w h is
,

pers by the fountain ; all the village sleeps ; all the village
d reams o f that unhappy o n e within the locks and bars o f
,

t h e prison o n the c rag and never to come o u t of it except

, ,

t o per ish . I n the morning, w ith my tools upon my shoul

1 98 A TALE OF T wo C IT IE S .

der, eati n g my morsel o f black bread as I go, I made a cir

cuit by the prison, o n my way t o my work There, I see .

h im, high up behind the bars o f a lofty iron cage, bloody

,

and dusty as last night, looking through H e has no hand .

free, t o wav e to me ; I dare not call t o him ; he regards me

”
like a dead m an .

Defarge and the three glanced darkly at o n e anoth er .

T h e looks o f all o f them were dark , repressed, an d revenge

’
ful as they listened to the countryman 3 story ; the manner
,

o f all o f them , while it was secret was a u thoritative t o o .

They h ad the air o f a rough tribunal ; Jacques O ne and

:

Two S itting o n the o ld pallet bed eac h with h is chin rest

-
,

ing o n h is h and and his eye s inte n t o n the road mender ;

,

Jacques Three, equally intent, o n o n e knee behind them,

with his agitate d hand always gliding over the network o f
fin e ner v es about his mouth and nose ; Defarge standing
between them and the narrator, w h om he had stationed in
the ligh t o f the window by turns looking from h im t o t h e m
,

and from them t o him .

“ ”
G o o n Jacques , said Defarge
, .

He remains up there in his iron cage some days Th e ,

.

v illage looks at him by stealth for it is afraid But it,

.

always looks up from a distance at the prison o n th e

, ,

crag ; an d in the e v ening when th e work o f the day is

achie v ed and it assembles t o gossip at the fountain all ,

faces are turned towards t h e prison F ormerly, they were .

turned towards the posting house ; n o w , they are turned

-

t owards the prison The y whisper at the fountain that

.
,

although condemned to deat h he will not be executed ; they

say that petitio n s have been presented in Paris showing ,

that he was enraged and made mad by the death of hi s

chil d ; th ey say that a petition h as been presented to the
King h imself What do I kno w ? It is p o ss ible Pe rhap s
. .

s , p e r h aps n o
y e .
200 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

the open streets o f this city o f Paris ; and not h ing was more
notice d in t h e vast concours e that s aw it done than t h e ,

crowd of ladies o f quality an d fashion, w h o were full o f

eager atte ntion t o the last — to the last Jac ques , prolonged ,

until nightfall when he h ad los t two legs and an arm , an d

,

”
still breathed ! An d it was done why how o ld are y o u ?
,

Thirty fiv e , s aid the mender o f roads , w h o looked si x ty

-

It was done when you were more than t e n years old y o u

might hav e seen it ”
.

“
E nough ! said Defarge, with grim impatience .

li v e the Devil ! Go o n ”
.

“
Well ! S ome whisper this , some whisper that ; t h ey
S peak o f nothing else ; e v en the fountain appears to fall t o

that tune At length o n Sunday night when all the village

.
,

is asleep come soldiers winding down from the prison and

, , ,

their guns ring o n the stone s o f the little street Workmen .

dig workmen hammer, s oldiers laugh and sing ; in the

,

morning by the fountain, there is raised a gallows forty

,

”
feet high, poisoning the water .

The mender o f roads looked th r o u gh rather than at the

lo w ce iling and pointed as if he saw the gallows somewher e
,

in the sky .

All work is stopped all assemble there , nobody lead s

,

the cows o u t, the cows are there with the rest At mid day . .
-
,

the roll o f drums S oldiers have marched into the prison

.

in t h e night an d he is in the midst o f many soldiers

,
He .

is bound as before , and in his m outh there is a gag — tied

so wit h a tight string making him look almost as if h e
, ,

laughed .
”
H e suggested it, by creasing his face with h is
t w o thumbs from the corners of h is mouth to his ears
,
.

“
On the top o f the gallows is fixe d the knife , b lade
upwards , with its point in the air He is hanged there .

”
forty feet h igh and i s left hanging poisoning the water ,
.

They looked at one another as he used his blue cap to wipe,

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 20 1

h is face o n which the perspiration had started afresh while

,

h e recalled the spectacle .

“
It is frightful, mess ieurs H o w c an the women and .

t h e children draw water ! Who c an gossip o f an evening ,

u nder that shadow ! Under it have I said ? When I left ,

t h e village Monday evening as the sun was going to bed

, ,

an d looked back from the hill the s h adow struck across the ,

church across the mill across the prison

,
seemed to strike ,
’

a cross the earth , mes sieurs to where the sky rests upon it ! ,

The hungry m an gnawed o n e o f his fingers as he looked

at the other t hree and his finger quivered wit h the craving
,

t hat was o n him .

“
That s all mes sieurs I left at sunset (as I h ad been
’
,
.

w arned to do ) and I walked o n , that night and half next

,

d ay u ntil I met (as I was warned I should ) this comrade

,
.

With him I came o n now riding and now walking thro u gh

, , ,

t h e rest o f yesterday and through last night And here .

o u see me !
y
After a gloomy S ilence the first Jacques said Good , ,
.

Y o u ha v e acted an d recounted faithfully Will y o u wait ,

.

f o r u s a little outside the door ? ,

‘
Very willingly said the mender of roads Whom , .

Defarge escorted to the t o p o f the stairs and leaving seated , ,

t here returned
,
.

The three had risen an d their heads were together when ,

he came back to the garret .

”
How say y o u Jacques ? demanded Number O ne , .

”
be registered ?

“
To be registered, as doomed to destruction ret u rned ,

Defarge .

“ ”
Magnificent ! croaked the man with the c ra v ing .

The ch ateau and all the race ? inquired the first

”
,

”
The ch ateau and all the race returned Defarge ,
.

”
t e r mi n atio n .
20 2 A T ALE OF Tw o C IT I E S .

“
The hungry repeated, in a rapturous croak, Mag
m an

n ific e n t ! an d began gnawing another fin ge r . .

“ ” “
Are y o u sure, asked Jacques Tw o , o f Defarge, that
n o embar ras sment c an arise from o u r manner o f k eep ing

the register ? Wit h out doubt it is safe, for n o o n e beyon d

ourselves c an decipher it ; but shall we always be able t o
decipher it o r I ought to say, will she ?
,

“ “
Jacques , returned Defarge, drawing himself up if ,

madame my wife undertook to keep the register in h e r

memory alone , she w ould not lose a word o f it — n o t a
syllable o f it Knitted, in her o w n stitc h es an d her o w n
.

symbols , it will alway s be as plain to h er as the s u n Co n .

fide in Madame Defarge It would be easier for t h e

.

weakest poltroon that lives, to erase himself from existence,

than to erase o n e letter o f h is name o r crimes from the
”
knitted register o f Madame Defarge .

There was a murmur o f confidence and approval and then ,

“
the m an w h o hungered asked : I S this rustic to be s ent
,

back s oon ? I hope so He is very simple ; is he n o t a

.

”
little dangerous ?
“ “
He knows nothing, said Defarge ; at least nothing
more t h an would easily elevate himself to a gallows o f the
same height I charge myself with him ; let him rema in
.

with me ; I will take care of him and set him o n his road
, .

He wishes to s ee the fin e world — the King, the Queen, and

C ourt ; let h im s ee them on Sunday ”
.

“
What ? exclaimed the hungry m an staring
”
Is it a
,
.

good S ign that h e wishes to see Royalty and Nobil ity ?

,
“ ” “
Jacques said Defarge ; judiciously sho w a cat milk,
, ,

if y o u wis h h er t o thirst f o r it Judiciously show a do g

.

h is natural prey, if you wis h h im t o bring it down o n e

day .
”

Nothing more was said, and the mender ofroads , be ing

f ound already dozing o n t h e topmost stair, was advised t o
204 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

an d the me n der o f roads fanned h imself wit h h is blue cap

feeling it m ightily close an d O ppress ive If he needed a .

King and Queen t o restore him he was fortunate in having ,

h is remedy at hand ; f o r soon the large faced King and the

,
-

fair faced Queen came in their golden coach, at tende d by the

-

shining Bull s E ye o f their C ourt, a glittering multitude o f

’

laughing ladies and fine lords ; and in j ewels and silks an d

po w der and S plendour an d elegantly spurning figures and
h andsomely disdainful faces o f both sexes the mender o f ,

roads bathed h imself, s o much to his temporary intoxica

t ion, that he crie d Long li ve the King, Long l iv e the Queen ,

Lo n g live e v ery body and everything ! as if h e had ne v er

h eard o f ubiquitous Jacque s in his time Then, there were .

g ardens court yards

,
terraces-
,
fountains
, ,
green banks , more
King and Queen more Bull s E ye more lords and ladies
’
, , ,

more Long li v e they all ! until he absolutely wept wit h

s entiment During the whole o f this scene whic h lasted
.
,

s ome t h ree hours , he had plenty o f S houting an d weeping

an d sentimental company , an d throughout Defarge held him

by the collar , as if t o restrain h im from flying at the obj ects

o f his brief de v otion and tearing t h em t o pieces .

“
Brav o ! said Defarge clapping h im o n the back when
”
,

it was o v er , like a patron ; “

y o u ar e a good b o y !
”

The m ender o f roads was n o w coming t o himself, and was

mistrustful o f h av ing made a m istake in h is late demonstra
t ions ; but n o .

“
Yo u are the fellow we want, said Defarge, in h is ear ;
”

y o u make these fools believe that it will last f o r ever .

”
Then the y are the more insolent and it is the nearer ended
, ,
.

“ ” “ ’
Hey ! cried the mender o f roads r e fl e ct iv e ly ; that s ,
”
t rue .

“
These fools know nothing While they despise your .

breat h and would stop it f o r e v er and ever in y o u o r in a

, ,

h undr e d like y o u rather than in o n e Of th e ir own horses o r

 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITIE S . 2 05

dogs they only know what y our breath tells them Let it
, .

deceive them, then a little longer ; it cannot deceive t h em

,

”
t o o much .

Madame Defarge looke d superciliously at the client an d ,

nodded in confirmation .

” “
As to you said she you would shout and shed tears
, ,

f o r anything if it made a show and a noise

,
S ay ! Would .

”
y o u not ?

“
Truly madame I t h ink so F o r the moment
, ,
. .

If y o u were shown a great heap o f dolls and were set ,

upon t h em to pluck them to pieces and despoil them f o r y our

own advantage y o u would pick ou t the ric h est and gayest
, .

S ay ! Would you not ?

“
Truly yes madame ,
.

'

Yes And if y o u were shown a flock o f birds , unable

.

t o fly , and were s et upon them to strip them o f their f e ath

ers for your o w n advantage you would set upon the birds
,

o f the finest feathers ; would y o u not ?

”
It is true madame
,
.

You h ave seen both dolls and birds to day said -

,

Madame Defarge with a wav e o f her hand towards th e

,

plac e whe r e t he y h ad last b e en appar e nt ; n o w, go h om e !

“ ”

C H AP T E R ! V I .

S T I LL K N I TT I N G .

MAD AM E DE F A R GE and mons ieur h er husband r e turned

amicably t o the bosom o f Saint Antoine while a speck in ,

a blue cap toiled through the darkness an d through the ,

dust and down the weary m iles o f avenue by the ways ide
, ,

slowly tending towards that point of the compass where

the ch ateau o f Monsieur the Marquis n o w in his grave , ,
20 6 A TALE OF Tw o C I TI E S .

listened t o t h e whispering trees Suc h ample leisure h ad

. .

the stone faces , now, for listening to the trees and to t h e ,

fountain that the few v illage scarecrows who in t h ei r

, ,
'

quest f o r h e rb s t o eat and fragments o f dead stick to burn,

strayed within sight o f the great stone court yard an d ter -

race staircase, had it borne in upon their star v ed fancy that

the expres s ion o f t h e faces was altered A rumour just .

l ived in the village — h ad a faint an d bare existence there ,

as its people had — that when the knife struck h ome th e ,

faces c h anged from faces o f pride t o face s o f an ger an d

,

pain ; also, that when that dangling figure was hauled up

forty feet abo v e the fountain , they changed again, an d
bore a cruel look O f being av enged, which they would hence
forth bear f o r ever In the stone face o v er the great w in
.

do w o f the bed chamber where the murder was done , t w o

-

fine dints were pointe d o u t in th e sculptured nose, which

e v erybody recognised, and which nobody had seen O f o ld ;
an d o n the scarce occasions w h en t w o o r t h ree ragged pea s

ants emerged from the crowd t o take a hurried peep at

Monsieur the Marquis petrified, a skinny finger would n o t
have pointed t o it f o r a minute, before they all started
away among the moss an d leav es like th e mor e fortunat e
,

hares w h o could find a living there .

Chateau and h ut stone face an d dan gling figu re, t h e red

,

stain o n the stone floor an d the pure water in t h e v illage

,

well — thousands o f acres o f land — a whole pr o v ince o f

F rance all F rance itself lay under t h e night sky, c o n
ce n t r at e d into a faint h air breadt h line
-
S o does a w h ol e
.

w orld w ith all its greatnesses and littlenesses , lie in a

twinkling star And as m or e human knowledge can split
.

a ray o f ligh t and analyse t h e manner o f its compos ition,

so, sublimer intelligences may read in the feeble shining
o f t h is earth o f ours e v er y thought an d act every v ice and
, ,

v i rt ue, o f e v ery responsible creature o n it .

 08 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

l ine, but n ot straight, h av ing a peculiar inclination towards

”
the left cheek ; express ion therefore sinister , , .

“
E h my faith It is a portrait ! said madame laugh
.
”
,

ing. He shall be registered t o morrow -

.

They turne d into the wine shop which was clos e d (f o r -

,

it was midnight), and where Madame Defarge immediately

took her post at t h e desk co u nted the small moneys that
,

had been taken dur ing her absence examined t h e stock, ,

went through t h e entr ies in the book m ade other entries ,

o f her o w n checked the serving man in every poss ible w a

, y ,

and finally dismissed him to bed Then she turned o u t the .

contents o f the bowl o f money f o r the second time and ,

began knotting them up in her handkerch ief in a chain o f ,

separate knots for safe keeping through the n ight All

, .

this while Defarge , with his pipe in hi s mouth walked

, ,

up and down complacently admiring but ne v er in t e r f e r

, ,

ing ; in whic h conditio n indeed as to the business and his

, ,

domestic affairs he walked up and down through life

, .

The nig h t was h ot, and the shop close shut and sur ,

rounded by s o foul a neighbourhood was ill smelling ,

-
.

Mons ieur De f ar ge s O lfactory sense was by no means deli

’

cate, but the stock of wine smelt much stron ger than it ever
tasted, and s o did the stock o f rum an d brandy and aniseed .

He wh iff ed t h e compound o f scents away as he put down ,

h is sm oked out pipe

-
.

“
You are fatigued said madame raising h er glance as
”
, ,

“ ”
s h e knotted the money There are only the usual odours
. .

“ ”
I am a little tired, her husband acknowledged .

Yo u are a little depressed t o o ”

said madame w h ose , , ,

quick e y es had never been s o intent o n the accounts but ,

t h ey had h ad a ray o r two f o r him “

O h, t h e men, the .

”
men !
“ ”
But my dear, began D efarge .

”
But m y dear ! repeated madame, nodding firmly
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 209

but, my d e ar ! Yo u are fain t o f heart t o night, my -

”
dear !
“
Well, then, said Defarge , as if a thought were wrung
“ ”
o u t o f his breast, it is a long time .

”
It is a long time repeated his wife ; an d when is it
,

n o t a long time ? Vengeance an d retribution require a long

”
time ; it is the rule .

“
It does not t ake a long time t o strike a man with Li ght
ning said Defarge
,
.

“ ” “
How long demanded madame composedly, does it
, ,

take to make and store the lightning ? Tell me ?

Defarge raised his head thoughtfully, as if th ere were
something in that t o o ,
.

“ “
It does not take a long time said madame f o r an , ,

earthquake to swallow a town Eh well ! Tell me h o w .

long it takes to prepare the earthquake ?

“ ”
A long time I suppose , said Defarge
,
.

But when it is ready it takes place , an d grinds t o pieces

,

everything before it I n th e mean time, it is alway s pre

.

paring though it is not seen o r h eard T h at is you r c o n

, .

”
solat ion Keep it. .

She tie d a knot wit h fl ashing eyes , as if it throttled

a foe .

“
I tell thee said madame extending her right hand
, , ,

“
for emphasis t h at although it is a long time o n the road
, ,

it is o n the road and coming I tell thee it never retreats .

,

and never stops I tell thee it is always adva ncing Look

. .

around and consider the lives o f all the world that we know ,

cons ider the faces o f all the world that we know consider ,

the rage and discontent t o which the J ac qu e r ie a ddresses

itself with more and more o f certainty every hour C an .

”
s uch things last ? Bah ! I mock you .

“ ”
My brave w ife returned Defarge , standing before her
,

w ith his h ead a little bent an d h is hands clasped at his ,

210 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI ES .

back, like a docile an d attenti v e pupil before his ca tec h i st,

I do n o t question all this But it has lasted a long time ,
.

an d it is possible y o u know well my wife , it is poss ibl

, e

that it may n o t come , during ou r li v es .

E h well ! H o w then ? d e manded madame tying ah

”
,

o ther knot , as if t h er e w ere another enemy strangled .

“
Well ! said Defarge with a half complaining and h alf
apologetic shrug
“
We S h all n ot see t h e triumph
.
”
.

“
We shall h av e helped it returned madame , wit h h er
”
,
“
e xtended hand in strong action Nothing that we do is
.
,

d one in vain I belie v e with all my soul , that we shall

.
,

s e e the triumph Bu t even if n o t, e v en if I knew certainly

.

n o t S how me the neck o f an aristocrat and tyrant and still

, ,

I would
There madame with h er teet h set, tied a v ery terr ible
,

knot indeed .

“ ”
Hold ! cried Defarge , reddening a little as if he felt
c h arged with cowardice ;
“
I t o o, my dear, will stop at
”
nothing .

“
Yes ! But it is your weaknes s that y ou sometimes nee d
t o see your v ictim and your opportunity, t o sustai n you .

Sustain yourself without that When the time comes let .

,

loose a tiger and a devil ; but wait f o r the time with the tiger
”
and the devil chained not shown yet always ready .

Madame enforced the conclusion o f this piece o f advice

by striking h er little counter with h er chain O f mo n ey as if
S h e knocked its brains o u t and then gathering the heavy
,

h andkerc h ief under h er arm in a serene manner and o b s e rv ,

ing that it was time to go to bed .

Next noontide saw the admirable woman in her usual place

in the wine shop knitting away ass iduously
-
, A rose lay .

beside her, and if she now and then glanced at the flower ,

it was wit h no infraction o f her usual preoccupied air .

There were a few customers drinking o r n o t drinking,

,
21 2 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

finger s f o r a few moments, an d t o ok the opp o rtun ity o f o

O bserving the place in general .

“
You knit with great skill, madam e .

”
I am accustomed t o it .

”
A pretty pattern t o o !
Yo u t h ink s o ? ”
said madame , looking at h im wit h a
smile .

“
Decidedly May o n e ask w h at it is f o r ?
.

P astime said madame looking at him with a s mile,

, ,

while her fingers mo v ed nimbly .

“ ”
N o t f o r use ?
That depends I may fin d a us e f o r it o n e day If I
.
,
.

”
do well, said madame drawing a breath and nodding ,

“ ’
h e r head with a stern kind o f coque try , I ll use it !
_

It was remarkable ; but, the taste o f Saint Antoine seemed

t o be decidedly opposed t o a rose o n t h e head dres s o f -

Madame Defarge Tw o men had entered separately and

.
,

h ad been about to order drink when catching sight o f that , ,

novelty they faltered made a pretence o f l o oking about as

, ,

if for some friend wh o was n o t there and went away , .

N o r o f those who had been there when t h is visitor entered,

,

was there o n e left They h ad all dropped o ff The S py

. .

h ad kept his eyes open but had been able t o detect n o S ign
, .

They had lounged away in a poverty stricken, purposeles s -

,

accidental manner quite natural and unimpeachable

, .

“
J OH N, thought madame checking o ff her work as h er
”
,

fingers knitted, an d h er eyes looked at the stranger Stay .

long enough, an d I shall knit BA RS AD before y o u go ‘ ’

.

“
Yo u have a husband, madame ? ”

I have .

C hildren ? ”

N o children .

Business se e ms bad ? ”

Business is v ery bad ; the people are s o poor .

 A T AL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 21 3

Ah , the unfortunate miserable people ! S o O ppressed

,

as you say
As yo u say madame retorted, correcting him an d
, ,

deftly knitting an extra something into his name that

boded him no good .

Pardon me ; certainly it was I who said s o but y o u ,

”
n aturally think so O f course
. .

“ ”
I think ? returned madame in a high voice I and
, .

my husband have enough to do to keep this wine shop -

O pen without thinking All we think here is h o w to

,
.
, , ,

live That is the subject we think of and it gives us

.
, ,

from morning to night enough to think about, without

,

embarrass ing o u r heads concerning oth ers I t h ink f o r .

”
o thers ? N o no ,
.

The spy who was there t o pick up any cru m bs h e could

,

find or make did n o t allow his baffled state to express itself

,

in his sinister face ; but stood w ith an air o f gossiping gal

,

lantry leaning his elbow o n Madam e D e f ar ge s little coun

,
’

ter an d occasionally sipping his cognac

,
.

“ ’
A bad business this madame, o f Gaspard s execution
,
.

Ah ! the poor Gaspard ! With a sigh o f great compassion .

” “
My faith ! returned madame coolly and lightly, if ,

people use knives f o r suc h purposes they h ave to pay for ,

it He knew beforehand what the price o f his luxury was ;

.

he has paid t h e price ”

.

“
I believe said the spy dropping his soft v oice to a
,

tone that invited co n fidence and express ing an injured ,

r e v olutionar y susceptibility in every muscle o f his wicked

“
face : I believe there is much compass ion and anger in
this neighbourhood, touchin g the poor fellow ? B etween
o urselves .

“
Is there ? asked madame , v acantly
”
.

Is there n o t ?
”
Here is my husband ! said Madame Defarge .
214 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

As th e k e eper o f t h e wine shop entered at the door, t h e -

spy saluted h im by touching his hat, and saying, with an

e ngaging smile
“
Good day, Jac ques !
,
”
Defarge stopped
s hort an d stared at him
,
.

“
Good day, Jacques ! t h e spy repeated ; with n o t quite
”

s o muc h confidence o r quite s o easy a smile un der the

,

stare .

“
Yo u decei v e yourself monsieur returned the keeper
, ,

o f the w ine shop Yo u m istake me f o r another

“
-
. That is .

n o t my name I am E rnest D efarge

.
”
.

“
It is all the same , said the spy airily, but dis co m fit e d ,

”
too : good day !
“ ”
G o od day ! answered Defarge dry ly ,
.

I was saying to madame with whom I h ad the pleasure ,

o f c h atting when y o u entered that t h e y tell me there is ,

an d n o wonder ! — much sympathy and anger in Saint

Anto ine touching the unhappy fate o f poor Gas pard
,
.

N o o n e has told me s o s aid Defarge S h aking his head

“ ”
, , .

”
I know nothing o f it .

H aving said it h e passed be h ind t h e little counter, and

,
’
stood with his hand o n the back o f his wife s chair, look
ing o v er t h at barrier at the perso n to whom they were both
opposed an d whom either o f them would h av e shot with
,

the greatest satisfaction .

The spy well used t o his business did n o t change his

, ,

unconscious attit u de but drained his little glass of cognac

, ,

took a sip o f fresh water and asked f o r another glass o f ,

cognac Madame Defarge poured it o u t for him took to

.
,

h er knitting again an d hummed a little song over it

,
.

“
Yo u seem to know this quarter well ; that is to say,
”
better than I do ? obser ved Defarge .

“
N o t at all but I hope to know it better
,
I am s o pr o .

”
f o u n dly interested in its miserable inhabitan t s .

Hah ! mutt ered Defarge .

216 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

Oh ! You know I am E nglis h ? ”

I perceiv e your tongue is , returned madame ; ”

w h at the tongue is I suppose the m an is

,
.

H e did n o t take th e identification as a compliment ; but,

h e made the best o f it, and turned it Off wit h a laugh .

After sipping h is cognac t o the end, h e added :

Yes, Miss Manette i s going t o be married But n o t to .

an E nglishman ; t o o n e w h o, like he rself is F re n ch by ,

birth And speaking o f Gaspard (ah , poor Gaspard ! I t

.

was cruel cruel ,

it is a curious thing that s h e is going t o
marry the nephew o f M ons ieur t h e M arquis, f o r whom Gas
pard was exalted t o that heigh t o f s o many feet ; in other
words, the present M ar quis But h e li v e s unknown in
.

E ngland he is n o Mar quis there ; h e is M r C harles Darnay

,
. .

D Au ln ais is t h e nam e o f h is moth er s family

’ ” ’
.

Madame Defarge knitted steadily, but t h e intelligenc e

h ad a palpable e fie ct upon her husband Do w h at he .

would, behind the l ittl e counter, as t o th e striking o f a

lig h t an d the lighting o f h is p ipe, h e was troubled, and h is
h and was n o t trustworthy The S py would h ave been n o
.

S py if he had failed t o see it, o r t o record it in his mind

Having made at least, this o n e hit whate v er it migh t

, ,

prove t o be worth and n o customers coming in t o h elp h im

,

t o an y other, Mr Barsad paid f o r w h at h e h ad drunk and

.
,

took h is leav e : taking occasion t o say, in a genteel manner ,

b e fore he departed, t h at he looked forward to the pleasure

o f seeing Monsi e ur and Madame Defarge again F o r som e .

minutes after h e h ad emerged into the outer presence o f

Saint Antoine, t h e husband and wife remained exactly as
h e h ad left them , lest h e should come back .

“
C an it be true said Defarge in a lo w v o ice, looking
”
, ,

down at h is w ife as h e stood smoking with h is hand o n

t h e back o f h er c h air : wh at h e h as said o f Ma am selle
“ ’

M anette
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 21 7

As he has said it returned madame lifting her eye , ,

“ ”
brows a little it is probably false But it may be true
, . .

“
If it is Defarge began ; an d stopped .

”
If it is ? repeated his wife .

And if it does come while we live to see it triump h ,

I hope f o r her sake , Destiny will keep her husband out

,

o f F rance .

’
Her husband s destiny, said Madame Defarge w ith ,

h er usual composure will take him where he is to go,

“
,

and will lead him to the end that is t o e n d him That is .

”
all I know .

But it is very stran ge — now, at least is it n o t ver y

strange — said Defarge rather pleading wit h his wife to ,

induce h er to admit it that after all our s y mpathy for

“
, ,
’
Monsieur her father and herself h e r husband s name should ,

be proscribed under your han d at this moment, by the s ide

’ ”
o f that infernal dog s wh o h as just left us ?
“
Stran ger things than that will h appen when it does ,

”
come answere d madame
,
“
I h ave t hem both here o f a .
,

certainty ; and they are both here for their merits ; that is
enough .

She rolled up h er knitting wh en S h e h ad said those words ,

and presently took the ros e o u t o f th e handkerchief that w as

wound about her head E ither Saint Antoine had an in .

s t in ct iv e sense t h at the obj ectionable decoration was gone ,

o r Saint Antoine was o n the watc h for its disappearance ;

h owbeit the Saint took courage to lounge in very shortly

, ,

aft erwards and the wine sh Op recovered its habitual aspect

,
-
.

In t h e evening at which season o f all others , S aint

,

Antoine turned himself inside o u t and sat o n door steps ,

-

and w indo w ledges and came t o the corners o f vile streets

-
,

and courts f o r a breath o f air, Madame Defarge w ith her

,

work in her h and was accustomed to pass from place t o

place and from group to group : a Miss ionary — there were
2 18 A T A LE OF Tw o C IT IE S .

man y lik e h e r — s uc h as t h e world w ill d o wel l n e v e r to

br eed again All t h e women knitted T h ey knitte d worth
. .

le s s thin g s ; but, t h e mechanical w ork w as a mechanical

s ubstitut e f o r eating and drinking ; the h ands mo v e d f o r

th e j aws and the digesti v e appara tus ; if t h e bony fi ngers

h ad been s till, the stomac h s would h av e been more famine
pinched .

Bu t , as t h e fi ngers w ent, t h e e yes went, an d t h e th o ught s .

And as Madame Defarge mov ed o n from group t o group all ,

t h r e e went quicker and fie r c e r among e v ery l ittle kn o t o f

women that she had spoken with , and left be h ind .

H er hu s band smoked at his door, looking after h er w it h

” “
adm iration . A great w oman s aid he, a strong woman,
,

”
a grand woman, a frightfully grand woman .

Darknes s clo sed around, and then came the ringing o f

church bells an d t h e distant beating o f t h e military drums
in the P alace C ourt Yard as t h e women sat knitting, knit
-
,

ting . Darkn e s s encompassed them Another darkness

.

w as clos ing in as surely when the churc h bells , then ring

,

ing ple asantly in many an airy steeple over F rance should ,

be melted into thundering cann on ; w h en the military drums

s hould be beating t o drown a wretc h ed v oice t hat nig ht ,

all potent as the v oice o f Power an d Plenty F reedom and ,

Life S o much was clos ing in about the women w h o sat

.

knitting knitting that the y their very selves were closing

, ,

in around a structure yet unbuilt, w h ere they were t o s it

knitting knitting, counting dropping h eads
,
.
2 20 A TALE OF Tw o C IT I E S .

In t he sad moonlight, she clasped him by t h e neck, and

laid her face upon his breast I n the moonlight wh ic h is
.

always sad, as the l ight o f the s u n itself is as the ligh t

called h uman life is — at its coming and its going .

Dearest dear ! Can y o u tell m e , th is last time , that

o u feel q uite , quite sure n o n e w affections o f mine , and
y ,

n o new dutie s o f mine , will e v er interpose between us ? I

know it well, but do y o u kno w it ? I n your o wn h eart do ,

y o u feel quite certain ?

H er father answered, wit h a cheerful firmnes s o f con v i o
tion h e could scarcely h a v e assumed Quite sure, my dar
“
,

ling ! M ore than that, h e added, as he tenderly kissed

”

h er : my future is far brighter, Lucie, seen through your

marriage than it could h av e been — nay, t h an it e v er w as
,
”
without it .

“
If I could h ope th at, my fat h er !
B elie v e it, lo v e ! Indeed it is s o C ons ider h o w natu
.

ral and h o w plain it is my dear, that it S hould be s o

, .

Yo u , de v oted and young, cannot fully appreciate the an x

ie ty I h av e felt t h at your life should not be wasted
She mo v ed h er hand to w ards h is lips , but h e took it in
h is an d repeated t h e word .

wasted, my child should not be w asted struck ,

aside from the natural order o f things for my sake Your .

u n s e lfis h n e ss cannot entirely comprehend h o w muc h my

mind has gone o n th is ; but only ask yourself, how could

,

my happines s be perfect, while yours was incomplete ?

If I had never seen C harles , my father, I S hould ha v e
been quite h appy with you ”
.

H e smiled at her unconscious admission t h at she would

h av e bee n unhappy wit h out Ch arles h av ing see n him ; an d
,

replied
“
My child, y o u did see h im and it is C harles I f it h ad
,
.

n o t be en C harles , it would h a v e been anot h er O r, if it

.
 A TAL E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 221

had been no other, I should have been the cause and then ,

the dark part of my l ife would have cast its S hadow beyond
myself and would h ave fallen on you
,
”
.

It was the first time except at the trial of h e r ever

, ,

hearing him refer to the period o f his suffering It gave .

her a strange and new sensation while his words were in

her ears ; and she remembered it long afterwards .

“ ”
See ! said the Doctor o f B eauvais raising his hand ,

towards the moon I have looked at her from my prison

.

window when I could not bear her light I have looked

,
.

at her when it has been such torture to me to think of h er

shining upon what I had lost that I have beaten my head ,

against my prison walls I have looked at her, in a state

.

so dulled and lethargic that I have thought of nothing b u t

,

the number of horizontal lines I could draw across h e r at

the full and the number of perpendicular lines with which
,

”
I coul d intersect them He added in his inward an d po n
.

“
dering manner as he looked at the moon, It was twenty
,

either way I remember , and the twentieth was difficult to

,
.

squeez e in .

The strange thrill with which she heard him go back t o

that time deepened as h e dwelt upon it ; but there was
, ,

nothin g to s h o ok her in the manner o f h is referen c e H e .

only seemed to contrast h is present cheerfulnes s and felic

ity with the dire endurance that was over .

I have looked at h er speculating thousands o f time s,

upon the unborn child from whom I had been rent Whether .

it was alive Whether it had been born al ive o r the poor

.
,

mother s shock h ad killed it Wh ether it was a s o n w h o

’
.

would some day avenge his father (There was a time in .

my imprisonment when my desire for vengeance was u n

,

bearable ) Whether it was a s o n w h o would never know

.

h is father s stor y ; who might even live to w eigh the pos

’

’
s ib ility o f his fa ther s hav ing disappeared of his own will
2 22 A TAL E OF T WO C IT I E S .

an d act Wh e t h er it was a daughter, wh o w ould gro w t o

.

b e a woman ”
.

She drew closer t o h im an d kissed h is c h eek and his

,

h and .

“
I h av e pictured my daughter t o myself as perfectly , ,

forgetful o f me — rather altogether ignorant o f me and

, ,

unconscious o f me I hav e cast up the years o f her age ,

.

year after year I hav e seen h er married to a m an w h o

.

knew nothing o f my fate I hav e altogether perished from

.

th e remembrance O f the living an d in the next generation ,

”
my place was a blank .

My father ! E ven t o h ear t h at y o u h ad suc h though ts

o f a daughter w h o never e xisted, strik e s t o my h e art as if
”
I had been t h at child .

“
Yo u Lucie ? It is o u t o f t he cons olation and r e s t o r a
,

tion you h av e brought t o me t h at t h es e remembrance s ,

arise, and pass between us and th e moon o n this last night .

”
What did I say , just n o w ?
S h e kne w nothing o f y o u S h e care d nothing f o r y o u
. .

“
S o ! But o n other moonligh t nights when the sadnes
s ,

an d the s ilence hav e touched m e in a di fferent way h a ve

aff ected me with something as like a sorrowfu l sense o f
peace, as any e motion that h ad pain f o r its foundations
c ould I have imagine d her as coming t o me in my cell,
an d le ading me o u t into t h e freedo m beyond the fo r tr e ss .

I have s een her image in t h e moonlight ofte n , as I n o w ,

s e e y ou ; e xcept t h at I ne v er h eld h er in my arms ; it stood

between the little grated window and th e door But, y ou .

understand that that was not the child I am speaki n g o f

“ ”
The figure was not ; the the i m age ; the fancy ?
No That was another thing It stood before m y dis
. .

t u rb e d sense o f s ight but it never moved

,
The phantom .

t h at my mind pursued was another an d more real child

,
.

O f h er outward appearance I kn o w n o more than that sh e

2 24 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

There was no o n e bidden to the marriage but Mr Lorry ; .

there was even to be n o bridesmaid but the gaunt Mis s

P ross The marriage was to make n o change in their place
.

o f residence ; they had been able t o extend it b y taking t o ,

themselve s the upper rooms formerly belonging t o the

apocr y phal invis ible lod ger and they des ired nothing more
,
.

Doctor Manette was very cheerful at the little supper .

They were only three at table and Miss P ross made the ,

th ird He regretted that C harles was n o t there ; was more

.

than half disposed to obj ect t o the loving little plot that
kept him away ; and drank t o h im affectionat ely .

S o the time came f o r h im t o bid Lucie good night an d

, ,

t h ey separated But in the stillne s s o f the third hour o f

.
,

the morning Lucie came down stairs again, and stole into
,
-

his room : not free from uns h ape d fears beforehand ,

.

All things however , were in the ir places ; all was quiet ;

,

an d he lay asleep , his white h air pictures que o n the u h

troubled pillow and his hands lying quiet o n the coverlet

,
.

She put her needles s candle in the shadow at a distance ,

c rept up to his bed and put her l ips t o his ; then , leaned
,

o ver him and looked at him .

Into his handsome face , the bitter waters o f captivity

had worn ; but he covere d up their tracks with a de t e r m i
,

nation s o strong that he held the mastery o f the m even

, ,

in his S leep A more remarkable face in its quiet reso

.
,

lute and guarded struggle wi t h an unseen as sailant was not

, ,

to be beheld in all the wide dominions o f sleep t hat night ,

.

She timidly laid her hand o n his dear breast and put up ,

a prayer that S h e might ever be as true to him as her love

aspired to be and as his sorrows deserved Then , she
,
.

withdrew her h and an d kisse d his lips once more and went
, ,

away S o the sunrise came and the shadows o f the leaves

.
, ,

o f the plane tree mo v ed upon h is face , as softly as her lips

-

had mo v ed in praying f o r h im .
 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 2 25

C H A P T E R ! V III .

N I NE D A YS .

TH E marri age day was shining brightly , and t h ey were

’
r eady outs ide the closed door o f the Doctor s room , where

he was S peaking with C harles Darnay They were ready .

to go to church ; the beautiful bride Mr Lorry , and Miss ,

.

Pros s — t o whom the event through a gradual proces s o f,

reconcilement t o the in evitable would have been o n e of ,

absolute blis s but for the yet lingering consideration that

,

h er brother S olomon S hould h ave been the bridegroom .

“
And so said Mr Lorry w h o could not su fficiently
,
.
,

admire the bride and who had been moving round her t o
,

“
take in every point o f her quiet pretty dress ; and so it ,

was for this my sweet Lucie that I brought y o u acros s the

, ,

C hannel such a baby ! Lord bless me ! H o w l ittle I th ought

,

what I was doing How lightl y I valued the obligation I

.

was conferring o n my friend Mr C harles ! .

“ ” ’
You didn t mean it remarked the matter o f fact Mis s
,
- -

P ross and th erefore how could y ou know it Nonsense !

,
? ”

“ ’ ”
Really ? Well ; but don t cry, said the gentle Mr .

Lorry .

I am not cry ing said Mis s Pross ; yo u are

,
.

”
I, my Pross ? (By this time Mr Lor r
y dared to be , .

pleasant with her on occasion ) ,

.

“
Yo u were just now ; I saw y o u do it and I don t w o n ,
’

der at it Such a present o f plate as y o u have made em

.
,

is enough to bring tears into anybody s ey es There s not ’

.
’

” “
a fork o r a S poon in the c ollection said Miss Pross that , ,

’
I didn t cry over, last night after the box came till I ,
’ ”
c ouldn t see it .
2 26 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

I am h igh ly gratified, said Mr Lorry, t h ough, upon ”

.
“

my honour, I had n o intention o f rendering those trifling

articles o f remembrance invisible to any o n e Dear me !
, .

This is an occas ion that make s a m an speculate o n all he

has los t Dear , dear, dear ! To think that there might
.

have been a Mrs Lorry, an y time t h ese fifty years almost !

.

“
N o t at all ! ”
F rom Mis s Pross .

You think there never might have been a Mrs Lorry ? ”

.

asked th e gentleman o f that name .

“ ”
Pooh ! rejoined Miss Pross ; y o u were a bachelor in
your cradl e ”
.

“
Well ! observ e d Mr Lorry beamingly adjusting his
”
.
,

“ ”
little wig that seem s probable too
, ,
.

“
And y ou were cu t o u t for a bachelor, pursued Miss
P ross before you were put in your cradle
,
.

“
Then I think said Mr Lorry that I was v ery u h
,
”
.
“
,
.
,

handsomely dealt with, and that I ought to have had a

voice in th e s election o f my pattern E nou gh ! Now my .
.

”
dear Lucie drawin g his arm soothingly round her waist
, ,

I hear them moving in the next room and Mis s Pros s an d ,

I, as two formal folks o f business are an xious not to los e ,

the final opportunity o f saying something to y o u that y o u

w ish t o hear You leave your good father m y dear in
.
, ,

h ands as earnest and as loving as y our own ; he shall be

taken every conceivable care o f ; during the next fortnight ,

while y o u are in Warwickshire and thereabouts even Tell ,

son s shall go to the wall (comparatively speaking) b e f OI e

’

h im An d when at the fortnight s end he comes to j oin

.
,
’
,

y o u and your beloved husband o n your other fortnight s ,

’

tr ip in Wales , you shall say that we have sent him to y o u

in the best health and in the happiest frame Now I hear . .

’
S omebody s step coming to the door Let me kiss my dear .

girl with an o ld fashioned bac h elor b lessing, before S ome

-

”
body c omes to claim his o wn .
22 8 A TALE OF Tw o C ITIE S .

an d th e pr e par at io n s h aving been v ery simp le and f e w, th e

Doctor, M r Lorry, and Mis s P ross, were left q uite alone
. .

I t was wh e n they turned int o t h e we lcome s hade o f t he

co ol o ld h all, t h at M r Lorry observed a great c h ange t o
.

h ave come o v er t h e Doctor ; as if the golden arm u plifted

t h ere, h ad struck him a pois oned blow .

H e h ad n at u rally repre s sed much, and some re v ulsion

migh t hav e been expected in h im when the occas ion f o r
repre ssion was gone But it w as the o ld scared lost look
.
,

that troubled Mr Lorry ; an d throug h h is abse n t manner o f

.

claspin g h is h ead and drearily wandering aw ay into h is

o w n room w h en t he y go t u p stairs , Mr L orry was reminded
-
.

o f Defarge the wine shop keeper , and the starlight ride

-
.

“
I t h ink, h e w h ispere d t o M is s P ross, afte r anxiou s
”

consideration, I think we had be st n o t speak t o h im jus t

“

’
n o w, o r at all disturb him I must look in at Te llso n s ;
.

s o I will go t h ere at once an d come back p r esently T h en, .

we will take h im a r ide into the c ountry, an d dine there,

”
and all will be well .

I t w as easier f o r Mr Lorry t o look in at Te llso n s , t h an

.
’

t o look o u t o f Te lls o n s
’
H e was detained t wo hours
. .

W h en h e came back he ascen ded the o ld staircase alone

, ,

h aving asked n o question o f the ser v ant ; going thus int o

the Doctor s rooms , h e was st o pped by a lo w sound o f
’

knocking .

“
Good G o d ! h e said wit h a start
”
,
“
Wh at s th at ?
’ ”
.

M is s P ro ss with a terrified face, was at his ear

,
“
0 .

me , 0 me ! All is lost ! cried S h e , wringing h er h ands

”
.

“
What is t o be told t o Ladybird ? He d o esn t know me,
’

and is making s h o es !

Mr L o r ry said wh at h e could t o calm h er, and went

.

’
h imse lf into the Doctor s room The bench was turne d .

t o wards the light, as it had b e en when h e had seen th e

 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 22 9

shoemak er at his work before and his head was bent down , ,

an d he was ver y busy .

Doctor Manette My dear friend Doctor Manette !

.
,

The Doctor looked at him f o r a moment half inquir

in gly half as if he were a n gry at being S poken to — and
,

bent over his work again .

He had laid aside his coat an d waistcoat ; his shirt was

o pen at the throat as it used to be when he did that work
:

an d even the Old haggard fade d surface o f face had come

back to h im He worked h ard — impatiently — as if in

.

s o m e sense o f having been interr u pted .

M r Lorry glanced at the work in his hand and observed

.
,

t hat it was a shoe o f the o ld s ize an d s h ape He took up .

an other that was l y ing by him and asked him what it was ? ,

“ ’ ”
A y oung lady s walking shoe he muttered without , ,

looking up “
I t ought t o ha v e been finis h ed long ago
. .

”
Le t it be .

“
But Doctor Manette Look at me !
,
.

H e obeyed, in the o ld mechanically submiss ive manner,

withou t pausing in his work .

“
Yo u know me my dear friend ? Think again
,
This .

is n o t your proper occupation Think dear friend ! .

,

Noth ing would induce him to speak more He looked .

up for an instant at a time when he was requ ested to do

, ,

s o ; but ,
n o persuasion could extract a word from him .

He worked an d worked and worked in s ilence and wor ds

, , , ,

fell o n him as the y would have fallen o n an echoless wall ,

o r o n the air The only ray o f hope that Mr Lorry could

. .

d iscover was that he sometimes furtively looked up with

, ,

o u t being asked I n that there seemed a faint expression

.
,

o f curiosity o r perplexit y — as though he were trying to

r e concile s ome doubts in his mind .

Two things at once impressed themselves o n Mr Lorry .

,

as important above all others ; the first, that this mus t be

23 0 A TALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

kep t secret from Lucie ; the secon d, that it must be kept

secret from all w h o knew him In conjunction with Mis s
.

Pross he took immediate steps towards the latter pr e c au

,

tion , by giv ing o u t that the Doctor was n o t well and r e ,

qu ired a few days o f complete rest I n aid o f the kind .

deception t o be practised o n his daughter, Miss P ros s was

to write , describing his having been called away pr o f e s
s io n ally , and referring t o an imaginary letter o f t w o o r

three hurried lines in his o w n hand, repres ent e d t o h av e

been a ddres sed t o her by the same post .

These measures advisable t o be taken in any cas e, Mr

,
.

Lorry took in the hope o f his coming t o h imself I f that .

S h ould h appen soon , he kept another course in reser v e ;

which was to have a certain O pinion that he thoug h t t h e

,
’
best o n the Doctor s case
,
.

I n the hope o f his reco v ery, and o f resort t o t h is third

.

course being thereby rendere d practicable , Mr Lorry re .

solved to watch him attentively wit h as little appearanc e,

as poss ible o f do ing so H e therefore made arrangement s

.

’
t o absent h imself from Te lls o n s f o r the first time in h is
life and took his post by the window in the same room
,
.

He was n o t long in discover ing t h at it was worse th an

useless to S peak t o him , since, o n being pr e sse d h e becam e ,

worried H e abandoned that attempt o n t h e fi rst day, and

.

resol v ed merely to keep h imself always before him as a ,

s ilent protest against the delus ion into w h ich h e had fallen ,

o r was falling H e remained therefore in h is s eat n ear

.
, ,

the window reading an d w riting and expressing in as many

, ,

pleasant and natural ways as he could t h ink o f that it w as ,

a free place .

Doctor Manette took wh at w as given him t o eat an d

dr in k, an d w orked o n , that first day until it was t o o dark
,

t o se e — worked o n , h alf an hour after Mr Lorry could n o t .

h ave se en , f o r h is l ife , t o read o r write Wh en he put h is .

23 2 A TA L E OF T WO CITI E S .

When it fell dark again Mr Lorry asked him as before ,

.

“ ”
Dear Doctor will y o u go out
,
?

“ ”
As before he repeated
,
O ut ? ,

“ ”
Yes ; f o r a walk with me Why n o t ? .

This time Mr Lorr y feigned to go o u t w h en he coul d

,
.

extract no answer from him and after remaining absent , ,

for an hour, returned In t h e m ean while the Doctor had

.
,

removed to the seat in the window and had s at there look ,

’
ing down at the plane tree ; but o n Mr Lorry s return, he
-
,
.

slipped away to his bench .

’
The time went very slowly o n , and Mr Lorry s hop e .

darkened, an d h is heart grew heavier again and grew y e t ,

h eavier an d heavier every day Th e third day came an d .

went, the fourth , the fifth F i v e days , s ix days , seven .

days e ight days nine days

, ,
.

With a hope ever darkening and with a heart alway s ,

growing h eavi e r an d h eavier Mr Lorry passed through ,

.

t h is anxious time The secret was well kept and Luci e

.
,

was unconscious and happy ; but, he could n o t fail to o h

ser v e that t h e shoemaker, whose h and had been a l ittle o u t
at first was growi n g dreadfully skilful an d t hat he h ad
, ,

never been s o intent o n his work, an d that his hands had

ne v er been so nimble and expert, as in t h e dusk o f th e
nint h eve ning .

CH APT E R X IX .

AN O P I N IO N .

W O RN o u t by anx ious watching Mr Lorry fell asleep ,

.

at h is post O n the tenth morning Of his suspense , he was

.

startled by the S h ining O f the sun into the ro o m where

a heavy slumber had overtaken him when it was dark
night .
 A T ALE OF Tw o CI TIE S . 23 3

He rub b ed his eyes and roused himself ; but h e doub ted ,

when he had done so whether he was not still asleep , .

’
F o r going to the door o f the Doctor S room and looking in
, ,
’
he perce ived that the shoemaker s bench an d tools were put
aside again an d that the Do c tor himself sat reading at the
,

window He was in his usual morning dress and his face

.
,

( which Mr Lorry could d istinctl

.
y see ),
though still ver y
pale was calmly studious and attentive
,
.

E ven when he had satisfied himself that he was awake ,

Mr Lorry felt giddil y uncertain for some few moments

.

whether the late shoemaking might n o t be a disturbed dream

o f his o w n ; f o r did not his eyes S how him his friend before
,

him in his accustomed clothing and aspect an d employed ,

as usual ; an d was there an y S ign w ithin their range that ,

the change of which he had S O strong an i m pression had

actually happened ?
It was but the inquiry O f his first confusion an d aston
is h m e n t the answer being O bvious
,
If the impression were .

n o t produced b y a real corresponding an d sufficient cause , ,

how came he Jarvis Lorry there ? How came he t o have

, ,
’
fallen asleep in his clothes o n the sofa in Doctor Manette s
, ,

consul t ing room an d to be debating these points outside

-
,

’
the Doctor s bedroom door in the early morning ?
Within a few minutes Mis s Pross stood whispering at ,

his s ide If he had had any particle of doubt left her talk
.
,

would of necess ity h ave resol v ed it ; but he was by that

time clear headed and had none He advised that they
-
,
.

should let the time go by until the regular breakfast hour -

,

and should then meet the Doctor as if nothing unusual had

occurred If he appeare d to be in his c u stomary state of
.

mind Mr Lorry would then cautiousl y proceed to seek

,
.

direction an d guidance from the O pinion he had been in ,

h is anxiety s o anxious to obtain , .

Miss Pross subm itting herself to his judgment the

, ,
23 4 A T AL E OF T wo CI TIE S .

scheme was work ed o u t with care Having abundance o f .

time f o r h is usual methodical toilette, Mr Lorry presented .

h imself at the breakfast hour in his usual white linen and -

with his usual neat leg The Doctor was summoned in the .

usual way, and came t o breakfast .

S o far as it was possible t o comprehend h im without

o v erstepp i ng thos e delicate and gradual approaches wh ich
Mr Lorry felt to be the only safe advance, he at first s u p
.

’
posed that his daughter s marriage had taken place yester
day A n incid e ntal allusion , purposely thrown o u t , t o the
.

day o f t h e week and the day o f the month , set him think
,

ing an d counting an d evidently made h im uneasy I n all

,
.

other respects , however, he was s o composedly h imself,

tha t Mr Lorry determin e d t o h ave th e aid he sought And
.
.

that aid was his o w n .

Therefore when the breakfast w as done and cleared

,

away and he an d the Doctor were left toget h er Mr Lorry

, ,
.

said feelingly :
,

“
My dear Manette I am anxious t o have your O pin ion , ,

in confidence o n a v ery curious case in which I am d eeply

,

interested ; that is to say it is very curious t o me ; per ,

h aps, t o your better information it m ay be les s so ”

.

Glanc ing at his hands which were discoloured by h is late ,

work the Doctor looked troubled and listened attentively

, ,
.

H e had already glanced at his hands more than once .

“
Doctor Manette said Mr Lorry , touc h ing him aff e c
”
,
.

t io n at e ly o n the arm
“
the case is t h e case o f a par t icularly
,

dear friend o f min e Pray give your mind t o it and ad v is e

.
,
’
m e well for his sake and above all for his daughter s
h is daughter s my dear Manette
’
,
”
.

“
If I understand, said the Doctor , in a subdu e d t o n e,
”

s ome mental shock

Ye s ! )2

Be e xplicit ,
”
s aid the Doct o r . Spar e no d e t ail .
2 36 A T A LE OF Tw o CITI E S .

No . It h as been kept from her ,

an d I h Ope will always
be kept from her It i s known only t o . myself an d t o o n e
,

o t h er w h o may be tr u sted
”
.

The Doctor grasped h is h and, and murmured, That was “

v ery kind That was very th oughtful !

.
”
Mr Lorry .

g rasped his hand in return and neit h er o f t h e t w o S poke

,

for a little while .

“
Now my dear Manette , said Mr Lorry at length, in
,
”
.
,

“
h is most considerate and most aff ectionate way, I am a
m ere m an o f busines s , and unfit t o C ope with suc h intricate
an d difficult matters I do not posses s the kind of informa
.

t ion necessary ; I do not po s sess the kind of intelligence ; I

want guiding There is n o man in this world o n whom I
.

c ould s o rely for right g u idance as o n y o u Tell me h o w ,

.
,

d oes this relaps e come about ? Is there danger of another ?

C ould a rep etition o f it be prevente d ? H ow S hould a repe
t ition of it be treated ? H o w doe s it come about at all ?
What can I do for my friend ? N o man ever c an have been
more desirous in his heart t o s erve a friend than I am t o ,

serve mine , if I kne w h o w Bu t I don t know h ow t o

’
.

o riginate in such a case

, If your sagacity knowledge .
, ,

an d experience could put m e on the right track I might

, ,

be able to do so much ; u nenlightened an d undirected I ,

c an do so little Pray discus s it with me ; pray enable me

.

t o see it a little more clearly and teach me h o w t o be a ,

”
little more useful .

Doctor Manette sat meditating after these earnest words

w ere spoken an d Mr Lorry did not press him
,
.

“ ”
I think it probable said the Doctor breaking S ilence , ,

with an effort that t h e relapse y ou h ave described, my

“
,

”
d ear friend was not quite unforeseen by its subject
, .

“
Was it dreaded by him ? Mr Lorry v entured t o ask
”
. .

V ery much
”
He said it with an in v oluntary shudder
. .

Yo u have n o idea how such an appre h ens ion w eigh s o n '

 A T ALE OF Tw o CITI E S . 23 7

th e sufferer s mind, and h ow difficult — how almost im po s

’

sible it is for him to force himself to utter a word upon

,

t h e topic that O ppresses him

”
.

“ ” “
Would he asked Mr Lorry be s ens ibl y relieved if
,
.
,

he could prevail upon hims elf to impart that secret brood

”
ing t o any o n e , when it is o n him ?
I think S O But it is as I hav e told y o u next to im
.
, ,

poss ible I e v en believe it — in some cases

. to be quit e
impos s ible .

“
Now, said Mr Lorry gently layin g hi s hand o n t he
”
.
,

’ “
Doctor s arm again after a S hort silence o n both S ides to
, ,

w h at would y o u refer this attack ? ”

“
I believe ret u rned Doctor Manette that there h ad
”
,
“
,

been a strong and extraordinary revival O f the train o f

thought and remembrance that was the fi rst cause of the
malady . S ome intense associations o f a most distressing
nature were vividly recalled I think It is probable that ,
.

there had long been a dread lurking in his m ind that those ,

associations would be recalled — say under certain circum ,

stances — s ay o n a particular occasion He tried to pre

,
.

pare himself, in v ain ; perhaps the effort to prepare himself,

”
made him less able to bear it .

“
Wo uld he remember what took place in t h e relapse ? ”

asked Mr Lorry with natu ral h esitation

.
, .

The Doctor looked desolately round the room S h ook h is ,

h ead, and answered in a low voice Not at all

“ ”
, ,
.

“ ”
N o w as t o the future
,
hinted Mr Lorry , . .

”
A S to the future said the Doctor recovering firmness
, , ,

I S hould have great hope A S it pleased Heaven in its .

mercy to restore him so soon I should have great hope ,

.

He , y ielding under t h e pressure o f a complicated some

t hing long dreaded and long v aguely foreseen an d c o n
,

tended against and recovering after the cloud had burst

,

”
an d passed, I S hould hope tha t the worst was over .
238 A T AL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

Well , well ! T h at s good comfort I am th ankful !

’
.
”

said Mr Lorry
. .

“ ”
I am thankful ! repeated the Doctor bending his head
with reverence .

“
There are t wo other points , said Mr Lorry, o n wh ic h .

I am anxious t o be in structed I may go o n ? .

“
Yo u cannot do your friend a better service .

Doctor gav e him his hand .

To t h e first then, He is o f a studious habit, an d unu

.

s u ally energetic ; he applies himself with great ardour t o

the acquis ition o f professional knowledge , to t h e conduct

ing o f experiments , t o many things N o w does he do t o o .
,

much ?
“
I t h in k n o t It may be the character o f his mind, to be
.

always in S ingular need O f occupation That may be in .

,

part, natural t o it ; in part the result o f affliction The

, .

les s it was occupied with healthy things the more it ,

would be in danger o f turning in the unhealthy direction .

H e may hav e Observ e d h imself and made the discovery ,

”
.

“
Yo u are sure t h at he is n o t under t o o great a strain ?
I think I am quite sure o f it ”
.

My dear Manette if h e were overworked now

,

My dear Lorry , I doubt if that could eas ily be T h er e .

h as been a violent stre ss in o n e direction, and it needs a

”
counterweight .

“
E xcuse me as a pers istent man o f busines s Assuming
,
.

f o r a moment, that he was o v erworked ; it would S h ow itself

in some renewal o f this disorder ?
“ ”
I do n o t think S O I do n o t think, said D octor
.

“
Manette with the firmnes s o f self conviction, that an y -

thing but t h e o n e train o f as sociation w ould renew it I .

think that hencefort h, nothing but some extraordinary

,

jarring O f that chord could rene w it After what h as .

h appened an d afte r his r e c o very I find it di fficult t o

, ,
2 40 A T AL E OF Tw o CI TIE S .

’
innermost working o f this p oor man s m ind He once .

y earned s o frightfully for that occupation, and it was s o

welcome w h en it came ; no doubt it relie v ed his pain s o

much by substituting the perplex ity o f the fingers f o r the
,

perplexity o f the brain and by substitutin g as he became , ,

more practised the ingenuity o f the hands f o r t h e inge

,

n u ity of the mental torture ; that he has ne v er been able t o

bear the thought o f putt i ng it quite o u t of his reach E ven .

n o w when , I believe he is more hopeful O f himself than he

,

has ever been an d even speaks o f himself w ith a kind o f

,

c onfidence the idea that he might need that O ld employ

,

ment and not fin d it give s him a sudden sense o f terror

, , ,

like that which o n e may fancy strikes to t h e heart o f a lost

c h ild
”
.

H e looked like his illustration, as he raise d his eyes t o

M r Lorry s face
.
’
.

Bu t m ay n o t — mind ! I ask f o r information , as a plodding

man o f bus ines s who only deals with such material O bj ects
as guineas shillings , and bank notes — m ay n o t the reten
-
,

tio n o f the thing involve the retention o f the idea ? If the

,

t h ing were gone my dear Manette , m ight n o t the fear go

,

w ith it ? In S hort i s it n o t a concession to the misgiving,

,

t o keep the forge ?

There was another s ilence .

” “
You see t o o said the Doctor tremulously , it is such
, , ,

an O ld companion
”
.

‘
I w ould not keep it said Mr Lorry shaking his h ead ;
”
,
.
,

for he gained in firmnes s as he saw the Doctor disquieted .

“
I would recommend him to sacrifice it I only want your .

authority I am sure it does no good C ome ! Give me

. .

your authority like a dear good man F or his daughter s

,
’
.

sake my dear Manette !

,

Very strange to see what a struggle there was wit h in

 A T ALE OF Tw o CITI E S
,
. 241

In her name then, let it be done ; I sanction it Bu t

,
.
,

I would n o t take it away wh ile he was pre sent Let it b e .

remo v ed when he is not there ; let him miss his Old c o m

”
panion after an absence .

Mr Lorry readily engaged for that and the conference

.
,

was ended They passed the day in the count r y and the
.
,

Doctor was quite restored On the three follo wing days .

,

he remained perfectly well an d o n the fourteenth day, he ,

went away to j oin Lucie and her husband The precaution .

t h at had been taken to account f o r his silence Mr Lorry ,

.

had previously explained to him and he had written to ,

Lucie in accordance w ith it and she had no suspicions , .

On the night o f the d ay o n which he left the house

Mr Lorry went into h is room with a chopper, saw chisel,
.
,

and hammer attended by Mis s Pros s carry ing a light

,
.

There with closed doors an d in a mysterious and guilty

, ,

’
manner Mr Lorry hacked the S hoemaker S bench to pieces ,
, .

while Miss Pross held the candle as if she were assisting at

a murder — f o r which indeed in her grimness she was n o
, , ,

unsuitable figure The burning o f the body (pre v iously

.

reduced t o pieces convenient for the purpose ), was com

m e n c e d without delay in the kitchen fire ; and t h e tools ,

S hoes and leather were buried in the garden

, ,
S O wicked .

do destruction an d secrecy appear to honest minds that Mr ,

.

Lorry and Miss Pross while engaged in the commission o f

,

their deed and in t h e removal of its traces almost felt and , ,

almost looked like accomplices in a h orr ible crime

,
.
24 2 A T AL E OF Two CITIE S .

C HAPTE R XX .

A P LE A .

W H E N the n e wly married pair came h om e t h e fi rst pe r

-

s o n w h o appeared, t o offer his congratulations , was Sydne y

C arton They h ad not been at home many hour s , w h en h e

.

presented himself He was n o t impro v ed in habits , o r in

.

looks , o r in manner ; but there was a certain rugged air

,

o f fidelity about him , which was new t o the obs e rvation o f

C harles Darnay
H e watche d his opportunity O f taking Darnay aside int o
a window , and o f speaking to him when no o n e overheard .

“
Mr Darnay, said C arton, I wish we might be friends
.
” “
.

”
We are already friends I h Ope ,
.

Yo u are good enough to s ay s o , as a fas h ion o f speech ;

but I don t mean any fashion o f speech Indeed, when I
,
’
.

say I wish we might be friends , I scarcely mean th at,

”
e ither.

C harles Darnay — as was natural — asked him in all ,

good humour an d g o od fello w ship , what he did mean ?

-

“
Upon my life said C arton smiling I fin d that easier
,
” “
, ,

to comprehend in my o wn m ind, than t o conv ey to yours .

However, let me try Yo u remember a certain famous

.

occasion when I was m o re drunk than tha usual

n ?

“
I remember a certain famous occasion when y ou forced
me to confe ss that you h ad been drinking ”
.

“
I remember it t o o The curse o f those occasions is
.

h eavy upon me , for I always remember them I hope .

it may be taken into account o n e day w h en all day s are ,

at an end f o r me ! — ’
D on t be alarmed ; I am not going t o
”
preach .
24 4 A T AL E OF T WO CITI E S .

Well ! At any rate y o u know me as a dissolute do g,

”
wh o has never done any good, and never will .

“
I don t know th at y ou ne v er will
’ ’ ‘
.

Bu t I do , and y o u must take my wor d f o r it Well ! .

I f y o u could endure to hav e such a worthless fellow an d a ,

fellow o f such in difie r e n t reputation, coming and going at

o dd times , I should ask t h at I migh t be permitted to come

and go as a privileged person here ; that I migh t be r e

garded as an useles s (and I would add if it were not for ,

the resemblance I detected between y o u an d me an u n o r n a ,

mental ) piece o f furn iture tolerate d f o r its o ld ser v ice an d

, ,

taken no notice o f I doubt if I S hould abuse the permis

.

s ion It is a hundred to o n e if I S hould av ail my self o f it

.

four times in a year It would satisfy me , I dare say t o

.
,
”
know that I had it .

“ ”
Will y o u try ?
That is another way o f say ing that I am placed o n the
footing I have indicated I thank you Darnay I may.
,
.

”
use that freedom with your name ?
“
I think so C arton, by this time
, .

They shook hands upon it an d S y dney turned away , .

Within a minute afterwards , he was to all outward appear

ance , as unsubstantial as ever .

When he was gone , and in the course of an e v ening

passed with Miss Pross the Do c tor , and Mr Lorry C harles
,
.
,

Darnay made some mention o f this conversation in general

terms and S poke o f Sydney C arton as a problem of care
,
‘

lessness and recklessne ss He spoke o f him in short not

.
, ,

bitterly o r meaning to bear hard upon him but as anybody ,

might who saw him as he s h owed himself .

He had no idea that this could dwell in the t h oughts of

h is fair young wife ; but when he afterwards j oined her in
,

their o w n rooms he found her waiting for him with t h e

,

o ld pretty lifting of the forehead strongly marked .

 A T AL E OF Tw o CITI E S . 24 5

We are thoughtful to -
night ! said Darnay, drawing his
ar m about her .

“
Yes dearest C harles with her hands o n his breast, an d
,
”
,

t h e inquiring and attentive expres sion fixed upon him ;

“
we are rather thoughtful to night for we have something -
,

’
o n o u r mind to night
-
.

“ ”
What is it m y Lucie ?
,

Will y o u prom ise not t o press o n e question o n m e if I ,

”
beg you not to ask it ?
Will I prom ise ? W h at will I not promise t o my
Love ? ’

What indeed with his h and putting as ide the golden

, ,

h air from the cheek an d his other hand against the h eart
,

that beat for him !

“
I think C harles poor Mr C arton deserve s more c o n
, ,
.

”
s ideration and re spect than you expres sed for him to night
-
.

“ ”
Indeed , my o w n ? Why so ?

That is what you are not to ask me ? But I think — I

know — h e does .

“
If y o u know it it is enough W h at woul d y o u hav e
,
.

”
m e do my Life
,
?

“
I would ask you dearest to be very generous wit h h im
, ,

a lway s and very lenient o n his faults w h en he is not by

,
.

I would ask y o u to believe t hat he has a heart he very ,

very seldom reveals an d that there are deep wounds in it

, ,
.

M y dear I have seen it bleeding

,
”
.

It is a painful reflection to me s aid C harles Darnay , ,

“
q uite astounded that I should have
, done him any wrong .

”
I never thought this Of him .

“
My husband it is so I fear he is not to be reclaimed ;
,
.

there is scarcely a hope that anything in h is character

o r fortune s is reparable now But I am sure that he is .
,

c apable o f good things , gentle things e v en magnanimous ,

”
things .
246 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S .

She looked s o beautiful in the purity o f h er fait h in this

lost man , that her h usband could ha v e looked at her as S h e
was f o r h ours
,
.

“ ”
And 0 m y dearest Love ! she urged clinging nearer
, ,

to him laying her head upon h is breast, an d raising her

,

“
eyes to his remem b er h o w strong we are in o u r happi
,
”
ness and h o w weak he is in his misery !
,

The supplication touched him home I will always .

remember it dear H eart ! I will remember it as long as

,

”
I live .

He bent over the golden head an d put the rosy lips t o ,

his an d folded h er in his arms If o n e forlorn wanderer

,
.

then pacing the dark streets , could hav e heard her inno
cent disclosure, an d could have s e en the drops o f p ity
kissed away by her h usband from the soft blue eyes S O
lov ing o f t h at husband he might hav e cried t o the nig ht
,

and the words would not hav e parted from h is lip s f o r t he

fi rst time
G o d bl e s s he r f o r h er sweet c o mpass i o n ! ”
“

CH A P TE R X X I .

E C HOI N G F O O TS TE P S .

A WO N D E R F U L corner f o r echoes , it h as been re marked,

that corner where t h e Doctor l ived Ev er busily winding .

the golden thread which bound h er husband an d h er father , ,

an d herself and her o ld directress and companion in a l ife

, ,

o f quiet bliss , Lucie sat in the still h ouse in the tranquilly

resounding corner, listening to the echoing footsteps o f

years .

At first, there were times , though she was a perfectly

happy young wife , when her work would slowly fall from
2 48 A TA LE OF Tw o CITI E S .

to leav e my pretty sister ; but I am called, and I must go !

those were not tears all O f agony that wetted his young
mother s c h eek, as the spirit departed from her embrac e
’

that h ad been entruste d to it Su ffer them an d forbid them

.

n ot
. The y see my F ather s face 0 F ather blessed words !
’
.
,

Thus the rustling o f an Angel s wings got blended wit h

,
’

the other echoes , and they were n o t wholly O f earth b u t ,

had in them that breath of Heaven S ighs o f the w ind s .

that blew over a little garden tomb were mingled with the m
-

also, an d both were audible to Lucie in a hushed murmur ,

like the breathing o f a summer sea asleep upon a sandy

s h ore — as the little Lucie comically studious at the task
,
’
o f the morning o r dress ing a doll at her mo t her s footstool ,
,

chattered in the tongues o f the Tw o C itie s t h at were blended

in her life .

The echoes rarely an swered t o the actual tread o f Sydney

C arton Some half dozen times a year at most he claimed
.
-
, ,

his privilege o f coming in uninvited and would sit among ,

them through the evening as he had once done often H e .

never came there heated with wine An d o n e other thing

,
.

regarding him was whispered in the echoes , whic h h as been

w h ispered by all true echoes f o r ages and ages .

N O man ever really lo v ed a w oman , lost her, and knew

her with a blameles s th ough an unchanged mind when ,

she was a wife an d a mother but her children had a strange

,

sympathy w ith him — an instincti v e del icacy o f pity for

h im What fine hidden sensibilities are touch ed in such a
.

case, no echoes tell ; b u t it is so and it was so here C ar

,
.

t o n was the first stranger to w h om little Lucie held out her

chubby arms and he kept his place with her as she gre w .

T h e little boy had spoken o f h im, almost at the last .

Poor C arton ! Kiss him for me ! ”

Mr Stry v er shouldered his way through the law, lik e

.

some great engin e forcing itself through turbid water and ,

 A T AL E OF Tw o CITI E S . 49

dr agged his useful friend in h is wake like a boat to wed ,

astern A S the boat so fav oure d is usually in a rough

.

plight and mostly under water so, Sydney had a swamped ,

life of it But easy and strong custom, unhappily s o

.
,

mu c h easier and stronger in h im than an y stimulating sense

of desert o r disgrace made it the life he was to lead ; an d
,

h e no more thought o f emerging from his state of lion s ’

jackal than any real j ackal may be supposed to think of

,

rising to be a lion Stryver was ric h ; had married a florid

.

widow with property and three boys who had nothing par ,

t icu lar ly S hining about them but the straight hair of their
dumpling heads .

These three young gentlemen Mr Str y v er, exuding ,

.

patronage o f the most offens ive qual ity from every pore ,

h ad walked before him like three sheep to the quiet , ,

’
corner in S oho and h ad o ffe r e d as pupils to Lucie s hus
,

“
band : delicately saying Halloa ! here are three lumps ,

of bread and cheese towards your matrimonial pic nic

- - -
,

Darnay ! ”
The polite rejection o f t h e t h ree lumps o f
bread and cheese h ad qui t e bloated Mr Stryver w ith in
- -
.

dignation which he afterwards turned to acco u nt in the

,

training o f the young gentlemen by directi n g them to ,

beware o f the pride o f B eggars like that tutor fellow He ,

-
.

was also in the habit o f declaiming to Mrs Stry ver over .

,

h is full bodied wine , o n the ar ts Mrs Darnay had once put

-
.

in practice to “
catc h h im and o n the diamond cut
”
,
-

diamond arts in himself madam which had rendered , ,

“ ”
him not to be caught S ome o f his K ing s Bench famil
.
’

iar s who were occas ionally parties to the full b odied w ine
,
-

and the lie excused him for th e latter by say ing that he
,

h ad told it so O ften that he believed it himself , which is

surely suc h an incorrigible aggravation o f an originally bad
’
offence as to justify any such o ff ender s being carried off to
,

s o me suitably retired S pot, and th ere h anged o u t o f t h e w ay .

25 0 A T AL E OF Tw o CITIE S .

T h e se w er e among the e ch oes t o w h ic h Lucie sometim e s ,

pens iv e , somet imes am u sed and laugh ing listened in the ,

echoin g corner, until h er little daugh ter was s ix years o ld .

H o w near to her heart the echoes o f h er child s tread came ,

’

’
and those o f her o w n dear father s always active and self,

pos sessed and t h ose o f h er dear h usband s need n o t be

,
’
,

told . N o r, h o w the lightest ec h o O f the ir united home ,

directed by h erself wit h such a wise and elegant thrift that

it was more abundan t than any waste, was music to her .

N o r, h o w t h ere were echo e s all about her sweet in her ,

e ars, o f the many times her father had told her that he
found her more devoted t o him married (if that could be)
t han s ingle , and o f t h e many times her husband had said
t o h er that n o cares and duties seemed t o di v ide her lo v e
f o r h im o r her help to h im , and asked her What is the
“

magic secret, my darling, o f your being e v eryt h ing to all o f

us , as if there were only o n e o f us yet ne v er seeming t o ,

b e hurried, o r t o h a v e t o o muc h t o do ?
But there were other echoes from a distance that
, , ,

r umbled menacingly in the corner all throug h this space o f

’
time And it was n o w , about little Lucie s S ixth birthday,
.

that they began to hav e an awful sound as O f a great storm ,

in F rance with a dreadful sea ris ing .

On a n ight in mid July o n e thousand s e v en h undred

-
,

an d eigh t y nine , Mr -
Lorry came in late from Te lls o n s
.
,
’
,

an d sat himself down by Lucie and her husband in the

dark window It was a h o t wild nigh t, and they were all

.

three reminded o f the O ld Sunday night when they had

looked at t h e lightning from the same place .

“ ”
I began t o think said Mr Lorry pushing his brown
, .
,

wig back, that I S hould hav e to pass the night at Tell

“

s on s
’
We hav e been s o full o f business all day, that w e
.

h ave n o t known wh at t o do fi rst, o r w h ich way t o turn .

T h ere is suc h an uneasiness in Paris t h at we h a v e act ual ly

,
25 2 A T AL E OF T WO CITIE S .

not as young as I was ! My tea my dear ? T h ank y e , .

Now, come and take your place in the circle an d let us s it ,

quiet, and h e ar th e echoes about w h ic h y o u have your

”
theory .

“
N o t a theory ; it was a fan cy .

”
A fancy then my wise pet said Mr Lorry, patting
, , , .

h er hand They are v ery numerous and v ery loud, though,

are they n ot ? O nly h ear t h em !

Headl ong mad and dangerous footsteps t o forc e t h eir way

’
into anybody s life footsteps not easily made clean again
,

if once stained red the footsteps raging in Saint Antoine

,

afar O ff, as the little circle sat in the dark London Window .

S aint Antoine had been, that morning a vast dusky

‘

mass o f scarecrows heav ing to and fro with fre quent ,

gleams of light abo v e the billowy heads where steel blades ,

and bayonets shone in the s u n A tremendous roar arose .

from the throat o f S aint Antoine an d a forest o f naked ,

arm s struggled in the air like shrivelled branches O f trees

in a winter W ind : all the fingers con v ulsively clutching at
every weapon o r semblance o f a weapon that was thrown
up from the depths below, n o mat t er h o w far O ff .

Who gave them o u t whence they last came where they

, ,

began, through Wh at agency they crookedly quivered an d

j erked scores at a time over the heads o f the crowd l ike
, , ,

a kind o f l ightning n o eye in the throng could have told ;

,

but muskets were be ing distributed

,
so were cartri dges ,

powder, and ball bars of iron and wood knives axes,

, , ,

pikes, every weapon that distracted ingenuity could discover

o r devise People who could lay hold of nothing else s et
.
,

themsel v es with bleeding hands to force stones and bricks

o u t o f their places in walls E very pulse an d heart in
.

Saint Antoine was o n high fever strain and at high fe v er

- -

h e at Ev ery li v ing creature there, held life as o f n o

.
 A T ALE OF Tw o C ITI E S . 253

accou nt, and was demented with a passionate readine s s t o

sacrifi ce it .

As a w h irlpool o f boiling waters has a centre point, so ,

all this raging circled round De f ar ge s win e shop an d every
’ -
,

human drop in the caldron had a t endency to be sucked

towards the vortex where Defarge himself already b e ,

grimed with gunpowder and sweat, issued orders , issued

arms thrust t his man back dragged this m an forward
, , ,

disarme d o n e to arm another, laboured and strove in the

thickest 0 f the uproar .

“
Keep near to me Jacques Three cried Defarge ; and
, ,

do you, Jacques O ne and Two separate and put y ours elve s ,

at t h e head o f as many o f these patriots as y o u can Where .

”
is my wife ?
“
E h , well ! Here you see me ! said madame composed
”
,

as e v er but not knitting to day Madame S resolute right

,
-
.
’

h and was occupied with an axe in place o f the usual s ofter ,

implements and in her girdle were a pistol an d a cruel

,

knife .

“
Where do y o u go my wife ?
,

I go s aid madame with y o u , at pres e nt You S h all

”
, ,
.

s e e m e at the head o f women b y and b y ”

,
- -
.

“
C ome then ! cried Defarge in a resounding voice
”
, , .

Patriots an d friends we are ready ! The B astille !

,

With a roar that s ounded as if all the breath in F rance

h ad been S haped into t h e detested word the living sea rose, ,

wav e o n wav e, depth o n depth , and o v e r fl o w e d the city to

that point Alarm bells ringing, drums beati n g the s ea
.
-
,

raging and thundering o n its new beach , the attack begun .

Deep ditches , double drawbridge m assive stone walls , ,

eight great towers cannon muskets fire and smoke

, , ,
.

Through the fire an d through the smoke in the fire and

in the S moke , for the sea cast him up against a cannon ,

and o n the instant he became a cann onier — Defarge o f

254 A T A LE OF T WO CITIE S .

the w ine s h Op w orked like a manful soldier, Tw o fierce

-

hours .

Deep ditch , S ingle drawbridge massive stone walls , ,

e ight great towers c annon muskets fire an d smoke

, On e, ,
.

“
drawbridge down ! Work comrades all work ! Work , , ,

Jacques O ne Jacques Two, Jacques O ne Thousand

, ,

Jacques Two Thousand Jacques F ive and Twenty Tho u ,

- -

sand ; in the name o f all the Angels or the Devils which

you prefer — work ! Thus Defarge o f the wine shop, still -

at his gun which had long grown h o t

,
.

“ ”
To me women ! ,cried madame his wife What ! .

We can kill as well as the m e n when the place is taken !

And to her with a shr ill thirsty c ry trooping women vari
, —
,

o u s ly armed but all armed alike in hu n ger an d revenge

, .

C annon muskets, fire an d smoke ; but still the deep

, ,

ditch the S ingle drawbridge the mas s ive stone walls and
, ,
‘
,

the eight great towers Slight displacements o f the raging

.

sea made b y the falling wounded F lashing weapons

,
.
,

blaz ing torches smoking waggon loads o f wet straw hard

,
-
,

work at neighbouring barricade s in all directions shrieks , ,

volleys execrations bravery without stint boom smash

, , ,

an d rattle and the furious sounding o f the living sea ; but,

,

still the deep ditch and the s ingle drawbridge , an d the

,

mass ive stone walls and the eight great towers and still
, ,

Defarge o f the wine S hop at his gu n grown doubly hot b y

-
,

the service of F our fierce hours .

A white flag from within the fortress and a parley ,

this dimly perceptible through the raging storm nothing ,

audible in it suddenly the sea rose immeasurably wider

and higher, and swept Defarge of the wine shop over the -

l o wered drawbridge past the massive stone outer walls

,

in among the eight great towers surrendered !

S o res istless was the force o f the ocean bearing him o n ,
t h at even t o draw h is breat h o r turn his head was as im
25 6 A T AL E OF Tw o CI TIE S .

Show it me !
Pass this way, then .

Jacques Three with his usual crav ing o n h im, and

,

evidently disappointed by the dialogue taking a turn that

did n o t seem to promise bloodshed, held b y De f arge s arm as ’

’
he held by the turnkey s The ir three heads had been clos e
.

together during this brief discourse, and it had been as

much as they could do to hear o n e another even then : s o ,

tremendous was the no ise of the living ocean, in its irru p

tion into the F ortress an d its inundation of the courts an d
,

passages an d staircases All around outside too, it beat

.
,

the walls with a deep hoarse roar, from which occas ion
, ,

ally, some partial s h outs of tumult broke and leaped into

the air like S pray .

Through gloomy vaults where the light o f day had never

shone , past hideous doors o f dark dens and cages down ,

cavernous flights o f steps an d again up steep rugged ,

ascents of stone an d brick more like dry waterfalls than,

stairc ases , Defarge , the turnkey and Jacques Three linked , ,

h and an d arm went with all the speed they could make
,
.

Here an d there e specially at first the inundation started

, ,

o n them an d swept by ; but when the y had done de scend

ing and were winding an d climbing up a tower they were

, ,

alone . Hemmed in here by the mass ive thickness of

walls and arches the storm within the fortres s and with
,

o u t was onl y audible to them in a dull , subdued way as if ,

the noise o u t of which they had come had almost destroyed

t h eir sense o f hearing .

The turnke y stopped at a low door put a key in a clash ,

in g lock swung the door S lowly O pen an d said , as they

, ,

all bent their heads an d passed in

On e hundred an d five North Tower ! ,

There was a small heavily grated unglazed windo w h igh -

in the wall with a stone screen before it so that the sky

, ,
 A T ALE OF Tw o CITI E S . 25 7

could be only seen by stooping low and looking up T h ere .

was a small chimney heavily barred across a few feet , ,

within There was a h eap o f O ld feathery wood ashes o n

.
-

the hearth There were a stool and table and a straw

.
, ,

bed There were the four blackened walls , and a rusted

.

iron ring in o n e o f them .

“
Pas s that torch slowly along these walls , th at I may
”
see them , said Defarge to the turnkey .

The m an obeyed, and Defarge followed t h e light closely

with his eyes .

Stop ! Look here, Jac ques !

A M. croaked Jacques T h ree as h e read greedily
.
,
.

”
Alexandre Manette s aid Defarge in his ear, follow ,

ing the letters with h is swart forefinger deeply engr aine d ,

“ ’
with gunpowder And here he wrote a poor phys ician
. .

And it was he without doubt who s cr at c h e d a calendar

'

, ,

o n this stone What is that in yo u r hand ? A crowbar ?

.

Give it me !
He had still the linstock o f his gun in his o w n h and He .

made a sudden exchange o f the t w o instru m ents and turning ,

o n the wormeaten stool and table , beat them to pieces in a

few blows .

Hold the ligh t h igh er ! he said wrathfully to the turn , ,

key . Look among those fragments with care Jacques And ,

.

” “
see ! Here is m y knife throwing it to him ; rip open that
,
”
bed and search the straw Hold the light higher y ou !
,
.
,

With a menacing look at the turnkey he crawled upon

the hearth and, peering up the ch imney struck and prised
, ,

at its side s with the crowbar and worked at t h e iron grat ,

ing acros s it In a few minutes some mor t ar and dust

.
,

came dropping down which he a v erted his face to avoid ;

,

and in it and in the o ld wood ashes an d in a crevice in the

,
-
,

chimney into whi c h his weapon had slipped o r wrought

itself, he grop ed wit h a cautious touch .
25 8 A T A LE OF T WO CITI E S .

Not h in g in t h e wo od an d nothing in t he straw,

,

”
Jacques ?
“
Nothing .

Let us collect them together in the middle o f t h e cell

, .

”
S O ! Light them , you !
The turnkey fi re d the little pile w h ich blazed high an d , ,

hot Stooping again to come o u t at the low arched door,

.
-

they left it burning, and retraced their way to the court “

yard : seeming to recover their sense o f hearing as they

came down until they were in the raging flood once more
,
.

They found it surging and toss ing in quest o f Defarge ,

h imself S aint Antoine was clamorous to have its wine

.

shop keeper foremost in the guard upon the governor who

-

had defended the Bastille and shot the people O therwise .

,

the governor would not be marched to the H Ot e l de Ville

for judgment O therwise , the governor would e scape and
.
,

the people s blood (suddenly o f some value, after many

’

years Of worthlessness ) be unavenged .

In the howling universe o f passion and contention that

seemed to encompass this gri m O ld o fli c e r conspicuous in
his grey coat an d red decoration there was but o n e quite ,
“ ’
steady figure and that was a woman s
,
See there is my .
,

” ”
husband ! she cried pointing him o u t ,
S ee Defarge ! .

She stood immovable close to the grim Old officer and ,

remained immov able close to him ; remained immovable

close to him through the streets as D efarge an d the rest ,

bore him along ; remained immo v able close to him when

he was got near his destinatio n and began to be struck at
,

from behind ; remained immovable close to him when the

long gathering rain of stabs and blows fell h eavy ; was s o
-

close to him when he dropped dead under it that sud , ,

d e n ly animated S h e put her foot upon his neck and w ith

, ,

her cruel knife —long ready hewed o ff his h ea d :

The hour was come when Saint Antoine was to execute

,
260 A TA L E OF TWO CITI E S .

time , lo ng dead o f broken hearts , -such, and suc h like -

,

the loudly ec h oi n g footsteps o f Saint Antoine escor t

through the Paris streets in mid Jul y o n e thousand seven -
,

hundred and e ighty nine N o w, Heaven defeat the fancy

-
.

o f Lucie Darnay and keep t h es e feet far o u t of her life !

F or, they are headlong mad and dangerous ; an d in th e

, ,

years s o long after the breaking o f the cask at D e f arge s ’

wine s h op door, t h ey are n ot easily puri fie d whe n onc e

-

stain e d r e d .

CHAPT E R XX I I .

TH E SE A S TI L L RIS E S .

HAG G A R D Saint Antoine had h ad only o n e e xultant w eek ,

in which to soften his modicum o f hard an d bitter bread t o

such ex tent as he could with the relish O f fraternal embraces
,

and congratulations when Madame Defarge sat at her

,

counter as usual , pres iding over the customers Madame

,
.

Defarge wore no rose in her head for the great brother ,

h ood o f Spies had become, even in o n e short week extremely ,

chary of trusting thems el v es t o the saint s mercies The

’
.

lamps acros s his streets h ad a portentously elastic swing

With them .

Madame Defarge wit h her arms folded, sat in the morn

,

ing light and heat con t emplating the wine S hop an d the
,
-

s t reet In both were several knots o f loungers squalid

.
, ,

and miserable but now w ith a manifest sense of power

,

enthroned o n their distres s T h e raggedest nightcap awry .

,

o n the wretchedest head had this crooked significance in

,

“
it : I know how hard it has grown for me the wearer o f ,

this , t o sup port life in myself ; but do y o u know how easy

it h as grown for me the wearer o f this , to destroy life in
,

y ou ?
”
E ver y lean bare arm ,
that had been without work b e
 A TAL E OF TW O CITI E S . 2 61

for e, h ad t h is work always ready for it n o w that it could ,

str ike T h e fingers o f the kn i tting women were vicious

.
,

wit h the experience that they could tear There was a .

change in the appearance of S aint Antoine ; the image had

been hammerin g into this for hundreds of years and the ,

last finishing blows had told mightil y on the expres s ion .

Madame D e farge sat observing it with such suppressed ,

approval as was t o be desired in the leader of the Saint

Antoine women O ne o f her S isterhood knitted beside her
.
.

The short rather plump w ife o f a star v ed grocer, an d the

,

mother o f two children withal this lieutenant had already ,

earned th e complimentary name o f The Vengeance .

“
Hark ! ”
said The Vengeance “
Listen , then ! W h o .

”
comes ?
A S if a train of powder laid from the outermost bound
o f the S aint Antoine Quarter to the wine S h O door had -
p ,

been suddenly fired a fast S preading murmur came rushing

,
-

along .

“ “ ”
It is Defarge s aid madame ,
S ilence patriots !.
,

Defarge cam e in breathless pulled Off a red cap he wore ,

,

“ ”
an d looke d around him ! Listen everywhere ! said ,
“ ”
madame again L isten to him !
. Defarge stood pant ,

in g against a background of eager eyes an d open mouths

, ,

formed outs ide t h e door ; all those wit h in t h e wine s h Op -

had S prung to their feet .

S ay then my husband
,
Wh at is it ? ”
.

News from the other world !

H ow then ? crie d madame, contemptuously
,
”
Th e .

ot h er world ? ”

“
Does everybody h ere recall o ld F oulon who told t h e ,

famished people that they might eat grass , an d wh o di e d,

”
and went to Hell ?

E verybody ! from all throats

”
.

”
The news is o f him He is among us ! .
262 A TA LE OF Tw o CITI E S :

Among us ? from t h e uni v ersal t h roat agai n

”
.

”
dead ?
“
N o t dead ! He feared us so muc h — an d wit h reason
that he caused himself to be represented as dead, and had
a grand mock funeral But they have found him alive
.
,

h iding in the country, and have brought him in I have .

s een him but n o w o n his way to the H otel de Ville a pris

, ,

oner I h a v e said that he had reason t o fear us

. Say all ! .

H ad he reason ? ”

Wretc h ed o ld s inner o f more than t h reescore y ears and

t e n , if h e had never known it yet he would have known it ,

in his heart o f h earts if h e could hav e heard the answering

,

cry.

A moment o f profound s ilence followed Defarge and .

his wife looked steadfastly at o n e another The Vengeance .

stooped and the j ar o f a drum was heard as S h e moved it

,

at her feet behind the counter .

“ ”
Patriots ! said Defarge, in a determined voice,
w e ready ? ”

Instantly Madame De f ar ge s knife was in h er girdle ;

’

t h e drum was beating in the stree t s , as if it and a drummer

h ad flown togeth er by magic ; an d The Vengeance , u t tering
terrific shrieks an d fl i nging h er arms about her head like
,

all the forty F uries at once , was tearing from house to

house rousing the women
, .

The m e n were terrible in t h e bloody minded anger with

,
-

which they looked from windows , caught up what arm s

they had and came pouring down into the streets ; but the
, ,

w omen were a S ight to ch ill the boldest F rom such .

household occupations as their bare poverty y ielded,

from their c h ildren from their aged and the ir s ick
,

crouc h ing o n the bare ground famished and naked they ,

ran o u t with streaming hair urging o n e another and , ,

themsel v es , to madness wit h t he wildest crie s an d actions .

 A TALE OF TWO CI TI E S . 2 63

Villain F o ulo n taken my s ister ! O ld F oulon taken my

, ,

mother ! Miscreant F oulon taken my daughter ! Then a , ,

score o f oth e rs ran into the midst o f these beating their ,

breasts tearing their h air and screaming F oulon alive !

, , ,

F oulon who tol d the starving people t hey might eat grass !
F oulon who told my o ld father that he might eat grass,
when I had no bread to give h im ! F oulon who told my
baby it might suck grass when these breasts were dry wit h
,

want ! O mother o f God this F oulon ! 0 Heaven our

, ,

s u ffering ! Hear me my dead baby an d my withered

,

father : I swear o n my knees o n these s t ones , to avenge

,

ou o n F oulon ! Husbands and brothers and young men

y , , ,

G ive u s the blood o f F oulon Give us the head o f F oulon

,

G ive us the heart of F oulon Give us the body an d soul of

,

F oulon Rend F oulon to pieces and dig him into the

, ,

g round that
,
gras s may grow from h im ! With these c ries ,

n umbers o f the women lashed into blind frenzy whirled

, ,

about striking an d tearing at their o w n friends until they

,

d ropped in a passionate swoon and were only saved b y the

,

m e n belonging to them from being trampled under foo t .

Nevertheless , not a moment was lost ; not a moment !

T his F oulon was at the H 6tel de V ille and m ight be loosed ,
.

Never if S aint Antoine kne w his o w n s u ff erings ins u lts,

, ,

an d wrongs ! Armed m e n and women flocked o u t o f the

Quarter s o fast an d drew even these last dregs aft er t h em
,

with such a force o f suction, that w ithin a quarter of an

hour there was not a human creature in S aint Antoine s ’

bosom but a few o ld crones and the wailing children .

No. They were all by that time choking the Hall of

examination where this Old man ugly and wicked was and , , ,

overflowing into the adjacen t O pen space and streets The .

D e f ar ge s , husband and wife The Vengeance , and Jacque s

,

Three , were in the first press, and at no great distance fr o m

'

- h im in the H all .
264 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TIE S .

S ee ! cried madame pointing w ith h er knife

”
S ee
,
.
“

the o ld villain bound with ropes That w as well done t o .

tie a bunch o f gras s upon his back Ha, h a ! That w as .

”
well done Let him eat it n o w !
. Madame put her knife
under h er arm , an d clapped her h ands as at a play .

The people immediately behind M adame Defarge , ex ‘

plaining the cause o f her satisfaction to those behind them ,

an d those again explaining to others , and those to others ,

the neighbouring streets resounded wit h the clapping o f

h ands S imilarly during two o r three hours o f drawl, an d
.
,

the winnowing o f many bus h els of words , Madame De

farge s frequent expressions o f impatience were taken up ,
’

with mar v ellous quickness at a distance : t h e more readily , ,

because certain m e n who had by some wonderful exercise o f

agility climbed u p the external architecture t o look in fro m
the windo w s knew Madame Defarge well and acted as a
, ,

telegraph between her and the crowd outside the building .

At length the s u n rose so high that it struck a kindly

,

r ay as of hope o r protection directly down upon the Old

, ,

prisoner s head T h e favour was too much t o bear ; in an

’
.

instant the barrier o f dust and chaff that had stood sur
r is in l long we t to the wi ds and Saint Antoine had
p g y ,
n n ,

got h im !
It was known directly, to the furthest confines o f the
crowd Defarge had but sprung o v er a railing and a table
.
,

and folded the miserable wretch in a deadly embrace

Madame Defarge had but followed and turned her hand in
o n e o f the ropes wit h whic h he was tied The Vengeance :

and Jacques Three were not yet up with them , an d the m e n

at the Wi ndows had not y e t S wooped into the Hall like ,
.

birds o f prey from their h igh perches — when th e cry

seemed to go up all over the city, Bring h im out ! Bring
,
“ :

h im to the lamp !
Down an d up, and h ead foremost o n t h e steps O f th e
,
2 66 A TALE OF TWO CITI E S .

waitin g to buy bad bread ; and whil e t h ey waite d wit h

stomac h s faint an d empty, they beguile d the time by em
bracing o n e anoth er o u the triumph s o f the day, an d ach ie v
in g t hem again in goss ip Gradually these strings o f
.
,

ragged people shortened an d frayed away ; and then poor

lights began to s h ine in hig h windows , and slender fires
were made in the streets at whic h neighbours cooked in
,

common afterwards supping at their doors

, .

Scanty an d insufficient suppers those, and innocent o f

meat as o f most other sauce t o wretc h ed bread Yet,
,
.

human fellowship infused some nouris h ment into the flin ty

v iands , an d struck some sparks o f cheerfulnes s o u t o f them .

F athers and mothers w h o had h ad their full S hare in the

w orst o f the day , played gently with their meagre children ;
and lo v ers , with such a world around t h em and before them,
lo v ed and h ope d .

It was almost morning when De f ar ge s wine S h op parted

,
’ -

with its las t knot o f customers and Mons ieur Defarge said
,

t o madame h is wife , in husky tones , while fast e ni n g t h e

door :
“
At last it is come my dear !
,

E h well ! returned madame

” “
Almost.
”
.

Saint A n toine S lept, the De f arge s S lept : e v en T h e V e n

e an ce S lept wit h her starve d grocer an d the drum was at
g ,
’
rest The drum s was the only voice in Saint Antoine ,
.

that blood and hurry had n o t changed The Vengeance, .

as custodian o f the drum could have wakened him up and

“

h ad the same speech o u t o f h im as before the Bastille fell, o r

o ld F oulon was seized ; not so with the hoarse tones o f th e

m e n an d women in Saint Antoine s bos o m

’
.
 A TA L E OF TWO CITI E S . 26 7

CH APT E R XXIII .

FI RE RI S E S .

T HE RE w as a change o n the v illage w h ere th e fountain

fell, an d where the mender o f roads went fort h daily to
hammer o u t o f th e stones o n the highway such morsels o f
bread as might serv e for patc h es to h old his poor ignorant
soul and his poor reduced body, toget h er The prison o n .

the crag was not s o dom inant as o f yore ; there were s ol

diers t o guard it, but n o t many ; ther e were o fli ce r s to guard
the soldiers, but not on e o f them knew what his m e n would
do — beyond this : that it would probably n ot be w h at h e
was o rdered .

F ar an d wide, lay a ruined country, yielding nothing but

desolation E very gr e en leaf, every blade o f gras s and
.

blade o f grain , was as shrivelled and poor as the miserable

people E veryth ing was bowed down dej ected O ppressed,
.
, ,

and broken Habitations fences dom e sticated animals

.
, , ,

men women, childr e n , and the soil that bore them — all
,

worn o u t .

Monseigneur (O ften a most worthy individual gentleman )

was a national blessing gave a ch ivalrous tone to things ,
,

was a polite example o f luxurious and shining life and ,

a great deal more to equal purpose ; nevertheless , M o n

s eigneur as a clas s had, s omehow o r other brought things ,

t o this. Strange that C reation designed expressly for M o n

,

seigneur, should be so soon wrung dry and s queezed ou t !

There must be something short s ighted in the eternal
-

arrangements , surely ! Thus it was however ; and the ,

last drOp O f blood h aving been extracted from the fl in t s ,

an d the last s crew o f the rack h aving been turned so ofte n

2 68 A TALE OF TWO CI TI E S .

that its purc h ase crumbled and it n o w turned an d turned

,

with nothing to bite Monse igneur began to run away from

,

a phenomenon so low and unaccountable .

But, this was n o t the change o n the v illage, and o n many

a v illage like it F o r score s o f years gone by Monseigneur
.
,

had s queezed it an d wrung it, and h ad s eldom graced it

with h is presence except f o r the pleas ure s o f t h e chase
n o w , found in hunting the people ; n o w found in hunting ,

t h e beasts , f o r whos e preser v ation Monseigneur made edify

ing S pace s o f barbarous an d barren wilderness N o The . .

c hang e consiste d in the appearance o f strange faces o f lo w

c aste , rather than in the disappearance o f the h igh caste

-
,

c h iselled and o therwise b e at ifie d an d beatifying features o f

,

Monseigneur .

F o r in these times as t h e mender o f roads worked s oli

, , ,

tary, in the dust not O ften troubling himself t o reflect that

,

dust he was and t o dust he must return — being f o r the

most part t o o muc h occupied in t h inking h o w l ittle he had
f o r supper an d h o w much more he would eat if h e had it
— in these times as h e raised his e es from h is lonely
, y
labour and v iew e d t h e prospect, h e would see some roug h
figu re approac h ing o n foot the like o f which was once a
,

rarity in those parts bu t was n o w a fre quent presence As

,
.

it advanced the mender o f roads would discern without

,

s u rprise that it was a s h aggy haired man o f almost barba

-
,

rian aspect tall , in wooden S hoes tha t were clumsy e v en

,

t o the eyes o f a mender o f roads , grim , rough swart , ,

steeped in the mud and dust o f many h ighways , dank w ith

the marshy moisture o f m any lo w grounds sprinkled with ,

th e thorns an d leaves and moss o f many byways throug h

woods .

Such a man came upon him like a g h ost, at noon in t h e

,

July weather, as he sat o n his heap o f stones under a bank ,

t aking such shelter as he could get from a shower O f hail .

2 70 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

finger .
“
Yo u go down h ere ,
an d straight t h rough t he
s treet, past the fountain
an d

To t h e Devil with all that !

“ ”
interrupted the other,
I go throug h n o
“
rolling his eye ov e r the landscape .

”
streets and past n o fountai n s Well ? .

“
Well ! About two leagues beyond t h e summit O f t h at
h ill abo v e the v illage ”
.

Good W h en do y o u ceas e t o work ?

.
”

”
At sunset .

Will y o u wake me before departing ? I h av e walked

!
,

t w o nigh ts wit h out resting Let me finis h my pipe an d I

.
,

s hall sleep like a c h ild Will y o u wake me ?

.

“
Surely .

T h e wayfarer smoked his pipe o u t, put it in h is breast ,

s lipped o ff h is great w ooden shoes , an d lay down o n h is

back o n the h eap o f stones H e was fast asleep directly . .

As the road mender pl ied his dusty labour, and the h ail
-

clouds rolling away, re v eale d brigh t bars and streaks o f

,

s k y w hich were responded t o by s ilver gleams upon t he

landscape, the little man (w h o wore a red cap n ow, in plac e

o f h is blue o n e seemed fascina e d by the fi gure n t h e h eap
) t o

Of stones His eyes were s o oft en turned towards it that

.
,

he used his tools mech anically, and o n e would h ave said, ,

to very poor accoun t The b r onze face the shaggy black

.
,

h air and beard the coarse woollen red cap, th e rough medley
,

dress of homespun stu ff an d hairy skins o f beasts the pow ,

e r f u l frame attenuated by spare living and the sullen an d ,

desperate compression o f the lips in sleep inspired th e ,

mender o f roads with awe The traveller had travelled far .

,

and h is feet were footsore and his ankles chafed and bleed
,

ing ; his great S hoes stu ffed with leaves and grass had
, ,

been h eavy to drag over the many long leagues , and h is

clothes were c h afed into h oles as h e h imself was into sores ,
.

Stooping do wn beside h im the road mender tried t o ge t ,

-
 A TAL E OF TW O CITIE S . 71

a peep at secret weapons in his breast o r where not ; but,

in vain , for he slept with his arms crossed upon him, and
set as resolutely as his lips F ortified towns with the ir .

stockades guard houses gates trenches an d drawbridges

,
-
, , , ,

see med to the mender of roads to be so much air as against

, ,

this figure And when he lifted h is eyes from it to the

.

horizon and looked around, he saw in h is small fancy simi

lar figu res stopped by no obstacle tending to centres all
, ,

over F rance .

The m an slept o n , in difl e r e n t to showers o f hail and

intervals o f brightnes s to su n shine o n his face and shadow,
,

to the pattering lum ps o f dull ice o n his body and the dia
monds into which the s u n changed t hem until the s u n was ,

lo w in the west an d the sky w as glowing

,
Then the .
,

mender o f roads having got his tools together and all things
ready to go down into the village roused him , .

”
‘
Good ! said the sleeper rising o n his elbow , .

”
league s beyond the summit o f the hill ?
”
About .

About Good ! .

T h e mender o f roads went h ome , with the dust going o n

before him according to the set o f the wind, and was soon
at the fountain s queez ing hims e lf in among the lean kine
,

brought there to drink and appearing even to whisper to

,

them in his whispering to all the village Wh en the village .

had taken its poor supper it did not creep to bed, as it ,

usually did but came o u t of doors again, an d remained

,

t here . A curious contagion o f whispering was upon it and ,

also, when it gathered together at the fo u ntain in the dark ,

anot h er curious contagion o f looking expectantly at the sky

in o n e direction only Monsieur Gabelle chief functionary
.
,

o f the place became uneas y ; went o u t o n his house t Op -

,

alone, and looked in that direction too ; glanced down from

behind his chimneys at the darkening f aces b y the foun
2 72 A TAL E OF T WO CITIE S .

tai n b e low, an d sent word to t h e sacristan w h o kept t he

keys o f the church, that there m ight h e need to ring t h e
tocsin b y and b y - -
.

The n ight deepened T h e trees en v ironing t h e o ld

.

c ha teau keeping its solitary state apart, moved in a rising

,

wind, as though they threatened the pile o f building mas

s ive an d dark in the gloom Up t h e tw o terrace fligh ts o f .

s teps the rain r an wildly, and beat at t h e great door like ,

a swift messenger rousing t h ose wit h in ; un e asy rushes o f

wind went through t h e h all, among t h e o ld spears and
kni v es , an d passed lamenting up the stairs , and s h ook the
c urtains o f the bed wh e re t h e last Marquis h ad slept E ast, .

West North , an d S outh , t h rough t h e woods, four h eavy

,

treading unkempt figures crushed t h e high gras s and

,

cracked the branc h es , striding o n cautiously t o come t o

gether in the cou rt yard F our lights broke o u t ther e, an d
-
.

mo v ed away in di fferent directions , and all was black again .

But not for long P resently the ch ateau began to mak e

,
.
,

itself strangely v isible by some light o f its o wn , as t h ough

it were growing luminous T h en a flickering streak play ed .
,

b ehind the architecture o f t h e front picking o u t trans ,

parent places and showing where balustrades , arches an d

, ,

windows were Then it soare d h igh er, an d gre w broader

.

and brighter S oon from a score o f t h e great windows ,

.
,

flames burst forth an d the stone faces , awakened , stare d

o u t of fire .

A faint murmur arose about the h ouse from the few people
w h o w ere left there an d there was saddling o f a h orse an d
,

r iding away There was spurring an d splashing through

.

the darkness and bridle was drawn in the space by the vil
,

lage fountain, an d the horse in a foam stood at Monsieur

’ “ ”
Gabelle s door Help Gabelle ! . Help every o n e ! , ,

The tocsin rang impatiently but other help (if that were ,

an y ) there was none The mender o f roads an d t w o h u n

.
,
2 74 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

Th e c hat e au burned ; t h e nearest trees , laid h old o f by

the fire , scorc h ed and shrivelled ; trees at a distance, fired
by the four fierce figures , begirt the blazi n g edifice with a
new forest o f smoke Molten lead and iron boiled in the
.

marble basin o f the fountain ; the water r an dry ; the e x t in

g u is h e r tops o f the towers vanis h ed l ike ice before t h e heat ,

and trickle d down into four rugged w ells o f flame Great .

rents an d S plits branc h ed o u t in t h e solid walls like crys ,

:

t allis at io n ; s tu pifie d birds w h eeled about, an d dropped

into t h e furnace ; four fi erce figures trudged away , E ast ,

We st, North, and S outh, along the nig h t ens h rouded roads, -

guide d by t he beacon t h ey had lighted, towards their next

destination T h e illuminated vi llage had s eized hold o f
.

t h e tocsin an d, abolishing the lawful ringer, rang f o r j o y

, .

N o t only th at ; but the village , light headed with famine ,

,
-

fire and bell ringing and bethinking itself that Monsieur

,
-
,

Gabelle h ad t o do with the collection o f rent and taxes

though it w as but a small instalment o f taxes an d n o rent ,

at all, t h at Gabelle h ad got in in those latter days — became

impatient f o r an interview wit h h im and, surrounding his ,

house summoned him t o come forth f o r personal confer

,

ence W h ereupon Mons ieur Gabelle did heavily bar his

.
,

door, and retire t o hold couns el with himself The result .

o f that conference was that Gabelle aga in wit h drew h im

,

self t o his house t o p be h ind h is stack of chimney s : t h is

-

time resolved if h is door were broken in (h e was a small

,

S outhern man o f retaliative temperament ) .2 . pitc h himself ,

head foremost over the parapet, and crush a man o r t w o

below .

Probably M onsieur Gabelle p assed a long night up there,

,

with the distant ch ateau f o r fire an d candle and the beat ,

ing at his door combined with the j oy ringing f o r mus ic ;

,
-
,

n o t to mention his having an ill omened lamp slung across -

the road before his posting house gate which the v illage -
,
 A TALE OF T WO CITI E S . 275

showed a lively inclination t o displace in his fav o u r A .

trying suspense to be pass ing a whole summer night o n the

,

brink o f the black ocean, ready t o take that plunge into

it upon which Monsieur Ga b elle had resolved ! But the ,

friendly dawn appearing at last, and the rush candles of -

the village guttering o u t the people happily dispersed an d

, ,

Monsieur Gabelle came down, bringing his life with him

for that while .

Within a hundred m iles , and in the light o f othe r fires ,

there were other functionarie s less fortunate that night ,

an d other nights whom the rising s u n found hanging across

,

once peaceful streets where they h ad been born and bred ;

-
,

als o, there were ot her villagers an d townspeople less f o r tu

nate than the mender o f roads and his fe llo w s u pon whom ,

the functionaries and soldiery turned wit h s uccess and ,

whom they strung up in t h eir turn But the fi erce figure s.

,

were steadily wending E ast, We st North , and South be , ,

that as it would ; and whosoever hung, fire burned The .

altitude o f the gallows that would turn to water an d quench

it, n o functionary, by any stretc h o f math ematics , was abl e
t o calculate successfully .

C HAPT E R XX IV .

D R A WN TO TH E L O A D S TO NE R O C K .

I N suc h risings of fire an d risings o f sea — the firm eart h

S haken b y the rushes o f an angry ocean which had now n o

ebb but was always o n the fl o w higher and higher, to the

,

terror and wonder o f the beholders o n the shore — three

years o f tempest were consumed Three more birthdays of
.

little Lucie had been woven by t h e golden t h read into t he

peaceful tissue o f the life o f h e r h om e .
2 76 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

M any a night and many a day had its inmates listene d

t o th e echoes in the corne r with hearts that failed th em
wh en t h ey heard t h e thronging feet F o r the footsteps .
,

had become t o their m inds as the foo tsteps o f a people,

tumultuous under a red flag and with their coun try declare d
in danger, changed into wild beasts by terrible enchant
ment long pers isted in .

M onseign eur, as a class, h ad dissociated himself from

the phenomenon o f his n ot being appreciated : o f his being
s o little wa n ted in F rance , as t o incur considerable danger

o f receiving his dismissal from it an d this life together .

Like the fabled rustic wh o raise d the Devil with infinite

pains, an d was so terrified at the S ight o f h im that he could
ask the E nemy no question but immediately fled ; so M o n
, ,

’
seigneur, after boldly reading the Lord s Prayer ba c kwards
f o r a great number O f years and performing many ot h er
,

potent spells for compelling the E vil O ne no sooner beheld ,

h im in his terrors than h e took t o his noble heels .

T h e s h ining Bull s E ye o f the C ourt was gone o r it would

’
,

h ave been t h e mark for a hurricane o f national bullets .

I t h ad never been a good eye to see wit h — h ad long had

’ ’
the mote in it o f Lucifer s pride S ar dan apalu s s l u xury
, ,

and a mole s blindness — but it had dropped o u t and was

’

gone The C ourt from t h at exclusi v e inner circle to it s

.
,

outermost rotten ring o f intrigue corruption and dis s im u

, ,

lation was all gone together Royalty was gone ; had been
, .

besieged in its P alace and suspended, when the last tid

“ ”

ings came over .

The August o f the year o n e t h ousand se v en hundred and

ninety two was come, an d Monseigneur was by this tim e
-

scattered far an d wide .

As was natural the head quarters and great gathering

,
-

’
place o f Monseigneur in London was Te lls o n s Ban k
, ,
.

Spirits are supposed to haunt the places w h ere their bodie s

2 78 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S .

f or my staying away It is safe enoug h f o r me ; nobody

.

will care t o interfere with an O ld fellow o f hard upon four

score w h en there are so many people there muc h better
worth interfering with As t o its be ing a disorganised city,
.

if it were n o t a disorganised city there would be n o occa

sion t o send somebody from ou r House here t o o u r House
there, w h o knows the city and the business , o f o ld an d ,

’
is in Te llso n s confidence As t o the un certain travelling,
.

the long j ourney, and the winter weather, if I were not

prepare d t o submit myself t o a few inconveniences f o r the
sake o f Te llso n s , after all t h ese years , w h o ought to be ?
’

“
I wish I were going myself, said C harles Darnay
”
,

somewhat restlessly , an d like o n e thinking aloud .

“
Indeed ! Yo u are a pretty fellow t o object an d advise !
exclaimed Mr Lorry .
“
Yo u wish y o u were going your
.

self ? And y o u a F renc h man born ? You are a wise coun

s e llo r .

My dear Mr Lorry it is because I am a F renchman

.
,

born that the though t (which I did n o t mean t o utter h ere ,

,

however) has passed through my mind often On e cannot .

help thinking, having had some sympat h y f o r the misera

.

”
ble people , and having abandoned something t o them he ,

spoke here in his former though tful manner that o n e

“
,

might be listened to and migh t have the power t o persuade

,

to some restraint O nly last night, after y o u had left us

.
,

when I was talking to Lucie

“ ”
When y o u were talking t o Lucie , Mr Lorry repeated . .

Ye s I wonder y o u are n o t ashamed to mention the name

.

of Lucie ! Wishing y o u were going to F rance at this

”
time o f day !
“
H owever, I am n ot going said C harles Darnay wit h a , ,
“ ”
smile It is more t o the purpose that you say you are
. .

“
And I am , in plain reality The truth is my dear .
,

C harles Mr Lorry glanced at the distant House an d lo w

”
,
.
, .
 A TA L E OF Tw o CITI E S . 2 79

e red his voice, y o u c an have no conception of the d iffi

culty with which o u r business is transacted and of the peril ,

in which o u r books and papers over y onder are involved .

The Lord above knows what the compromising consequences

would be to numbers o f people if some Of our documents ,

were seized or destroyed ; and they might be at any time , ,

u know for who c an say that Par i s I S not set a fir e to

-
o
y ,

day o r s acked to morrow ! N o w a judicious selection from

,
-
,

these with the least possible delay, and the burying of them,
’
o r otherwise getting o f them o u t of harm s way is within ,

the power (without los s o f precious time) of scarcely any

o n e but myself if any one ,
And shall I hang ba ck, when
.

’
Te lls o n s knows this and says this — Te lls o n s , whos e ’

bread I have eaten thes e s ixty years — because I am a little

stiff about the j oints ? Why, I am a boy, sir, t o half a
”
dozen old codgers here !
“
How I admire th e gallantry o f your youth ful spirit
”
Mr Lorry
. .

“
Tut ! Nonsens e, sir ! — An d my dear Ch arles said , ,

“
Mr Lorry glancing at the House again you are to r e
.
, ,

member that getting things o u t O f Paris at this present

,

time no matter what t hings is next to an impossibility

, ,
.

Papers and precious matters were this very day brought

to us here (I S peak in strict confidence ; it is not bus iness
like to whisper it even to you ) by the strangest bearers
, ,

o u can imagine every o n e of whom had his head hang

y ,

ing o n by a S ingle hair as he passed the Barriers At .

another time o u r parcels would come and go as easily as

, ,

in business like O ld E ngland ; but now , e v erything is

-

”
stopped .

“
And do y o u really go to nigh t ? -

I really go to nigh t for the case has b e c o m e t o o press

-
,
~

”
ing to admit o f delay .

An d do y o u take n o o n e wit h y o u ? ”
2 80 A TALE OF Tw o CI TI E S .

All s orts o f people h ave been proposed t o me, but I wil l

ha v e nothing to say to any of them I intend to take
.
.

Jerry Jerr y has been m y body guard o n Sunday nights

.
-

f o r a long time past and I am used t o him

, Nobody will .

suspect Jerry o f being any t h ing but an E nglish bull dog, -

o r o f ha v ing any des ign in his head but t o fly at anybody

”
wh o touches his master .

“
I must say again that I heartily admire your gallan
try and youthfulness .

I must say again nonsense, nonsense ! When I hav e

,

executed this little commission I shall perhaps accept , , ,

Te lls o n s proposal to retire and li v e at my eas e

’
Tim e .

enough, then, t o think about growing O ld ”

.

This dialogue had taken place at Mr Lorry S usual desk, .

’

with Monseigneur swarming within a yard o r two o f it,

boastful o f what he would do t o a v enge himself o n the
rascal people before long It was t o o much the way o f
-
.

'

Monseigneur under his reverses as a refugee an d it w as ,

much too much the way o f native British orthodoxy to talk ,

o f this terrible Revolution as if it were the o n e onl y har

vest ever known under the skies that h ad not been sow n
as if nothing h ad ever been done o r om itted to be done , ,

that had led to it as if observers o f the wretched million s

in F rance and O f the m isused and perverted resources that
,

should have made them prosperous had not seen it in e v ,

it ab ly com ing, years before and had not in plain word s ,

recorded what they saw Such v apouring combined with

.
,

the extravagant plots o f Monseigneur for t h e restoration o f

a state o f things that had utterly exhauste d itself and worn ,

o u t Heaven and earth as well as itself was hard to b e ,

endured without some remonstrance by any sane man w h o

knew the truth And it was such v apouring all about h is
.

ears , like a troublesome confusion o f blood in his o w n

h ead added t o a latent uneas ines s in h is mind w h ich had
, ,
28 2 A T AL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

past Mr Lorry s desk H e h eld the letter o u t in quiringly ;

.
’
.

an d Monseigne u r looked at it in the person o f t h is plott ing ,

and indignant refugee ; and Monse igneur looked at it in ,

the per s on o f that plotting and indignant refugee ; an d

This That and The O ther all h ad s omething disparaging
, , ,

t o say in F renc h o r in E nglis h, c o ncerning t h e Mar quis

,

w h o was n o t t o be found .

“
Nep h ew, I believe — but in any case dege n e rate succes
s or — Of the polished Marquis w h o was murdered ,
”
s aid
one .
“
Happy to say I ne v er knew him , .

A cra v en w h o abandoned h is post said another — t h is

”
,

Monseigneur had been got o u t o f Paris legs uppermost an d ,

h alf suffocated, in a load o f hay some years ago ”

.

“
Infected with the n e w doctrines ”
said a t h ird ey e ing , ,

t h e direction through his glass in passing ; s e t h imself in

O ppos ition t o the last Marquis abandoned t he e states w h en ,

h e inherited them, and left them t o the r u fli an herd T h ey .

w ill recompens e him n o w, I h Ope , as he deser v es ”

.

“
Hey ? ”
cried the blatant Stryv er “
Did h e th ough ? .

Is that the sort o f fellow ? Let us look at his infamous

name D— n the fellow !
.

Darnay unable to restrain h imself any longe r, touc h ed

,

Mr Stryver o n the shoulder, and said :

.

“ ”
I know the fello w .

DO y o u , by Jupit e r ? ”
said Stry v er “
I am sorry .

”
f o r it .

(C
Wh y ? ”

Why, Mr Darnay ? D ye hear w h at h e did ? Don t

.
’ ’

ask why, in these times

, .

“ ”
But I do ask why .

Then I tell y o u again, Mr Darnay , I am s orry f o r it . .

I am sorry t o hear you putting any such extraordinary

questions H ere is a fellow, wh o infected by the most
.
,

pestilent an d blas ph emous code o f de v ilry that ever was

 A TAL E OF Tw o C I TIE S . .
2 83

known abandoned his property to the vilest sc u m of the

,

earth that ever did murder by wholesale , and you ask me

why I am sorry that a m an w h o instructs youth knows him ?
’
Well but I ll answer y o u
,
I am sorry because I believe .
,

there is contamination in such a scoundrel That s w h y ”

.
’
.

Mindful o f the secret Darnay with great d i fficulty ,

checked himself and said : “

You may not understand
,

the gent leman .

“
I understand h o w t o put yo u in a corner Mr Darnay , .
,

s aid Bully Stry v er

“ ’
an d I ll do it , If this fello w is a gen .

’
t le m an , I d o n t understand him Yo u may tell him so with .
,

my compliments Yo u may als o tell h im , from me that

.
,

after abandoning h is worldly goods an d pos ition to this

butcherly m o b , I wonder he is not at t h e head o f them .

”
But, n o gentlemen, said Stryver looking all round and
, , ,

s napping his fingers

“
I know something o f h uman nature ,
,

an d I tell y ou that you ll ne v er find a fellow like this

’

fello w, trusting him self t o the mercies o f such precious

’ ’
N o , gentlemen ; he ll always S how em a clean
’

p ro tegés .

pair o f he e l s ve ry early in the scuffle, and sneak away ”

.

With those words and a final snap o f his fingers Mr , , .

Stry v er s h ouldered h imself into F leet street amidst the -

,

general approbation o f his hearers Mr Lorry and C harles . .

Darnay were left alone at t h e desk, in the general depar t ure

from t h e B ank .

“ ”
Will y ou take charge o f the letter ? said Mr Lorry . .

Yo u know where to deliver it ?

“ ”
I do .

Will you undertake to explain that we suppose it to

h av e been addressed here , o n the chance o f o u r knowing
”
w here t o forward it an d that it has been here some time ?
,
“ ”
I will do so Do y o u start f o r Paris from here ?
.

F rom here at eight ,

”
.

I will come back to s ee y o u Ofl , .

2 84 -A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

Very ill at ease with h imself an d with Stryver and most ,

o ther men Darnay made the best o f his way Into the quiet
,

O f the Temple O pened t h e letter, an d read it

,
These were .

its contents :

Pr i s o n of th e A bb ay e P ari s, . Ju ne 2 1 ,
1 792 .

M O N S I E UR H E RE TO F O RE TH E MA R Q U IS .

After hav ing long been in danger o f my life at the

han ds O f t h e village I have been seized, with great vio
,

lence and indignity an d brought a lo n g j ourney o n foot

,

t o Paris On the road I ha v e suff ered a great deal

. Nor .

is that all ; my house has been destroye d — razed to the

g round .

“
The crime f o r w h ic h I am imprisoned, Monsieur here
t ofore the Mar quis , and for which I shall be summoned
before the tribunal , and shall lose my life (without your
)
s o ge n erous help , is , they tell me treason against the ,

majesty o f the people , in that I hav e acted against them

for an emigrant It is in vain I represent that I h ave
.

acted for them , and n o t against according t o your c o m ,

mands It is in vain I represent that before the s e ques

.
,

t r at io n o f emigrant property I had remitted the impo sts

,

they had ceased t o pay ; that I had collected n o rent t h at ,

I had had recourse t o n o proce ss The only re sponse is .

,

that I have acted for an emigrant and w h ere is that em i ,

grant ?
“
Ah ! most gracious Mons ieur h eretofore t h e Mar quis ,

w here is that emigrant ! I cry in my sleep where is h e !

I demand o f Heaven will he n o t come to deliver me ! N 0
,

answer . Ah Monsieur heretofore the Marquis I send my ,

desolate cry across the sea h Opin g it may perhaps reach

,

your ears through the great bank of Tilson known at Paris !

“
F o r the love o f Heaven Of justice o f generos ity o f the
, , ,

honour of y our noble name I supplicate y o u Monsieur here

, ,
v
2 86 A TA LE OF Tw o CI TI E S .

not w it h out disquiet but still without continuous and accu

,

m u lat in g resistance That he had watched the times f o r

.

a time o f action, an d that they had shifted an d struggled

until the time had gone by, and the nobility were trooping
from F rance by e v ery highway an d byway, and the ir prop
e r ty was in course o f confiscation and destruction and their ,

very names were blotting o u t, was as well known to him

s elf as it could be t o an y new authority in F rance t h at
might impeach him for it .

But he had oppressed n o man he had imprisoned no

, ,

man ; he was s o far from having harshly exacted pay ment

o f his dues , that he had relinquishe d them o f his o w n will ,

t h rown himself o n a world with n o favour in it w o n his ,

o w n private place there and earned h is o w n bread

, Mo n .

s ieur Gabelle had h eld the impoverished and involved estate

o n written instructions t o spare the people t o give them ,

what little there w as t o give s u ch fu el as the heavy cred

it o r s would let them h av e in t h e winter and such produce ,

as could be saved from the same grip in the summer — and

n o doubt h e had put the fact inplea and proof f o r his o w n ,

safety s o that it could n o t but appear n o w

,
.

This favoured the desperate resolut ion C harles Darnay

had begun to mak e, that he would go t o P aris
-
.

Yes Like the mariner in the o ld story the winds and

.
,

streams had driven him within the influence o f the Load

stone Rock an d it was drawing him to its elf an d he must
, ,

g o
. E ver y thing that arose before his mind drifted him on ,

faster an d faster more and more stea dily to the terrible

, ,

attraction His latent uneasi n ess had been that bad aim s
.
,

were being worked out in his o w n unhappy land by bad

instruments and that he who could not fail to know that
,

he was better than the y was not there try ing t o do some
, ,

thing to stay bloodshed an d assert the claims o f mercy and

,
.

humanity . With this uneas iness half stifled, an d half

 A TALE OF Tw o C I TI E S . 28 7

r eproaching him, he had been brought to the pointed com~

parison o f himself wit h the brave O ld gentleman in whom
duty was so strong ; upon that comparison ( injurious to
himself) had instantly followed the sneers of Monseigneur
, ,

which had stung him bitterly, and those of Stry ver whi c h ,

above all were coarse and galling for old reasons Upon , .

’
thos e, had followed Gabelle s letter : the appeal of an inno
cent prisoner, in danger o f death , to his justice honour, ,

and good name .

His resolution was made He must go to Paris . .

Yes The Loadstone Rock was drawing him and he

.
,

must sail o n until he struck He knew o f no rock ; he

,
.

saw hardly any danger Th e intention with which he had

.

done what he had done even although he had left it in c o m

,

p le t
,
e presented it before him in an aspect that would be

gratefully acknowledged in F rance o n his presenting him

self to assert it Then that glorious vis ion of doing good
.
, ,

which is so O ft en the sanguine mirage o f s o many good

minds arose before him and he even saw himself in th e
, ,

illusion with s ome influence to guide this raging Revolution

that was running s o fearfully wild .

As he walked to and fro with his resol u tion made he ,

cons idered that neither Lucie nor her father must know of
it until he was gone Lucie should be S pared the pai nof
.

separation ; and her father alway s reluctant to turn his ,

thoughts to w ards the dangerous ground o f old should ,

come to the knowledge of the step as a s tep taken and , ,

not in the balance of suspense an d doubt How much of .

the incompletenes s Of his situation was referable to her

father through the pain ful anxiety to avoid reviving old
,

associations of F rance in his mind he did not dis c u ss with ,

himself But that c ircumstan c e too had had its influence

.
, ,

in hi s course .

He walked to and fro with thoughts v er y busy until it

, ,
28 8 A TAL E OF TWO CITI E S .

w as time t o return t o Te llso n s and take leave o f M r ’

, .

Lorry As soon as h e arrived in Paris he would present

.

h imself to this o ld friend, but h e m ust say nothing o f his

intention n o w .

A carriage wit h post horses was ready at the Bank door

-

an d Jerry was booted and e quipped .

I have delivered that letter s aid C harle s Darnay to

”
,

M r Lorry
.
“
I would not cons ent to your being charge d
.

with any written answer, but perhaps you will take a verbal
? ”
one
“
That I will, and r e adily , said Mr Lorry, if it is not ”
.
“

”
dangerous .

“
Not at all Though it is t o a prisoner in t h e Abbaye
. .

What is h is name ? s aid Mr Lorry, w ith his O pen

”
.

pocket book in h is hand

-
.

”
Gabelle .

Gabelle And what is the message t o the unfortunate

.

Gabelle in prison ?
“
S imply , that h e h as receiv ed th e letter, and will
‘

’
come .

“
Any time m e ntioned ?
He will start upon his j o urn e y t o morro w nig h t ” -
.

”
Any person mentioned ?
No .

He helped Mr Lorry t o wrap h imself in a number o f

.

coats and cloaks and went o u t with h im from t h e warm

,

atm osphere o f the O ld bank into the misty air O f F leet ,

“
street .My love to Lucie , and to l ittle Lucie , said Mr .

“
Lorry at parti n g, and take precious care o f them till I
come back ”
C harles Darnay S hook his he ad and doub t
.

fully smiled as th e carriage rolled away

, .

That night — it was the fourteenth o f August — h e sat

up late and wrote two fervent letters ; one was to Lucie ,
,

e xplaining the strong obligation he was under to go t o

B OOK TH E TH I R D . TH E TR A CK OF A S TOR M

C HAPTE R I .

IN SE C RE T .

TH E tra v eller fare d slowly o n h is way wh o fared to w ards ,

P ar is from E ngland in the autumn o f the year o n e t h ou

sand seven hundred and ninety tw o More t h an enough o f
-
.

bad roads , bad e quipages , and bad horses , he would have

encountered t o delay him , t h ough the fallen and u n f o r tu
n ate King o f F rance had been upon his throne in all his

glory ; but the c h anged time s were fraught with ot h er

,

obstacles than these E very town gate and village taxing

.

house had its band o f citizen pat r iots wit h their national
-
,

muskets in a most explos ive state o f readiness , w h o stopped

all comers and goers cross questioned them inspected their
,
-
,

papers looke d f o r their names in lists o f their o w n turned

, ,

them back, o r sent them o n or stopped them and laid them

,

in hold, as their capricious j udgment o r fancy deemed best

f o r the dawning Republic O ne an d Indivisible o f Liberty, ,

E quality, F raternity , o r Death .

A very few F renc h leagues o f h is j ourney were acc o m

p l is h e d ,when C harles Darnay began to percei v e that f o r

him along the se country roads there was no h ope o f return

until he s h ould hav e been declared a good citizen at Paris .

Whatever might befall n o w h e must o n to his j ourney s

,
’

e nd N o t a mean village closed upon him , not a common

.

2 90
 A TA LE OF Tw o C I TIE S . 2 91

barrier dropped a c ross the road behind h im but h e knew ,

it to be another iron d oor in the series that was barred

between him an d E ngland The u niversal watchfulnes s so .

encompassed him that if he had been taken in a net or

, ,

were being forwarded to his destination in a cage , he could

not have felt his freedom more completely gone .

This universal watchfulness not only stopped him o n the

h ighway twenty times in a stage but retarded his progres s ,

twenty times in a day by riding after him and taking him

,

back riding before him and stopping him b y anticipation

, ,

riding with him an d keeping him in charge He had been .

days upon his j ourne y in F rance alone when he went to ,

bed tired out in a little town o n the high road still a long
, ,

w ay from Paris .

’
Nothing but the production of the afflicted Gabelle s letter
from his prison o f the Abbaye would have go t him o n so
far His difficulty at the guard house in this small place
.
-

had been such that he felt his j ourney to have come to a

,

crisis And he was therefore as little surprised as a m an

.
, ,

coul d be to find himself awakened at the small in n to

,

whic h he had been remitted until morning in the middle ,

o f the night .

Awakened by a timi d local functionary an d three armed

patriots in rough red caps and with pipes in the ir mouths ,
who sat down o n the bed .

“
E migrant said the functionary, I am going to send
”
,
“

”
y o u o n to Paris under an escort ,
.

“
C itizen I desire nothing more than to get to Paris
, ,

”
though I could dispense with the escort .

“ ”
S ilence ! growled a red cap striking at the coverlet -
,
“ ”
with the butt e n d of his musket -
Peace aristocrat ! .
,
“ ”
It i s as the good patrio t say s observed the timid f unc ,

t io n ar y
“
. You are an aristocrat, and must ha v e an escort
— and must pay for it ” .
2 92 A TALE OF T WO CITIE S .

I h av e no choice said C harles Darnay ,

.

C hoice ! Listen to him ! cried the same sco w l ing red :

c ap
.
“
As if it was n o t a fav our to be protected from t h e
lamp iron !
-

“ ”
It is always as the good patriot say s observed the ,

”
functionary Rise and dres s yourself emigrant
.
, .

Darnay complied and was taken back to the guard hous e

,
-

where other patriots in rough red caps were smoking,

drinking, and sleeping by a watch fir e Here he paid a
,
-
.

h eavy price for h is e scort and hence he started with it o n

,

’
th e wet, wet roads at three 0 clock in the morning .

The escort were t w o mounted patriots in red caps an d

tricoloured cockades , armed with national m uskets and
sabres w h o rode o n e o n e ither side o f him
,
The e scorte d .

go verned h is o w n horse , but a loose line was attached t o

his bridle the end o f which o n e o f the patriots kept girde d
,

round his wrist I n this state they set forth , w ith t h e

.

sharp rain driving in their faces : clatteri n g at a h eavy

dragoon trot over the uneven town pavement an d o u t upon ,

the mire deep roads I n this state the y traverse d withou t

-
.

c h ange except o f horses and pace, all the mire deep league s
,
-

that lay between them an d the capital .

They travelled in the night halting an hour o r two afte r ,

daybreak, and l y ing by until the twilight fell The escor t .

were s o wretchedl y clothed that they twisted straw round ,

their bare legs and thatche d their ragged shoulders t o

,

keep the wet o ff Apart from the personal discomfort o f

.

being so attended and apart from suc h cons iderations o f

,

pres ent danger as aros e from o n e o f the patriots be in g

chronically drunk and carryi n g his musket v ery reckles sly,
,

C harles Darnay did not allow the restraint that was lai d
upon him to awaken any serious fears in h is breast ; f o r,
h e reasoned with himself that it could hav e no reference t o
the merits o f an individual case that was n o t yet stated,
294 A TALE OF TW O CITI E S .

escort rode in clos e upon h i s h orse s flanks , an d the po s t

’

master shut and barred the crazy doub le gates The far .

rier struck a blow upon them with his hammer, and t h e

crowd groaned ; but no more was done
,
.

“
What is this decree that the smith S poke o f ? Darnay
asked the postmaster, when he had thanked them and stood ,

beside h im in the yard .

“ ”
Truly, a decree f o r selling the property o f emigrants .

When pas sed ?

”
On the fourteenth .

T h e day I left E ngland !

Ev erybody says it is but on e o f se v eral and that there
will be others — if there are n o t already — banishing all
emigrants and condemning all to deat h w h o return That
,
.

is what he meant when he said your life was n o t your

o wn .

“
But ther e are n o suc h decrees yet ?
What do I know ! said the postmaster, s h rugging h is
”

“
shoulders ; there may be o r there will be It is all the
,
.

same What wou ld y o u h ave ?

.

They rested o n some straw in a lof t until the middle o f

the night, and then rode forward again when all the town
was asleep Amo n g the many wild change s observable o n
.

familiar things which make this wild ride unreal not the ,

least was the seeming rarity o f sleep After long an d lonely .

spurring over dreary roads they would come to a cluster

,

o f poor cottages , n o t steeped in darknes s but all glittering ,

wit h lights and would fin d the people in a ghostly manner

, ,

in the dead o f the night circling hand in hand round a

,

shri v elled tree o f Liberty, o r all drawn up together sing

ing a Liberty s ong Happily, h owever, there was sleep in
.

B eauvais that night to help them o u t o f it an d they passed ,

o n once more into s ol itude and loneliness : j ingling through

t h e untimely col d an d wet , among impo v eris h ed fields th at

 A TAL E OF Tw o C I TI E S . 2 95

h ad yielded no fruits of the earth that y ear ,

divers ified by
the bla c kened remains o f bur nt houses and b y the sudden ,

emergence from ambus c ade and sharp reining up across

,

their way o f patriot patrols o n th e watch on all the roads

, .

Daylight at last fo u nd the m before the wall of Paris .

The barrier was closed an d s t rongly guarded when they

rode up to it .

“ ”
Where are the papers o f this prisoner ? demanded a
resolute looking man in authority , who was summoned out
-

by the guard .

Naturally struck b y the disagreeable word C harles Dar ,

nay requested the speaker to take noti c e that h e was a free

traveller and F rench citi z en in charge o f an escort which
,

the disturbed state o f the c ountry had imposed upon him,

an d whi c h he h ad paid for .

Where repeate d the same personage, without taking

,

any heed o f h im whatever, are the papers of this pris

“

”
oner ?
The drunken patriot h ad them in his cap and pro duced ,

them C asting h is eyes over Gabelle s letter the same

.
’
,

personage in authority showed some disorder and surprise ,

and looked at Darnay with a close attention .

He left both escort and escorted without saying a word,

however and went into the guard room ; meanwhile they
,
-
,

sat upon their horses outside the gate Looking about him .

while in this state o f suspense C harles Darnay observed ,

that the gate was h eld by a mixed guard o f s oldiers and

patriots , the latter far outnumbering the former ; and that
while ingres s into the city f o r peasants carts bringing in
’

supplies , and f o r s imilar traffic and traffickers was easy ,

enough , egress even f o r the homeliest people was very

, ,

difficult A numerous medley o f m e n and women not to

.
,

mention beasts and vehicles o f various sorts was waiting ,

t o issue forth ; but , t h e previous identi fication was s o strict

296 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TI E S .

that t h ey filtered through the barrier very s lowly S om e .

of these people knew their turn for exami n ation t o be so

far o ff th at they lay down o n the ground to sleep o r smoke
, ,

while others talked together o r loitered about The red , .

cap an d tricolour cockade were universal both among m e n ,

and women .

When he had sat in his saddle some half hour, taking -

note o f these things Darnay found himself confr onted by

,

the same man in authority w h o directed the guard to O pen ,

the barrier Then he delivered t o the escort drunk and

.
,

sober a receipt for the escorted, and requested h im to

,

dismount He did s o and the t w o patriots , leading his

.
,

tired h orse , turned and rode away without entering th e

city .

He accompanied h is conductor into a guard room smell -

,

ing o f common wine and tobacco, where certain soldiers an d

patriots asleep and awake drunk and sober an d in various
, , ,

neutral states between sleeping and waking drunkenness ,

and sobriet y were standing and lying about The light in

,
.

the guard house half derived from the waning o il lamps

-
,
-

o f the night and half from the overcast day, was in a

,

correspondingly uncertain condition S ome registers were .

ly ing O pen o n a desk and an officer o f a coarse dark aspect,

,

presided over these

“
C itizen Defarge said h e to Darn ay s conductor as he
’
, ,

took a S lip o f paper to write o n “

Is t h is t he e migrant .

E vr emonde ?
“
This is the man .

Your age E vr emonde ? ”

,

Thirty seven -
.

Married, Ev r emonde ? ”

”
Yes .

Where m arri e d ?
I n E n glan d ”
.
2 98 A TA L E OE TW O CITI E S .

Yo u hear d me say why , a minute ago . Do y o u n ot

be lie v e it is the truth ? ”

“
A bad tr u th f o r y o u , said Defarge , speaking with
knitted brows , and looking straight before h im .

“
Indeed I am lost here All here is s o unprece dented,
,
.

s o chan ged s o sudden an d unfair, that I am absolu t ely lost

, .

Will y o u render me a little help ?

“ ”
N o ne Defarge spoke always looking straight before
.
,

h im .

“
Will y o u answer m e a s ingle question ? ”

P e rhaps Accordin g t o its n ature You c an say what

. .

”
it is .

“
I n th is prison that I am going t o s o unjustl y shall I ,

h ave some free communication with t h e world outside ?

Yo u will see ”
.

I am n o t to be buried the re prejudged, and without any ,

means o f presenti n g my case ?

“
Yo u will see But, what t h en ? Oth er people h a v e
.

”
been similarly buried in worse prisons before n o w .

“
But n ever by me, C itizen Defarge .

Defarge glanced darkly at him f o r answer and walked ,

o n in a steady and set S ilence The deeper he sank into .

this silence the fainter hop e th ere was — o r so Darnay

,

thought — o f h is s oftening in any sligh t degre e He , .

therefore , made h aste t o s ay :

“
It is o f the utmost importance t o me (y o u kn o w, C iti
zen , e v en better than I o f h o w much importance ) that I
, ,

should be able t o communicate t o Mr Lorry o f Te lls o n s .

’

B ank an E nglish gentleman who is now in Paris, t h e sim

,

ple fact without comment that I have been thrown into

, ,

t h e prison o f La F orce Will y o u cause that t o be done

.

”
f o r me ?
“ ” “
I will do Defarge doggedly rej oin ed, nothing f o r
,

o My duty is t o my country and t h e P eople I am

y u . .
 A TA L E OF Tw o C ITI E S . 2 99

the sworn servant o f both, against you I will do nothing .

for y o u .

C harles Darnay felt it hopeless to entreat him further ,

and his pride was touched besides As they walked o n in .

s ilence he could n o t but see how used the people were to

,

the S pectacle o f prisoners pas sing along the streets The .

v ery children scarcely noticed him A few passers turned .

their heads and a few shook the ir fingers at him as an

,

aristocrat ; otherwise that a m an in good clothes should

,

be going to prison was no more remarkable than that a

,

labourer in working clothe s should be going to work I n .

o n e narrow dark an d dirty street through which they

, ,

passed , an excited orator , mounted o n a stool was address ,

ing an excited audience o n the crime s against the people,

o f the king an d the royal family The few words that he .

caught from this man s lips first made it known to C harles

’
,

Darnay that the king was in prison an d that the foreign ,

ambassadors had o n e an d all left Paris On the road (ex .

cept at B eauvais ) he had heard absolutely nothing The .

escort and the universal watc h fulnes s had completely iso

lated him .

That he had fallen among far greater dangers than those

which had developed them sel v es when he left E ngland, he
o f course knew now That perils had thickened about him
.

fas t and might thicken faster and faster yet he o f course

, ,

knew now He could not but admit to himself that he

.

might n o t hav e made this j ourney if he could hav e fore ,

seen the events o f a few days And yet his misgivings .

were not so dark as imagined by the light o f this later

,

time they would appear Troubled as the future was it

,
.
,

was the unknown future and in its obscurity there was ,

ignorant h Ope The horrible massacre day s an d nights

.
,

long which , within a few rounds o f the clock was to set

, ,

a great mark o f blo od upon t h e bles sed garnering time o f

.
 A TAL E OF T WO CI TI E S .

h ar v est, was as far o u t o f h is knowledge as if it h ad been

a hundred thousand years away The sharp female newly
.

born an d called La Guillotine was hardly known t o h im,

,

o r t o the generality o f people , by name T h e frigh t f u l .

d eeds t h at were t o be soon done , were probably unimagine d

at that time in t h e brains O f the doers How could they .

h ave a place in the shadowy conceptions o f a gentle mind ?

O f unjust treatment in detention and hardship an d in ,

c ruel separation from his wife and child, he fore shadowe d

the likel ihood, o r the certainty ; but beyond this he , ,

d readed nothing distinctly With this o n h is mind whic h

.
,

was enough to carry into a dreary prison court yard, h e -

arriv ed at t h e prison o f La F orce .

A m an wit h a bloated face opened the strong wicket t o ,

w h om Defarge presented T h e E migrant E vr emonde

“ ”
.

“
What the Devil ! H o w m any more o f them ! exclaimed
t h e m an with the bloated face .

Defarge took his rec e ipt wit h out noticing th e e xclamation,

an d withdrew, wit h his t w o fellow patriots -
.

Wh at t h e Devil I s ay again ! exclaim e d t h e gaoler,

,
”

left with h is wife .

“
H o w many m o re ! ”

The gaoler s wife , being pro v id e d with n o ans wer t o th e

’

q uestion, merely replied On e must h av e patience my

“
, ,

dear ! ”
T h ree turnkeys w h o entered responsive t o t h e bell
s h e rang echoe d t h e sentiment
“
, and o n e added F o r the
, ,

lo v e o f Liberty ; w h ic h sounded in that place like an inap

o r i
p p at e conclusion
r .

T h e prison o f La F orce was a gloomy prison dark an d ,

filthy and with a horrible smell o f foul sleep in it E x

, .

t r ao r d in ary h o w soon t h e noisome fla v our o f impris oned

s leep becomes manifest in all suc h places that are ill cared
,
-

for !
In secret, t o o grumbled t h e gaoler looking at the writ
, ,

te n pape r .As if I was n o t already full t o bursting !

3 02 A TA L E OE TW O CITI E S .

b een well enough as to appearance in the ordinary exerci s e

o f the ir fun ctions , looked s o extravagantly coarse c o n

tr as t e d with sorr o wing mothers and blooming daug h ters

w h o were there — with t h e appari t ions o f th e coquette the ,

young beauty an d t h e mature w oman del icately bred

,

that the in v ers ion o f all experience and likeli h ood whic h
the scene o f S h adows pre sented, was h eighten e d t o its
utmost Surely, ghosts all Surely, the long unreal ride
. .

some progress o f disease t h at had brought h im t o t h ese

gloomy shades !
I n t h e name o f t h e assembled companions in m is f o r
“

”
tune said a gentleman o f courtly appear an ce and addres s ,
,

co m ing forward, I h av e the honour o f gi v ing y o u wel

“

come to La F orce , and o f condoling with y o u o n the calam

ity that has brought y o u among us M ay it soon termin ate.

h appily ! It would be an impertinence elsew h ere, but it is

n o t s o here t o ask y our name and condition ?
,

C harles Darnay roused h imself and gav e t h e re quired

,

information, in words as suitable as he could find .

“
But I hope said t h e gentleman, following the c h ief
”
,

gaoler with his eyes , w h o m ov e d acros s the room “

that ,

you are n o t in secret ?

“
I do n o t understand the m e aning o f th e term , but I
have heard them say so .

“
Ah , what a p ity ! We s o muc h regret it ! But take
C ourage ; s everal members o f ou r society hav e been in
”
secret at first an d it has laste d but a short time
, ,
Then .

he added rais ing his v oice, I grieve t o inform the society

,
“

”
in secret .

There was a murmur o f commiseration as C harles Darnay

crosse d the room to a grated door where the gaoler awaited
him and many voices — among which , the soft and c o m
,

passionate voices o f women were conspicuous — gav e him

good wis h es an d encouragement He turned at the grated
.
 A TALE OF TW O CI TIE S . 303

do o r, t o render the thanks o f his heart ; it closed under

t h e gaoler s hand ; an d the apparitions vanished from h is
’

s ight f o r ever .

The wicket opened o n a stone staircase leading upward , .

When they had ascended forty steps (the prisoner o f half

an hour already counted them) the gaoler O pened a low ,

black d o or and they passed into a solitary c e ll It struck

,
.

cold and damp , but was not dark .

“
Yours , said the gaol e r
”
.

Why am I con fine d alone ?

H o w do I know !
”
I c an buy pen, ink and paper ? ,

Such are not my orders You will be v is it e d, and c an

.

ask then At present y o u may buy your food, and nothing

.
,

”
more .

T h ere were in the cell a chair a table, and a straw

, ,

mattress As the gaoler made a general inspection o f

.

these O bjects , and o f the four walls before going o u t, a ,

wandering fancy wandered through the mind of the pris

oner leaning against the wall opposi t e to him that this ,

gaoler was so unwholesomely bloated, both in face and per

son as to look like a m an who had been drowned and filled
,

with water When the gaoler was gone he thought in the

.
, ,
“ ”
sam e wandering way , N o w am I left as if I were dead ,
.

Stopping then , to look down at the mattress he turned ,

“
from it with a sick feeling, and thought And here in ,

these crawling creatures is the first condition o f the body

”
after death .

“
F ive paces by four and a half fi ve paces by four and a ,

half five paces by four and a h alf

,
”
The prisoner walked .

to an d fro in his cell , counting its measurement, and the

roar o f the city arose like muffled drums with a wild swell
“
o f voices added to them He made S hoes he made shoes
.
, ,

h e made shoes ”
The prisoner c ounted t h e measurement
.
3 04 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TI E S .

again, and paced faster to draw his m ind wit h him from
,

that latter repetition The ghosts that v anished w hen

.

the wicket closed There was o n e among them the appear

.
,

ance o f a lady dressed in black, w h o was leaning in the

e mbrasure of a window, and she had a light shining upon her
golden hair, and s h e looked like Let us ride o n again
.
,

f o r God s sake , through the illuminated villages wit h the

’

p eople all awake ! He made shoes , he made shoes ,

h e made s h oes . F ive paces by four and a h alf ”
.

" ith such scraps tossing and rolling upward from the
W
depths o f h is mind the prisoner walked faster and faster
, ,

obstin ately counting and counting ; an d t h e roar of the city

changed t o this extent — that it still rolled in like muffled
drum s , but with the wail o f v oices t h at he kne w, in t h e
s w ell t h at rose above them .

C HAPT E R II .

TH E G R I N D S TO NE .

TE LL S ON ’
Bank e stablished in t h e Saint G e rmain
S ,

Quarter o f Paris was in a wing o f a large h ouse ap

, ,

r o ach e d by a court y ard and s h ut Off fro m the street by

-
p
a h igh wall and a strong gate T h e h ouse belonged to a .

great nobleman wh o had li v ed in it until he made a flight

from the troubles in his o w n cook s dress , and go t across
,
’

the borders A mere beast of the chase flying from hunters

.
,

he was still in his metempsychosis no other than the sam e

Monseigneur, t h e preparation of whose chocolate for whose
lips had once occupied th ree strong m e n bes ides the cook
in question .

Monseigneur gone , an d t h e three strong men absol v ing

themsel v es from the s in O f h aving drawn his high wages ,

b y being more than ready and willing to cut h is throat o n

306 A TAL E OF T WO CITI E S .

h eav ily t h ese questions H e sat by a newly lighted

of .

wood fire (th e blighted an d unfruitful year was prema

t u r e ly cold), and o n h is h onest and courageous face there was
a deeper s h ade than the pendent lamp could throw, o r any
object in the room distortedly reflect a S hade o f horror .

He occupie d rooms in the B ank in h is fidelity t o the ,

H ouse o f whic h h e h ad grown t o be a part, lik e strong

r oot i vy It c h anced that they deri v ed a kind o f security
-
.

fro m the patri otic occupation o f t h e main building but t he ,

true hearted o ld gentleman ne v er calculated about t h at

-
.

All such circumstances w ere indifferent t o h im s o th at ,

h e di d h is duty On t h e o pposite side o f t h e court yard,

.
-

und e r a colonnade , was extens i v e standing f o r carriages

w h ere, ind e ed, some carriage s o f Monseigneur yet stoo d .

Against t w o o f the pillars were faste n ed t w o great flaring

fl am b e au x and in the l ight o f these standing ou t in the open
, , ,

air was a large grindstone : a roughly mounted thing whic h

,

appeared to h ave hurriedly been brought there from some

neighbouring smithy o r other workshop Rising and look ,
.

ing o u t o f window at these h armless obj ects Mr Lorry , .

shivered, and retired to his seat by the fire He had .

O pened not only the glass window, but the lattice blind
,

outside it and he had closed both again an d he shivered

, ,

through h is frame .

F rom the streets bey ond the high w all and the str ong
gate , there came th e usual night hum o f the city, wit h now
and t h en an indescribable ring in it weird and unearthly, ,

as if some unwonted sounds o f a terrible nature were going

up to Heaven .

“ ” “
Thank God said Mr Lorry clasping his hands that
, .
, ,

no o n e near an d dear to me is in this dreadful town to

”
n ight . May He have mercy o n all who are in danger !
S oon afterwards the bell at the great gate sounded and
, ,

h e thought, They have come back ! and sat listening

“ ”
.
 A TALE OF TWO CITI E S . 30 7

But there was n o loud irruption into the court yard, as he

,
-

h ad expected an d he h eard the gate clash again an d all

, ,

was quiet .

The nervousnes s and dread that were upon him inspired

that vague uneasiness respecting the Bank which a great ,

charge would naturally awaken, with such feelings roused .

It was well guarded, and he go t up t o go among the trusty

people who were watching it, when his door suddenly
O pened and two figures rus h ed in, at sigh t o f which he
,

fell back in amazement .

Lucie and her father ! Lucie wit h h er arms stretched

o u t to him and with that o ld look o f earnestnes s s o con
,

c e n t r at e d and intens ified , that it seemed as though it had

bee n stampe d upon h er face expressly to give force and

power to it in th is o n e passage O f her life .

“
What is this ! cried Mr Lorry breathles s and confused
.
, .

What is the matter ? Lucie ! Manette ! What has hap

pened ? What has brought you here ? Wh at is it ? ”

With the look fixed upon him in her palenes s an d wild ,

n es s , she panted o u t in his arms , implorin gly ,

“
O my d e ar
”
friend ! My husband !
“ ”
Your husband Lucie ? ,

C harles ”
.

What of Ch arles ? ”

”
Here .

”
Here , in Paris ?
Has been here some days ,
— t h ree o r four — I don t’

know h o w many — I can t collect my though ts An errand

’
.

o f generosity brought him here unknown t o us ; he was

”
stopped at the barrier and sent to prison ,
.

The O ld man uttered an irrepressible cry Almost at the .

s ame moment the bell of the great gate rang again, and a
,

loud noise o f feet an d voices came pouring into th e cour t

V ard .
30 8 A TAL E OF T WO CITIE S .

W h at is t h at noise ? said the Doctor, turning to ward s

the window .

“ ”
’
Don t look ! cried Mr Lorry Don t look o u t !
. .
’

’ ”
Manette , for your life , don t touch the blind !
The Doctor turned, with h is h and upon the fastening O f
the window, an d said, with a cool bold smile :
“
My dear friend I h ave a charmed li f e in this city I
, .

hav e been a B astille prisoner Ther e is n o patriot in Pari s

.

in Paris ? In F rance w h o knowing me t o h ave been a ,

prisoner in the Bastille , would touch me, except t o over

whelm me with embraces , o r carry me in tr iumph My .

O ld pain has gi v en me a p ower that h as brought u s

through the barrier and gained us n e ws o f Ch arles the r e,
,

and brought us here I knew it would be s o ; I knew I

.

could help C harles o u t o f all danger ; I told Lucie s o .

What is that noise ? ”

His h and w as again upon t h e
window .

“ ’
Don t look ! ”
cried Mr Lorry absolutely d e sp e rate
.
, .

N O Lucie , my dear , nor y o u !

,
”
He go t h is arm r oun d
h er, and hel d h er .
“
Don t be s o terrifie d, my lo ve I
’
.

solemnly swear to y o u that I know o f n o h arm h a v ing h ap

pened to C harles ; that I had n o suspici o n e v en, o f h is be in g
in this fatal place . What prison is h e in ? ”

La F orce !
La F orce ! Lucie m y c h ild, if e v er y o u w e r e b r ave
,

an d serviceable in your l ife and you were always bot h

y o u will compose y ourself n o w , t o d o exactly as I bid
f o more depends upon it than o c an t h ink o r I
y o u ; r , y u ,

c an say . There is no help for y ou in any action o n y our

part to night ; y o u cannot poss ibly stir o u t I say th is ,
-
.

because what I must bid y o u to do f o r C harles s sake , is ’

the hardest thing t o do of all Yo u must instantly b e .

obedient still , and quiet Yo u mus t let me put y o u in a

,
.

room at the back h ere You must leav e your father an d

.
31 0 A TALE OF WO CI TI E S
T .

ure in t h e group , free from the smear o f blood S h oulde r .

ing o n e another to get next at t h e s h arpening stone were -

,

m e n stripped t o the waist, wit h the stain all o v er t h eir

limbs and bodies ; m e n in all sorts o f rags with the stain ,

upon those rags ; men devilishly set o ff with spo ils o f

’
women s lace and silk and r ibbon, with the stain dyeing
t h ose t r ifl e s t h rough and through H atchets kniv e s , bayo .
,

nets , swords , all brought to be sharp e ned were all red with ,

it Some o f the h acked swords were tied t o the wrists o f

.

th o se w h o carried th em , wit h strips o f l inen and fragments

o f dress : ligatures various in kind, but all deep o f the

o n e colour .And as the frantic wielders o f these weapons

snatched them from th e stream o f S parks and tore away .

into t he streets t h e same red h ue was red in their frenz ied

,

eyes ; — eyes w h ic h any unbrutalised beholder would have

gi v en t wenty years o f life, t o petrify with a well
direct e d gun .

All this was seen in a moment , as th e vis ion O f a drown

ing man o r o f any h uman creature at any very great pas s ,
,

could see a world if it were t h ere They drew back from .

the window and the Doctor looked f o r explanation in h is

,

’
friend s ashy face .

“
They are Mr Lorry w h ispered the words glancing
”
,
.
,

fearfully round at the locked room, murdering the pris

oners If y o u are sure o f what y o u say ; if y o u really hav e
.

t h e power y ou think y o u have as I belie v e you have

make yourself known t o these de v ils , and get taken t o La
’
F orce . It may be t o o late, I don t know, but let it n o t be
a m inute later !

Doctor Manette pressed h is h and h astened bare h eaded ,

o u t o f t h e room , and was in t h e court yard when Mr Lorry -

.

regained the blind .

His streaming w h ite h air , h is remarkable face, and the

im petuous confidenc e o f his manner as he put the weapon s ,
 A TA L E OF Tw o CI TI E S . 311

aside like water carried h im in an instant to the heart o f

,

the concours e at the stone F or a few moments there was .

a pause an d a hurry, and a murmur and the u n in t e lligi

, ,

ble sound o f his voice ; and then Mr Lorry saw him sur .
,

rounded b y all and in the midst o f a line t wenty m e n long

, ,

all linked shoulder to shoulder an d hand to shoulder , hur ,

ried o u t with cries o f Li v e the B astille prisoner ! Help

“

f o r the B astille prisoner s kindred in La F orce !

’
R oom
for the Bastille prisoner in front there ! S ave the prisoner
E vr emond e at La F orce ! an d a thousand answering
shouts .

He closed the latt ice again with a fluttering h eart closed ,

the window and the curtain, hastene d to Lucie an d told ,

her that her father was assiste d by the people and gone in ,

search o f her h usband He found h er child and Mis s Pross .

wi t h her ; but it never occurred to him to be surprised by

,

their appearance until a long time afterwards , when he

sat watch ing them in such quiet as the night knew .

Lucie h ad by that time, fallen into a stupor o n the floor

,

at his feet, cl i ng i ng to his h and Mis s Pross had laid the .

child down o n his o w n bed and her head had gradually ,

fallen o n the pillow bes ide her pret t y c h arge 0 the long .
,

long night with the moans o f the poor wife And O the
, .

long long night, with n o return o f h er fath er and n o tid

,

ings !
Twice more in the darkness the bell at t h e great gat '

sounded and the irruption was repeated and the grind

, ,
“ ”
stone whirled and S pluttered What is it ? cried Lucie .
,

“
afi r igh t e d
’
Hush ! The soldiers swords are sharpened
.

” “
there , said Mr Lorry The place is National property
. .

”
now and used as a kind o f armoury my love
, , .

Twice more in all ; but the last spell of work was feeble ,

an d fit f u l Soon afterwards the day b e gan t o dawn and he

.
,

softly detac h ed h imself from t h e clasping hand an d cau ,

31 2 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TIE S .

t io u s lylook e d o u t again A man, so besmeared that he

.

might h av e been a sorely wounded s oldier creeping back t o

consciousness o n a field o f slain, was ris ing from the pav e
m ent by the side o f the grindstone, and looking about him
w it h a v acant air S h ortly this worn o u t murderer de
.
,
-

scried in the imperfect light o n e o f the carriages o f M o n

seigneur, an d, staggering t o that gorgeous v e hicle , climbed
in at t h e door , and shut himself up t o tak e h is rest o n it s
dainty cus h ions .

T h e great grindstone , E art h, h ad turne d w h en M r Lorry .

looked o u t again, an d the s u n was red o n the court yard -

.

But t h e less e r grindstone stood alone t h er e in th e calm

,

mor n ing air with a red upon it t h at t he s u n h ad n eve r

,

gi ve n , an d w o uld n eve r take away .

CH AP T E R I I I .

TH E S HA D OW .

ON E oft h e fi rst considerations whic h aros e in t h e bus i

n es s mind o f Mr Lorry w h en bus ine s s hours came round,
.

was this : — that h e had n o righ t t o imperil Te lls o n s by

’

s h eltering t h e wife o f an emigrant prisoner under the Bank

roof His o wn possessions safety, life , h e w ould h av e
.
,

h azarded f o r Lucie and her c h ild, without a moment s ’

demur ; but, the great trust h e h eld was n o t his o w n ,

an d as to t h at busines s charge h e w as a strict man o f

business .

At first, h is mind reverted to Defarge an d he thought o f ,

finding ou t the w ine s h Op again and taking couns el wit h

-

its master in reference t o t he safest dwelling place in t h e -

distracted state o f the city But t h e same consideration

.
,

t h at s ugg e s t ed h im , re pudiat e d h im ; h e li ve d in the mo st

31 4 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

Much interested an d agitated, Mr Lorry said : Yo u .

“

come from Doctor Manette ?

“
Yes I come from Doctor Manette
. .

And what says he ? What does he send me ?

Defarge gav e into his anxious hand an O pen scrap o f ,

’
paper I t b o r e the w ords in th e Doctor s writing,
.
.

C harles is safe but I cannot safely leav e this plac e

,

yet I have O btained the fav our that the bearer has a short
.

note from C harles t o his Wife Let the bearer se e h is wife

. .
”

It was dated from La F orce, with i n an hour .

“ ”
Will y ou accompany me said Mr Lorry, j oy f u lly r e
, .

“
lie v e d after reading this note aloud, t o where his wife
”
resides ?
“
Ye s retur n ed Defarge
,
.

S c arcely n oticing as y e t, in what a curiously reser v ed

,

an d mechanical way Defarge spoke , M r Lorry put o n his .

hat and they went down into the court yard T h ere, they -
.

found t w o women, o n e knitting ,

.

“
Madame Defarge surely ! ,
”
said M r Lorry , wh o had .

left her in exactly the same attitude s ome se v enteen years

ago .

“
It is she, obser ved her h usband
”
.

Does Madame go with us ? in quired Mr L o rry , seeing

”
.

that S h e mo v ed as they mo v ed .

“
Yes That she may be able t o recognise t h e faces and
.

”
know the persons It is f o r their safety
. .

Beginning to be struck by De f ar ge s manner, Mr Lorry ’

.

looked dubiously at him and led the w ay Both the women

, .

followed ; the second woman being The Vengeance .

They passe d through the intervening streets as quickly

as they might, ascended the staircase o f the new domicile,
were admi t ted by Jerry, an d found Lucie weeping alone ,
.

S h e was thrown into a transport by th e tidings Mr L o r ry .

 A TALE OF Tw o CITI E S . 31 5

gav e her o f h er husband, and clasped the h and tha t de liv

ered his note l ittle thinking what it h ad been doing near
h im in the night and might, but for a chance, h ave done
,

to him .

DE A RE S T Take coura ge I am well and y our father

,
.
,

h as influence around me You cannot answer th i s Kiss . .

”
ou r child for me .

That was all the writing It was so much h owe v er to .

, ,

h er who received it t h at she turned from Defarge to his

,

wife and kisse d o n e O f the hands that knitted It was a

,
.

passionate loving thankful womanly action but the hand

, , , ,

made no response dropped cold and hea vy , an d took to

its knitting again .

There was somethi n g in its touch that ga v e Lucie a check .

S h e stopped in the act o f putting the note in h e r bosom ,

and, with h er hands yet at her neck looked terrified at ,

M adame Defarge Madame Defarge met the lift e d eyebrows

.

and forehead with a cold impas sive stare .

My dear sai d Mr Lorry, striking in to explain ; th ere

”
,
.
“

are frequent risings in the streets ; and although it is n o t ,

likely they w ill ever trouble y o u Madame Defarge wishe s ,

to see those whom S h e has the power to protect at such

times to the end that she may know them
,
that s h e may
identify them I belie v e said Mr Lorry rather h alting
.
”
, .
,

in his reassuring words as the stony man ner o f all the ,

three impressed itself upon h im more and more, I state “

t h e case , C itizen D efarge ? ”

D efarge looked gloomily at h is wife and gave no other ,

answer than a gruff sound o f acquiescence .

“
Yo u h ad better Lucie ”
said Mr Lorry doing all h e
, , .
,

“
could to propitiate, by tone and manner have the dea r ,

child here , an d ou r good Pross O ur good Pross , Defarge .

,

is an E nglish lady, and knows no F rench .

316 A TALE OF Tw o CITI E S .

T h e lady I n question whose rooted con v iction th at s h e

,

was more than a match f o r any foreigner was n ot t o be ,

shaken by distress and danger appeared with folded arms , ,

and Ob ser v ed in E nglish to The Vengeance , w h om h er eyes

first encountered Well I am sure , B oldface ! I h ope yo u
“
, ,
”
are pretty well ! S h e also bestowed a British cough on
Madame Defarge ; but, ne ith e r o f t h e t w o took muc h heed
o f her .

“ ”
Is that his child ? said Madame Defarge , stopping in
h er work f or the first time and pointing her knitting needle
,
-

at little Luc ie as if it were the finger o f F ate .

” “
Yes , madame answered Mr Lorry ; this is our poor
,
.

’ ”
prisoner s darl ing daughter and only ch ild , .

T h e S hadow attendant o n Madame Defarge and her party

seemed to fall s o threatening an d dark o n the child that ,

he r mother instinctively kneele d o n the ground beside h er ,

and h eld her t o her breas t T h e shadow attendant o n

.

M adame Defarge and h er party s eeme d then t o fall ,

threatening an d dark, o n bot h the mother and the c h ild .

“
It is enough , my husband, s aid Madame D e farge
”
.

h av e seen them We may go . .

But, the suppressed manner h ad enough o f menace in it

—n o t v isible an d presented but indistinct an d with held ,
‘

— to alarm Lucie into saying as she laid her appealing

,

h and o n Madame De f ar ge s dress

’

“
You will be good t o my poor husband Yo u will .

do him no harm Yo u will h elp me to see h im if y o u

.

”
c an ?
“
Your husband is n o t my business here, returne d
Madame Defarge , looking down at her wit h perfect compos
ure . It is the daughter o f your father wh o is my busi
ness h ere ”
.

“
F o r my sake then be merciful t o my husband
, , F or .

m y c h ild s sake !
’
She will put her hands together an d pray
31 8 A TA LE OF TW O CI TI E S .

She resumed her knitting and went out The Vengeanc e .

followed D efarge went last and closed the door

. .

C ourage my dear Lucie said Mr Lorry as h e raised

, , .
,

her.
“
C ourage courage ! S o far all goes well with us
,

much much better t han it has o f late gone with many poor
,

souls . C heer up and have a thankful heart

,
”
.

“
I am not thankless I h Ope but that dreadful woman , ,

”
seems to throw a shadow o n me an d o n all my hopes .

“ ” “
Tut tut ! said Mr Lorry ; what is this despondency
,
.

in the brave little breast ? A S hadow indeed ! N o sub

stance in it, Lucie .

But the shadow o f the manner o f t h es e De f ar ge s was

dark upon himself f o r all t h at, an d in h is s e cr e t m ind it
,

troubled h im greatly .

CHA P T E R IV .

CA LM IN S TO RM .

D O C TO R M A N E TTE did not re t urn until t h e morning o f

the fourth day o f his absence S O much o f what had hap .

pened in that dreadful time as could be kept from t h e

knowledge o f Lucie was s o well concealed from h er that ,

n o t until long afterwards w h en F rance and she were wide

apart did she know that eleven hundred defenceless pris

,

o ners o f both sexe s and all ages had been killed by the

populace ; th at four day s and nigh ts had been darkened by

this deed of horror ; and that the air around her h ad been
tainted by the slain She only knew that t h ere h ad been
.

an attack upon the prisons that all political prisoners had ,

been in danger and that some had been dragged o u t by the

,

crowd and murdered .

To Mr Lorry the Doctor communicated under an in

.
,

junction Of secrecy o n which he had n o need to dwell that ,

 A TALE OF Tw o CI TIE S . 31 9

t h e crowd had taken him through a scene of carnage to t h e

prison of La F orce That, in the prison he had found a
.

self appo inted Tribunal sitting before which the prisoners

-
,

were brought singly and by which they were rapidly

,

ordered t o be put forth to be mass acred, o r to be released ,

o r (in a few cases

) to be sent back to their cells That ,
.

presented by his conductors to this Tribunal, he had an

n o u n c e d himself by name and profession as having been

for eighteen years a secret and an unaccused prisoner in

the Bastille ; that o n e o f the body s o sitting in judgment
,

had risen an d identifie d him, and that this man was

Defarge .

That, h ereupon he had ascertained t h rough the registers ,

o n the table , that his s on in law was among the living

- -

prisoners , and had pleaded hard to the Tribunal — o f

whom some members were asleep and some awake some ,

dirty with murder and some c lean some sober and some ,

not — for his life and liberty That in the first frantic .
,

greetings lavished o n h imself as a notable sufferer under

the overthrown system it had been accorded to him to hav e
,

C harles Darnay brought before the lawles s C ourt, an d ex

am in e d
. T h at he seemed o n the point of being at once
,

released when the tide in his favour met wi th s ome u n e x

,

plained check (n o t intelligible to t h e D octor) which led to ,

a few words o f secret conference That the man s itting .

,

as President had then informed Doctor Manette that the

prisoner must remain in custody but should for his sake , , ,

be held inviolate in safe custody That immediately, on .

,

a signal the prisoner was removed to the interior of the

,

prison again ; but that he the Doctor had then so strongly

, , ,

pleaded for permission to remain and assure himself that

his s on ln law was , through no malice o r mischance de liv
- -
,

ered to the concourse whose murderous yells outside the

gate had O ften dro w ned the proceedings that he had o h ,
3 20 A TALE OF TWO CITIE S .

t ain e dt h e permiss ion, and h ad remained in that Hall o f

Blood until the danger was o v er .

The sights he had seen there with brief snatches o f food

,

and sleep by intervals shall remain untold The mad j oy

,
.

over the pris oners w h o were sav ed, h ad astounded h im

scarcely less than the mad ferocity against thos e w h o were
cut t o pieces On e prisoner there was , he said, w h o h ad
'

been discharged into the street free , but at w h om a mis

taken savage had thrust a pike as he passed o u t B e ing .

besought t o go to h im an d dres s the wound the Doctor had ,

passed ou t at the same gate and h ad foun d him in the

,

arms o f a company of S amaritans , who were seated o n the

bodies o f t h eir v ictims With an incons istency as m o n
.

strous as any thing in this awful nightmare , they had helped

the h ealer, an d te n ded the wounde d m an with the gentlest
solicitude — had made a litter for h im an d escorte d h im
carefully from t h e spot — had then caught up their w e ap
o n s and plu n ged anew into a butcher s o dreadful that the
y ,

Doctor had covered his eyes with his hands , and swooned
away in the midst o f it .

As Mr Lorry received these co n fide n c e s and as he

.
,

w atched the face o f his friend n o w s ixty two y ears o f age-

,

a m isgiving arose within h im that such dread experiences

would revive the O ld danger But, h e h ad never seen his
.

friend in his present aspect ; h e had never at all known

him in his present char acter F or t h e first time the Doctor
.

felt, now that h is suffering was strength and power F or

,
.

the first time , he felt that in that sharp fire h e had slowly ,

forged the iron which could break the prison door o f his
“
daughter s husband, and deliver him
’
It all tended to a
.

good end, my friend ; it was not mere waste and ruin As .

m y beloved child was helpful in restoring me t o myself I ,

will be helpful now in restoring the dearest part o f herself

”
to her ; by the aid of Heaven I will do it ! Thus Doctor ,
322 A TA LE OF TW O C ITI E S .

them as the weak to trust to him as t h e strong Th e

, .

preceding relative positions o f himself an d Lucie were

reversed yet only as the li v eliest gratitude an d affection
,

could re verse them for he could have had n o pride but in

,

renderi n g some service to her who had rendered so much

”
to him . All curious to see though t Mr Lorry in his , .
,
“
amiably shrewd way but all natural and right ; s o take
, ,

the lead, my dear friend, an d keep it ; it couldn t be in ’

better hands .

But though the Doctor tried hard and never ceased try
, ,

ing, t o get C harles Darnay set at liberty o r at least to ge t ,

him brought t o trial the publ ic current o f the time set t o o

,

strong and fast f o r him The n e w E ra began ; the kin g.

was tried doomed and beheaded ; the Republ i c o f Liberty,

, ,

E quality, F raternity o r Death declared for victory o r

, ,

death against the world in arms ; the black flag waved night
and day from the great towers o f Notre Dame ; three hun -

dred thousand m e n , summoned t o rise against the tyrant s

o f the earth , rose from all the varying soils o f F ran ce , as
’
if the dragon s teeth had been sown broadcast, and had
yielded fruit equally o n hill and plain, o n rock in gravel
and allu v ial mud u nder the bright s k y o f the S outh an d
,

under the clouds o f the North in fell and forest in the , ,

v ineyards and the olive grounds and among the croppe d -

grass and the stubble o f the corn along the fruitful banks ,

o f the broad rivers and in the sand o f the sea shore What -
.
,

private solicitude could rear itself against the deluge o f the

Year On e o f Liberty — the deluge rising from below, not
falling from above and with the windows of Heaven shut,
,

not O pened !
There was n o pause no pity no peace no interval of
, , ,

relenting rest, no measurement of time Though days an d .

nigh t s circled as regu larl y as w hen time was young and ,

the evening and the morning were th e first day other count ,
 A TA L E OF Tw o CI TI E S . 3 23

of time t h ere was none Hold of it was lost in the raging

.

fever of a nation as it is in the fever of one patient Now

,
.
,

breaking the unnatural silence of a whole ci ty the e x e cu ,

t io n e r showed the people the head of the king and now ,

it seemed almost in the same breath the head of his fair ,

wife which had had eight weary months of imprisoned

w idowhoo d an d misery to turn it grey ,
.

An d yet O bserving the strange law of contradiction which

,

obta ins in all such c ases the time was lo n g wh ile it flamed
, ,

by s o fast A revolutionary tribunal in the capital and

.
,

forty or fifty thousand revolutionar y committees all over

the land ; a law of th e Suspected which struck away all ,

s ecuri ty for liberty or life and delivered over an y good

,

and i n noc ent person to any bad an d guilty one ; prisons

gorged with people who had committed no offence and could ,

ob tain no hearing ; these things became the establishe d

order and nature of appointe d things and seemed to be ,

ancient usage before the y were many weeks old Above .

all one hideous figure grew as familiar as if it had been

,

before the general ga z e from the foundations of the world

— the figure of the sharp female called La Guillotine .

I t was the popular theme for j ests ; it w as the best cure

for headache it infallibly prevented the hair from turning
,

gre y it impart ed a peculiar delicacy to the complex ion it

, ,

w as the National Razor which shaved clos e : who kis se d

La Guillotine looked through the little window and sneeze d

,

into t h e sack It was the S ign of the regeneration of the

.

human race It superseded the C ross

. Model s of it were .

worn on breasts from which the C ross was discarded an d ,

it was bowed down to and believed in where the C ross was

d enied .

It sheared o ff heads so many that it and the gr oun d it

, ,

most polluted were a rotten re d I t was taken to piece s ,

, .

l ike a toy puzzle f o r a youn g Devil an d w as put t ogether

-
,
3 24 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TI E S .

again when the occas ion w anted it It hushed the eloquent,

.

struck down the powerful , abolished the beautiful and good .

Twenty t w o friends o f high public mark, twenty o n e living

- -

and o n e de ad, it had lopped the heads O ff, in o n e morning,

‘

in as many minutes .

Among these terrors , and the brood belonging to them ,

the Doctor walked with a steady head : confident in his

power, cautiously persistent in his end, never doubting that
he would save Lucie s husband at last Yet the curre n t o f
’
.

the time swept by s o strong an d de e p, an d carried the

,

time away s o fiercely , that C harles had lain in prison o n e

year and t h ree months when the Doctor was thus steady
an d confident . S o much more wicked an d distracted had
the Revolution grown in t hat December month, that the
ri v ers o f the S outh were encumbere d with the bodie s o f
the violently drowned by n ight, and prisoners were shot in
line s and s quares under the southern wintry sun Still , .

the Doctor walked among the terrors with a steady head .

N o m an better known than he in Paris at that day ; n o m an

,

in a stranger S ituation S ilent humane indispensable in

.
, ,

h ospital an d prison, using h is art equally among assass ins

an d victims h e was a m an apart
, I n the exercis e o f his
.

skill , the appearance and t h e story o f the Bastille C aptive

remo v ed him from all other m e n H e was n o t suspected
.

o r brought in question any more t h an if h e had indeed

,

been recalled to life s ome eigh teen years before , o r w ere a

Spirit moving among mortals .
3 26 A TALE OF WO CITIE S
T .

little preparations f o r h is speedy return the setting as ide ,

o f h is chair and his books these, an d the solemn pray er

at night f o r o n e dear prisoner especially, among the man y
unhappy souls in prison and the shadow o f death — were
almost the only outspoken reliefs o f her heavy m ind .

She did not greatly alter in appearance The plain dark .

dress es akin to mourning dresses, which she an d h er child

,

wore were as neat and as well attended t o as the brighter

,

clothes o f happy days She lost h er colour an d the o ld

.
,

intent ex pression was a constant n o t an occas ional thing ; , ,

otherwise, she remained v ery pretty and comely S ome .

times at night on kissing her father she would burst into

, ,

the gr ief s h e had repressed all day, and would say that her
sole reliance, under Heav en was o n him He always res o
,
.

“
lu t e ly answered : Nothing c an happen to him without my
knowledge and I know that I c an sav e him , Lucie
,
”
.

They had not made the round o f their changed life , many
weeks , when her father said t o h er o n comin g home o n e ,

e v ening :
“
My dear th ere is an upper window in t h e prison t o
, ,

which C harle s c an sometime s gain acces s at three in the

afternoon When he can get t o it — whic h depends o n
.

many uncertainti e s and inc idents — h e might see y o u in

the street he thinks if y ou stood in a certain place that I
, ,

c an S how y o u But you will n o t be able to see him my

.
,

poor child and e v en if y o u could it would be unsafe for

, ,

”
you to make a S ign o f recognition .

“
0 S how me the place , my father, an d I w ill go there
”
every day .

F rom th at time , in all weathers , s h e waited t h ere two

h ours A S the clock struck two she was th ere, and at four
.
,

she turned resignedly away When it was not too wet o r

.

inclement for her child to be w ith h er, they went together ; at

o ther time s she was alone ; but, s h e never mis sed a s in gle day .
 A TAL E OE Tw o CI TI E S . 32 7

It was the dark an d dirty c orner of a small winding ‘

s treet . The hovel o f a cutter o f wood into lengths for

burning was the only house at t h at e n d ; all else was wall
, .

On the third day o f her being there h e notic e d h er , .

“ ”
Good day citizeness ,
.

”
Good day citizen ,
.

T h is mode o f address was n o w prescribed by decree It .

'

h ad been e stablished voluntarily some time ago among the ,

m ore thorough patriots ; but, it was now law f o r e v erybody .

“
Walking here again citizeness ?
,

You see me citize n ! ”

,

T h e wood sawyer who was a little man wit h a redundancy

-
,

o f gesture ( h e h ad once been a mender o f roads ) cast a ,

g lance at the prison ,

pointed at t h e prison ,
and putting h i s
t e n fingers before his face t o represent bars , peeped throug h
them jocosely .

“
But it s not my business, said h e And w e nt o n saw
’
.

ing h is wood .

Next day h e was looking o u t f o r h er and acc o sted h er

,

t h e moment she appeared .

“
What ! Walking he r e again, citizenes s ? ”

Yes , citizen .

Ah ! A c h ild t o o ! Your mother, is it not, my little

c itizenes s ?
“
Do I say ye s mamma ? w h isper e d little Luci e, dr aw
”
,

in g close to her .

Yes dearest
,

Yes citizen
,
.

’
Ah ! But it s n o t my business My work is my busi .

ness See my saw ! I call it my Little Guillotine La,

. .

”
la la ; La, la la ! And Off his head comes !
, ,

The billet fell as he S poke and he threw it into a basket ,

.

I call myself the Sanson o f the firewood guillotine .

S e e here again ! LOO, 10 0 , 10 0 ; LOO 10 0 10 0 ! And Off h e r , ,

3 28 A TAL E OF T WO CI TIE S .

h ead comes ! a c h ild Tickle, tickle ; Pickle, pickle !

N o w, .

”
And o ff its head comes All the fam ily ! .

Lucie shuddered as he threw t w o more billets into hi s

basket, but it was impossible to be there w h ile t h e wood
sawy er was at w ork, an d not be in h is s ight Thence .

forth t o secure h is good will s h e always spoke to him

, ,

first an d oft e n gave h im drink money, w h ic h h e readily

,
-

receiv ed .

He was an in quisiti ve fellow, an d sometimes when she

had quite forgotten him in gazi n g at t h e prison roof and
grates an d in lifting h er heart up t o h er husband, she
,

w ould come t o h erself t o fin d him looking at h er , with his

knee o n h is b e nch an d h is saw sto pped in its work “
But .

it s n ot my bus iness ! h e would generally say at th os e

’ ”

times , and would bri skly fall to his sawing again .

I n all weath e rs in the snow an d frost o f winter in t h e

, ,

bitter winds o f spring in the h o t sunshine o f summer in

, ,

the rains o f autumn an d again in the s n ow and frost o f

,

winter Lucie passed t w o hours o f every day at this place ;

,

an d every day o n leaving it she kissed the prison wall

, , .

Her husband saw her (so sh e learned from her father) it

might be once in fi v e o r s ix times : it might be twice o r
thrice running : it might be n o t f o r a week o r a fortnight ,

togeth er It was enough that he could an d did see her

.

when th e chances served an d o n that possibility she would ,

have waited o u t the day se v en days a week ,

.

T h ese occupations brought her round to the December

month, wherein her father walked among t h e terrors with
a steady h ead On a lightly snowing afternoon she arri v ed
.
-

at the usual corner It was a day o f s ome wild rejoicing,

.

and a festival S h e had seen the h ouses as S h e came along

.
, ,

decorated with little pikes , and with little red caps stuck
upon them ; also wit h tricoloured ribbons ; also , wit h the
,

standard inscription (tricoloured letters w ere t h e fav our

 3 30 A TALE OF WO CITIE S
T .

and turned unti l t h ey all stoppe d at once, began again ,

s truck , clutched, an d tore , an d then reversed the S pin an d ,

all spun round an o ther w ay Suddenly they stopped again, .

paused, Struck o u t the time afresh formed into l ines the ,

.

width o f the publ ic w ay, and, w it h their heads lo w down

an d their h ands high up swooped screaming OH N O fight
,
.

c ould have been h alf s o terrible as this dance It was s o .

e mphatically a fallen sport — a something once innocent , ,

d elivered o v er to all devilry — a health y pastime changed

into a means o f angering the blood bewildering the senses , ,

an d steeling the heart Such grace as was visible in it

.
,

made it the uglier showing h o w warped an d perverted all

,

t hings good by nature were become The maidenly bosom .

’
bared t o this, the pretty almost child s head thus dis
'

t racted the delicate foot mincing in this slough o f bloo d

,

a n d dirt, were types o f the disj ointed time .

This was the C armagnole As it pas sed, leaving Luci e .

f rightened an d bewildered in the doorway o f the woo d

s awyer s house t h e feathery snow fell as quietly and lay
’
,

as white and s oft as if it had never been ,

.

O my father ! f o r he stood before her wh en s h e lifted

u p the eyes S h e had mom entarily darkened with her hand,
“ ”
such a cruel bad s ight ,
.

“
I know my dear I know,
I have seen it many
,
.

t imes .Don t be frightened ! N o t o n e o f th em would

’

h arm y ou
-
”
.

“
I am not frightened f o r myself my fat h er But ,
.

w hen I think o f my husband, an d the mercies o f these

people
“
We will set him above t h eir mercies v ery s oo n I left ,
.

h im climbing to the window and I came to tell you There ,

.

is n o o n e here to see You m ay kiss your h and towards

.

t hat h ighest shelving roof ”

.

“ ”
I do s o father, an d I send him my Soul with it !
,
 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TI E S . 3 31

Yo u cannot see him my poor dear ?

,

N o father,
”
said Lucie yearning an d weeping as s h e
, ,

“
kissed her hand n o ,
.

A footstep in the snow Madame De farge I salute . .

” “ ”
you citizeness from the Doctor
, ,
I salute y o u ci t izen .
,
.

This in passing Nothing more Madame Defarge gone

. .
,

like a shadow over the white road .

“
Gi v e me your arm m y lo v e Pass from here with an ,
.

air o f cheerfulness an d courage for his sake That was ,

.

” “
well done ; the y had left the spot ; it shall n o t be in
vain C h arles is summone d f o r to morrow
.
” -
.

“
F o r to morrow ! -

There is no time to lose I am well prepared, but .

t h ere are precautions to be taken that could not be taken ,

until he was actually summoned before the Tribunal He .

has n o t recei v ed the notice yet but I know that he will ,

presently be summoned f o r to morrow and remo v ed to the -

,

C onciergerie ; I h av e timely information Yo u are not .

”
afraid ?

“
She could scarcely answer I trust in you ,
.

Do so implicitly
,
Your suspense is nearly ended my
.
,

darling ; he shall be restored to y o u within a few hours ; I

hav e encompassed him with e v ery protection I must see .

”
Lorry .

He stopped There was a heavy lumbering o f wheels

.

within h earin g They both knew too well what it meant

. .

O ne. Two Three . Three tumbrils faring away with

.

their dread loads over the h ushing snow

. .

“ ”
I must see Lorry the Doctor repeated turning her , ,

another way .

The staunc h o ld gentleman was still in h is trust ; had

n e ver left it He and his books were in frequent requisi
.

tion as to property confiscated and made national What .

he could save f o r the owners he saved No better man ,

.
33 2 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S .

living t o hold fast, by wh at Te lls o n s had in k e ep ing, an d ’

to hold his peace .

A murky red and yellow sky, an d a rising mist from the

S eine denoted the approach o f darkness It was almost
,
.

dark when they arri v ed at the Bank The stately res i .

dence of Monseigneur was altogether blighted and deserted .

Abo v e a heap o f dust an d as h es in the court, r an the

letters : N ational Property Republic On e and Indivis ible
. .

Liberty, E quality F raternity, o r Death

,
.

Who coul d that be with Mr Lorry — the o wner o f t h e

.

riding coat upon the chair w h o must not be seen ? F ro m

-

whom newly arrived, did he come o u t, agitate d an d sur

prised to take his favourite in his arms ? To whom did
,
-

he appear to repeat her faltering words, when , rais ing h is

v oice an d turning h is head towards the door o f the room
from whic h he h ad is sued he said : Rem o ve d to t he Co n
,
“

”
c ie r ge rie , an d summoned f o r t o morrow
-
.

C HAP T E R VI .

T RIU M P H .

TH E dread Tribunal o f five Judge s , P ublic P ros e cutor,

and determined Jury sat every day T h eir lists went forth
,
.

every evening, and were read out by the gaolers o f the v ari
o u s prisons t o their prisoners The standard gaoler j oke -
.

was ,
“
C om e o u t an d listen t o the Ev ening P ap e r, you
inside there !
“
C harles Ev r emonde , called Darnay !
S o at last began the Ev ening P aper at La F orc e
, , .

When a name was called its owner stepped apart int o

,

a spot reserved for those who were announced as being

thus fatally recorded C harles Ev r emonde , called Darnay,
.
3 34 A TA L E OF T WO CITI E S .

The pas sage t o the C onciergerie was short and dark ; t h e

n ight in its vermin h aunted cells was long and cold Next
-
.

day fifteen prisoners were put to th e bar before C harles

,

Darn ay s name was called

’
All the fifteen were co n .

de m n e d and th e trials o f th e w h ole occupie d an h our

,

and a half .

C harles Ev r emonde, called Darnay, w as at length

arraigned .

His Judges sat upon the B ench in feathered hats ; but

the roug h red cap and tricoloured cockade was the head
dres s otherwise pre v ailing Looki n g at the Jur y and the .

turbulent audience, he might h av e thought that the usual

o r der o f things was reversed, an d that t h e felons were t r ing
y
the h onest men The lowest cruelest and worst populace
‘

.
, ,

o f a city , never without its quantity o f low , cruel an d h ad , ,

were the directing spir its o f the scene : noisily comment

ing applauding disappro v ing, anticipating and pr e c ipit at
, , ,

ing the result without a check O f the men the greater

,
.
,

part were armed in v arious ways ; o f the women s ome wore ,

knives some daggers some ate and drank as the y l o oke d

, ,

o n , many k n itted Among these last was o n e with a spare

.
, ,

p iece o f knitting under her arm as she worked She was .

in a front r o w by the s ide o f a m an whom he had neve r

,

s een since his arrival at the Barrier but whom h e directl y ,

remembered as Defarge He noticed that she once or twice .

w h ispered in his ear, and that she seemed to be his wife ;

but what he most noticed in the two figures was that
, ,

although th ey were posted as close to himself as the y

could be they never looked towards him They seemed
, .

to be waiting f o r something with a dogged determination .

an d t h ey looked at the Jur y but at nothing else Under .

the Pre sident sat Doctor Ma ri ette in his usual quiet dres s ,
‘

As well as the prisoner could see , he and Mr Lorry were .

t h e only m e n there, unconnected wit h the Tribunal who ,

 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S . 335

w ore t h eir usual clothes and had n o t assumed the coarse

,

garb of the C armagnole .

C harles Ev r emonde called Darnay, was accused by the

,

public prosecutor as an emigrant whose life was forfeit to

,

the Republic under the decree which banished all emi

,

grants o n pain o f Deat h I t was noth ing that the decree

.

bore date since his return to F rance There h e was and .

,

there was the decree ; h e had been taken in F rance , and

h is h ead was demanded .

“
Take O ff his head ! cried t h e audienc e
”
An e nemy .

t o the Repub lic !

The President rang h i s bell to S ilence t h os e cries , and
asked the prisoner whether it w as n o t true t h at he h ad
lived many years in E ngland ?
Undoubtedly it was .

Was he not an emigrant th en ? W h at did he call

h imself ?
Not an emigrant, he h o p e d, w it h in t he sens e and S pirit
o f the law .

Why not ? the Pres ident desired to know .

Because h e had voluntarily relinquished a title t h at w as

distasteful t o him and a station that was distaste f u l t o
,

him and had left his country — h e submitted before t h e

,

word emigrant in the prese n t acceptation by t h e Tribunal

was in use — to live by his o w n industry in E ngland, rat h e r
than o f the industry o f the o v erladen people o f F ranc e .

What proof had he o f this ?

He handed in the names o f tw o w itnes ses : Th eophil e
Gabelle , and Alexandre Manette .

But he h ad married in E ngland ? t h e P resident reminde d

him .

True, but not an E nglis h woman .

A citizenes s o f F rance ?
Yes By birth
. .
33 6 A TALE OE T WO CITI E S .

Her am e and family ?

n

L ucie Manette , only daughte r O f Doctor M ari ett e t h e

“
,

good physician w h o sits there .

This answer h ad a h appy effect upon the audience C ries .

in exaltation o f the well known good physician rent th e

-

h all S o capriciously w ere the people moved that tears

.
,

immediately roll e d down se v eral ferocious countenances

whic h h ad been glaring at th e prisoner a moment before , as
if with impatience t o pluck h im o u t into the street an d
kill h im .

On th e se few steps o f h is dangerous way C harles Darnay ,

h ad set h is fo ot according to Doctor Manette s reiterate d ’

instructions The same cautious counsel directed e v ery

.

step that lay b e fore him, and h ad prepared e v ery inc h o f

h is road .

Th e P res ident asked w hy h ad he return e d t o F rance whe n

h e did, and n o t sooner ?
He h ad n o t returned s ooner, h e replied, s imply because
h e h ad n o means o f living in F rance save those he h ad ,

resigned ; wh e reas , in E ngland, he lived by gi v ing instru o

tion in the F renc h language and literature He had returned .

when he did o n t h e pres sing and written entreaty o f a

,

F rench citizen who represented t hat his life was endanger e d

,

by his absence H e had come back t o sav e a citizen s life ,

.
’
,

and t o bear h is testimony at w h ate v er personal hazard, t o

,

the truth Was that criminal in the eyes o f the Republic ?

.

T h e populace cried enthusiastically, No ! and the Presi

dent rang h is bell to quiet them Which it did not for .
,

“ ”
they continue d t o cry N o ! until they lef t o ff o f the ir ,

o w n will .

T h e President required th e name o f t h at C itizen ? The

accused explained that the citizen was h is first witness .

H e also referred with confidence to th e citizen s letter’

,

whic h had been taken from him at t h e Barrier, but whic h

338 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

At every vote (the Ju ry m e n v oted aloud and indi v idually),

the populace set up a shout o f applause All the voices .

w ere in the prisoner s fa v our , and the President declared

’

h im free .

Then, began o n e o f those extraordinary scenes with which

the populace s ometimes gratified their fick le n e s s o r their ,

better impulses towards generosit y and mercy o r which ,

they regarded as some s et o ff against their swollen account -

o f cruel rage N o m an c an decide n o w t o which o f thes e

.

moti v es such extr aordinary scene s were referable ; it is

probable t o a blending o f all the three wi th the second
, ,

predominating N o sooner was t h e acquittal pronoun ced,

.

than tears were shed as freely as blood at another time and ,

such fraternal embrace s were bestowed upon the prisoner by

as many o f both sexe s as could rus h at him, that after his
long and unwholesome co n finement he was in danger o f
fainting from exhaustion ; none the les s because he kne w
ver y well that the very same people , carried by anothe r
,

current would have rus h ed at him wit h the very same

,

intensity, to rend him to pieces and str e w h im over t h e

streets .

His removal t o make way f o r ot h er accused persons w h o

,

were to be tried, rescued him from these caresses for the

moment F ive were to be tried together, next as enem ie s
.
,

of the Republic forasmuch as they had not assisted it by

,

word o r deed S o quick was the Tribunal t o compensate

.

itself and the nation for a c h ance lost, that t h ese five came
down to him before he left the place , condemned to die
with in twenty four h ours The fi rst o f them told him s o
-
.
,

with the customary prison S ign O f Death a raised finger

— and they all added in words “ Long l ive the Republic ! ”
,
.

The five had had it is true no audience to lengthen their

, ,

proceedings f o r when he an d Doctor Manette emerged from

,

the gate , there was a great crowd about it, in wh ic h there

 A TA L E OE Tw o CITI E S . 3 39

s eemed to be every face he had seen in C ourt except two ,

for which he looked in vain On his coming o u t, the c o n

.

course made at him anew, weeping embra c ing and s h out , ,

in g all by turns and all together until the very tide o f the
, ,

river o n the ban k o f which the mad scene was acted, seemed
to r u n mad like the people o n the shore
,
.

They put him into a great chair t h e y h ad among them ‘

,

and which they had taken eit h er o u t o f the C ourt itself o r ,

o n e o f its rooms o r passages O ver the chair they had

.

thrown a red flag and to the back o f it they h ad boun d a

,

ike with a red cap o n its top I n this car o f triumph

p .
,
’
n o t even the Doctor s entreaties could prevent his being

carried t o his h ome o n men s shoulders with a confused

’
,

s e a o f red caps heaving about him , and casting up to sight

f rom the stormy deep suc h wrecks o f faces , that he more

than once misdoubte d his mind being in confusion and ,

t hat h e was in the tumbril o n his way to the Guillotine .

I n wild dreamlike proces sion embracing whom they met ,

an d pointi n g him out t h ey carrie d h im o n Reddening

‘

, .

t h e snow y streets with the prevailing Republ ican colour ,

in winding and tramping t h r o ugh them , as they h ad red

d e n e d them below the s n ow wit h a deeper dye , they carried
h im t hus into the court yard o f the building w h ere he lived
-
.

H er father had gone o n before, to prepare her an d when ,

h er husband stood up o n his feet, she dropped insensible in

h is arms .

A S h e held her t o his h eart and turne d h er beautiful

h ead between his face and the brawling crowd so that his ,

tears and h er lips might come toget h er unseen, a few o f the

people fell to dancing Instantly all the rest fell to danc
.
,

ing and the court y ard o v e r fl o w e d with the C armagnole

,
- .

Then they elevated into the vacant chair a young woman

,

from the crowd to be carried as the Goddess of Liberty and ,

t h en swelling an d overflowi n g o u t into the adjacent streets

, ,
340 A TA L E OE Tw o CI TI E S .

and along the river s bank and over the bridge, the C ar
’
,

m agn o le absorbed them every one and whirle d them away .

’
After grasping the Doctor s hand as he stood victoriou s ,

and proud before him ; after grasping the h and o f Mr .

Lorry w h o came panting in breathless from his struggle

,

against t h e waterspout o f the C armagnole ; after kis sing

little Lucie, w h o was lifted up to cl asp her arms round his
neck ; and after embracing the ever zealous and fait h ful
P ros s w h o lifted h er ; h e t ook his wife in his arms and
carried h er up t o their rooms .

“
Lucie ! My o w n ! I am safe .

0 dearest C harles let m e thank G o d f o r t h is o n my

,

kne e s as I h av e prayed to Him

T hey all re v erently bowed their heads and h earts W h en .

s h e was again in h is arms h e said to her

,

“
And n o w speak t o your father, dearest N o ot h er m an .

in all this F rance could have done what h e h as done

f or m e .

Sh e laid h er h ead upon h er fath er s breast as S h e had ’

laid h is poor head o n her o wn breast long long ago He , , .

was h appy in th e return h e h ad made her, h e was r e c o m

pe n s e d f o r his suff ering ,
he was proud o f h is strength .

Yo u must n o t be weak, my darling, h e r e monstrat e d ;

”

don t tr e mbl e s o I have sa v ed him

’
.
”
.

C HAP T E R VI I .

A N
K O CK A T TH E DOOR .

I H AV E sav ed h im It was n o t anoth er o f t h e dr e ams

.
”

in w h ic h he had O ften come back ; he was really h ere And .

yet his w ife trembled, and a vague but he a v y fear w as

u po n h e r .
34 2 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S .

C runc h er s n ame
’
, t h erefore ,
duly embellished the doorp o st
down below ; and, as the afternoon shadows deepened th e ,

owner o f that name himself appeared from overlooking a ,

painter whom Doctor Manette had employed to add t o t h e

list t h e name of C harle s E vr emonde called Darnay , .

I n the universal fear and distrust that darkened the

time all the usual harmless ways o f life were changed I n
,
.

the Doctor s l ittle h ousehol d as in v ery many others t h e

’
, ,

articles o f daily consumption that were wanted, were pur

chased e v ery e v ening, in small quantities and at v ariou s
small s h ops To avoid attracting notice and to gi v e as
.
,

little occas ion as possibl e f o r talk an d envy, was the ge n

e ral desire .

F o r some months past, Mis s Pross and Mr C runc h er h ad .

disch arged t h e office o f purv eyors ; t h e former carryin g

t h e money ; t h e latter, the basket Ev ery afternoon at .

about the time when the public lamps were ligh ted, they
fared fort h o n this duty , and made and brought h ome such
purchases as were needful Althoug h Mis s Pross , through
.

her long association wit h a F rench family m ight ha ve ,

known as much o f their language as o f h er own if S h e had ,

h ad a mind sh e had n o mind in that direction ; c on se

,
~

quently S h e knew n o more o f t h at nonsense (as she w as

.
“

pleased t o call it) than Mr C runcher did S o h er man

,
. .
~

n e r o f marketing was to plump a n o u n s u b s t an t iv e at t h e

~

head o f a shopkeeper without any introd u ction in t h e

nature o f an article , and if it happened not to be the name
,

o f the thing s h e wanted, to look round f o r that thing lay ,

hold o f it and hold o n by it until the bargain was c on

,

cluded She always made a bargain f o r it, by holding up ,

.

as a statement o f its just price, o n e finger less than the

merchant held up, whatever his number m igh t be .

“
Now, Mr C runc h er said Miss Pros s whose ey e s were
.
”
, ,

red wit h felicity ; if you are ready 1 am

“ ”
,
.
 A TAL E OE Tw o C I TI E S . 3 43

Jerry hoarsely professed h imself at Miss Pross s service ’

.

H e had worn all his rust Off long ago but nothing would ,

file his spiky head down .

“ ”
There s all manner o f things wanted, said Mis s Pross,
’

and we shall have a precious time of it We want wine .

,

amon g the rest Nice toasts these Redheads will be dr in k

.

in g, where v er we buy it
”
.

“
It will be much the same to your knowledge miss I , ,

s h ould think retorte d Jerry, w h ether they drink y our

” “
,

h ealth o r the O ld ! n s ’ ”
.

“
Who s he ? said Miss P ross
’”
.

Mr C runcher with some diffide n c e , explained h imself

.
,

’ ”
as meaning O ld Nick s .

“ ” “ ’
Ha ! said Mis s Pross it doesn t need an interpreter ,

to explain the meaning o f these creatures They have but .

’ ”
on e,
and it s Midnight Murder and Mischief , .

“
Hus h dear ! Pray pray be cautious ! cried Lucie
,
”
, ,
.

’ ”
Yes yes yes I ll be cautious said Mis s Pross ; but
, , , ,

I may say among oursel v es that I do hope there will be no ,

oniony and t ob acc o e y smotherings in the form o f e m b r ac

in gs all round, going o n in the streets Now, Lady bird .
,

never you stir from that fire till I com e back Take care .

’
o f the dear husband you have recovered an d don t move ,

your pretty head from his shoulder as y o u have it now till ,

you see me again ! May I ask a question Doctor Manette , ,

”
before I go ?
“ ”
I th ink y o u may take that liberty the Doctor an ,

s w e r e d smiling
, .

“
F or gracious sake don t talk about Liberty ; we h av e
’
,

quite enough o f that, said Miss Pross

”
.

“ ”
Hush dear ! Again ? Lucie remonstrated
,
.

‘ ”
Well my sweet, said Mis s Pross nodding her head
, ,
“
emphatically, the short and the long o f it is that I am ,

a subject o f His Most Gracious Maj esty King George the

3 44 A TALE OE Tw o CI TI E S .

Third ; Miss P ross curtseyed at t h e name and as suc h, ,

my maxim is , C onfound their p olitics , F rustrate thei r

kna v is h tricks O n him o u r hopes we fix, G o d sav e th e
,

”
King !
Mr C runcher, in an acces s o f loyalty , growlingly r e
.

p e a t e d the words after Miss Pross ,

like s omebody at churc h .

“
I am glad y o u have s o muc h o f the E nglishman in yo u ,
th ough I wish y o u had never taken that cold in your v oice, ”

“
said Miss Pros s , approvingly But the question , Doctor
.

’
Manette Is there . it was the good creature s way t o
affect t o make light o f anything that was a great anxiety
with them all and t o come at it in this chance mann e r
,

“
is there any prospect yet, o f o u r getting o u t o f t h is
”
place ?
“
I fear n o t yet It would be dangerous f o r Ch arles yet
. .

Heigh h o hum ! said Miss P ross , cheerfully repres sing

- -

a sigh as she glanced at h er darling s golden hair in t h e

’

light o f the fire , then we m ust h av e patience and wait :

“

that s all We must hold up o u r h eads an d figh t lo w, as

’
.

my brother Solomon used t o say N o w , Mr C runc he r ! . .

Don t y o u mo v e , Ladybird !
’ ”

They went o u t leav ing Lucie and h er husband, h e r

, ,

father and the child, by a brig ht fir e Mr Lorry was

, . .

expected back presently from the Banking House Mis s .

Pros s had lighted the lamp but h ad put it aside in a ,

corner that they might enj oy the fir e ligh t undisturbed

, .

Little Lucie sat by her grandfat h er with h er hands clasped

through his arm ; and he , in a tone n ot rising much abov e a
whisper , b egan to tell h er a story o f a great and powerful
F airy w h o h ad O pened a prison w all an d let ou t a capti v e
-

w h o had once done t h e F airy a service All was subdued .

and quiet and Lucie was more at ease than s h e h ad been

, .

What is that ! she cried, all at once .

My de ar ! s aid he r father, stoppi n g in h is s to ry an d

”
,
3 46 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

Yo u know h im
have said Do y ou know m e ?
, y
o u .
”

Yes I know y o u C itizen Doctor

, ,

We all know y o u , C itizen Doctor said the other three , .

H e looked abstractedly from o n e t o anoth er, and said, in

a lower voice , after a pause
‘
Will y o u answ e r h is questi on t o m e then ? H o w does
t h is h appen ? ”

“
C itizen Doctor, said t h e first, reluctantly ; h e has “

b e en denounced t o th e Section o f S aint An toine This .

citizen, pointing ou t the second w h o h ad entered, is from

” “

”
Saint Antoine .

The c itizen h ere indicated nodded h is h ead, an d added

H e is accused by Saint Anto ine .

”
O f what ? asked the Doctor .

C itizen Doctor said the first, wit h h is former relue

”
,

“
t an ce ,
ask n o more If the Republic demands sacrifices
.

f rom y o u w ith out doubt y ou as a good patriot will be

,

h appy t o make them The Republic goes before all T h e

. .

P eople is supreme E v r emonde, we are pressed

.
”
.

“ ” “
O ne word the Doctor entreated
,
Will y ou tell me .

”
wh o denounced him ?
“
It is against rule , answered t h e fi rst ; but y o u c an ask
”

H im o f Saint Antoine here ”

.

The Doctor turned his ey e s upon th at m an Wh o moved .

uneasily o n his feet, rubbed h is h e ar d a l ittle an d at length ,

said :
“
Well ! Truly it is against rule But h e is denounced .

— and gravely by t h e C itiz e n and C itizen e s s D e farge .

And by o n e other .

“
Wh at other ?
Do yo u ask, C itizen Doctor ? ”

”
Yes .

T h en , s aid h e o f Saint Anto in e, w it h a strange look,

”

”
y o u will be answered to morrow N o w , I-
am dumb !.
 A TA L E OE Tw o CITIE S . 34 7

C HAPT E R VIII .

A HA ND AT CA RD S .

H A P P I L Y unconscious o f t h e new calamity at home , Mis s

Pross threaded her way along the narrow streets an d crossed
the river by the bridge of the P ont Neuf reckoning in her -
,

mind the number of indispensable purchases she had to

make Mr C runcher, with the basket walked at her s ide
. .
, .

They both looked to the right an d to the left into most o f

the shops they pas sed, had a wary eye for all gregariou s
assemblage s of people and turned out o f their road to av oid
,

any v ery excited group o f talkers It was a raw evening .

,

an d the misty river, blurred to the eye w ith blazing light s

and to the ear with harsh noises , S howed where the barges
were stationed in which the smiths worked making gun s ,

f o r the Army o f the Republic Woe to the m an who play e d

.

tricks with th at Army o r got undeser v ed promotion in it !

,

B etter f o r him that his beard had never grown f o r t h e ,

National Razor shav e d him close .

Having purchased a few small articles o f grocery and a ,

measure o f o il for the lamp Mis s Pros s beth ought hers elf
,

o f the wine they wanted After peeping into several wine

.

shops she stoppe d at the sign o f The Good Republican

,

Brutus o f Antiquity not far from the National Palace onc e

, ,

(and twice ) t h e Tuileries where the aspect o f th ings rather

,

took her fancy It had a quieter look than any other place
.

o f the same description they had passed and though red

, ,

with patriotic caps was not so red as the rest Sounding

, .

Mr C runcher and finding him o f her opinion Miss Pr os s

.
,

resorted to the Good Republican Brutus o f Antiquity, at

tended by her cavalier .
 A TAL E OF TW O CITIE S .

Sligh tly o bser v ant o f t h e smoky lights ; o f the peopl e,

pipe in mouth , playing with limp cards and yellow domi
noes ; o f the o n e bare breasted, bare armed, soot begrime d
- - -

workman reading a j ournal aloud, an d o f the others listen

l n g to him ; o f t h e weapons worn , o r laid aside t o be r e

sumed ; o f the two o r three customers fallen forward asleep ,

who in the popular, high shouldered shaggy black S pen c er
-

looked, in that attitude, like slumbering bears o r dogs ;

the tw o outlandis h customers approached t h e counter, and
showed what they wanted .

A S their wine was measuring o u t, a man parted from

.

another man in a corner , and rose to d epart I n going h e .

,

had t o face Mis s Pros s N o sooner did h e face her, than

.

Mis s Pro ss uttered a scream , and clapped h er hands .

In a moment, the whole company were o n the ir feet .

That somebody was assassinated by somebody vindicating a

difference o f O pinion was the likeliest occurrence E v ery
, .

body looked to see somebody fall but only saw a m an an d

,

woman standi n g staring at each other ; the m an w it h all

the outward aspect o f a F renchman and a t h oroug h Repub
lican ; the woman, e v idently E nglish .

What w as said in this disappointing anti climax by t h e -

,

disciples o f the Good Republican Brutus o f Antiquity,

except th at it was something very voluble and loud would ,

have been as s o much Hebrew o r C haldean t o M iss Pros s

and h er protector though they had been all ears But,
,
.

they had n o ears f o r any t hing in t h eir surprise F or it .

,

m u st be recorded t h at not only was Mis s P ross lost in

,

amazement and agitation ; but Mr C runc h er — though it

,
.

seemed o n his o w n separate and individual account w as

in a state o f the greatest wonder .

“ ”
What is the matter ? said the m an w h o had cause d
Miss Pross to scream ; speaking in a v exed abrupt v o ic e
o w tone ), an d in E nglish
( though in a l .
350 A TAL E OE Tw o CITIE S .

S olomon, I am n ot surprised I knew y o u were h ere ; I

“
.

know of most people w h o are he re If y o u really don t ’

.

want t o endanger my ex istence which I half belie v e y o u

do go your ways as soon as pos sible, an d let m e go m i ne .

”
I am busy I am an official
. .

“
My E nglish brother S olomon, mourned Mis s Pr o ss ,

casting up her tear fraught eye s that h ad the makings in

“ -
,

h im of o n e o f the best an d greatest o f m e n in his native

c ountry an official among foreigners an d suc h foreign ers !
, ,

I would almost sooner have seen the dear b o y lying in

h is
“
I said so ! cried h er brot h er interrupting
”
I knew , .
“

it ! Yo u wan t to be t h e death o f me I shall be rendered .

S uspected, by my o w n sister Ju s t as I am getting o n !

.

“
The gracious and merciful Heav ens forbid ! ”
cried
Miss Pros s “
F ar rather woul d I ne v er s e e y ou again, dear
.

S olomon though I have e v er lo v ed y ou truly an d e v er

, ,

s hall . S ay but o n e affectionate word t o me and tell me ,

there is nothing angry o r estrange d b e tw een us , and I wi ll

”
d etain y o u no longer .

Good Miss Pross ! A S if t h e estrangement betwee n t h em

had come o f any culpability o f hers A s if Mr Lorry h ad . .

n o t known it for a fact years ago in t h e quiet corner in

, ,

S oho that this precious bro t her h ad S pent her mo ney an d

,

left her !
He was saying t h e affectionate word h owe v er, w it h a ,

far more grudging condescension an d patronage than he

c ould have shown if their relative merits and positions h ad

been reversed (which is inv ariably th e case, all the w orl d

o v er when Mr C runcher touc h ing him the s h oulder
) ,
. o n, ,

hoars ely and unexpectedly interposed with t h e following

s ingular question
“
I say ! Might I ask t h e favour ? As t o w het h e r y o u r
n ame is John Solomon o r S olomon Jo h n ?
”
,
 A TALE OE Tw o CITI ES . 351

T h e official turned towards him wit h sudd en dist rus t .

He had n o t previously uttere d a word .

“
C ome ! said Mr C runcher
”
.
“
Speak o u t, y o u know
. .

(Which ,
by the way ,
was more than he could d o h imself ) .

“
John S olomon, o r Solomon John ? She calls you Solo
m o n , and she must know, being your sister And I know .

you re John yo u know Which o f the two goes first ?

’
,
.

And regarding that name o f P ross, likewise That warn t ’

.

”
your name over the water .

W h at do you mean ? ”

Well, I don t know all I mean f o r I can t call t o m ind

’ ’
,

wh at your n ame was , o v er t he water

”
.

) 1
‘6
NO ?
No . But I ll swear it was a name o f tw o syllabl e s
’
.

”
I ndeed ?
’ ’
Ye s T other one s was o n e syllable I know y o u
. . .

Yo u was a spy w itness at the Bailey

-
W h at in the nam e .

o f the F ather o f Lies , o wn father to yourself, was you

”
called at th at time ?
Barsad, said an oth er v o ice striking in
”
,
.

Th at s t he name f or a thousand pound !

’ ”
cried Jerry .

T h e speaker w h o struck in, was Sydney C arton H e had .

h is h ands be h ind him under the skirts o f h is riding coat, -

and h e stood at Mr C runch er s elbow as negligently as he

.
’

m ight h av e stood at the O ld Bailey itself .

“
D on t be alarmed, my dear Mis s P ross I arri v e d at
’
.

M r Lorry s , t o his surprise yesterday e v ening ; we agree d

.
’
,

that I would not present m y self elsewhere unt il all w as

well, o r unles s I could be useful ; I present myself here t o ,

beg a litt le talk with your brother I wis h you h ad a better .

e mployed brother than Mr Barsad I wish f o r your sake

. .

M r Barsad was n o t a Sheep o f the P risons

. .

S h eep was a cant word o f t h e time for a spy under th e ,

gaolers The spy, w h o was pale , turned paler and asked

.
,

h im h o w h e d ar e d
35 2 A TAL E OE Tw o CITIE S .

“
I ll te l l y o u , said Sydney
’
I lighted o n y ou , Mr . .

Barsad, coming o u t o f the prison o f the C onciergerie while

I was contemplating the walls , an hour o r m ore ago Yo u .

h ave a face to be remembered, and I rem e mber face s well .

Made curious by seeing you I n that connexion, an d h av in g '

a reason t o which y o u are no stranger, f o r as sociating y o u

,

with the misfortunes o f a friend now v ery unfortunate I ,

w alked in your direction I walked into the w ine shop.

-

h ere, close after y o u , and sat near y ou I h ad n o di fficulty .

in deducing from your unreserved conversation and the ,

r umour openly going about among your admirers the nature ,

o f your calling And gradually w h at I had done at ran

.
,

do m , seemed to shap e itself into a purpos e , M r Barsad ”

. .

“ ”
What purpose ? the spy asked .

It wo u ld be troublesome and migh t be dangerous t o , ,

e xplain in the street C ould you favour me , in confidence

.
,

w it h some minutes o f your company — at th e o ffi ce o f Te ll r

’
s on s B ank, f o r instance ?
“
Under a threat ?
O h ! Did I say that ! ”

T h en why should I go there ? ”

’ ’ ”
Really Mr B arsad I can t say, if y o u can t
, .
, ,
.

D o y o u mean that y o u w on t say, sir ? t h e spy irr e so

’ ”

lu t e ly asked .

“
Yo u appre h end me v ery clearly, M r B arsad I won t’ ”
. . .

C arton s negligent reckles sness o f manner came power

’

fully in aid o f his quickness and skill in such a busines s ,

as he h ad in h is secret mind and with such a m an as he ,

h ad to do with H is practised eye s aw it and made the

.
,

most o f it .

N o w, I told y ou s o said the spy, casting a reproachful

,
“ ’
look at his sister ; if any trouble comes o f this, it s you r
d oing .

“
C ome come, Mr Barsad ! exclaimed Sydney
,
. Don t’
.
35 4 A TALE or Tw o CITI E S .

”
I told y ou y o u had a remarkable face , Mr Barsad, .

obser v ed C arton coolly Pray sit down

,
.
“
.
”

As he took a chair h imself h e supplied the link that Mr , .

“
Lorry wanted, by saying t o h im with a frown Witness at ,

”
that trial Mr Lorry immediately remembered and r e
. .
,

garded his new v is itor with an undisguised look o f ab h or ’

rence .

“
Mr B arsad has been recognised by Miss P ros s as the
.

” “
a ffectionate brother you have heard o f , said S y dney and ,

has acknowledged the relationship I pass to worse news . .

’
Darnay has been arrested again .

Struck with consternation, the o ld gentleman exclaimed,

W h at do y o u tell me ! I left him safe an d f ree w ithi n i

these t w o hours an d am about t o return t o him !

,

Arre sted f o r all that Wh e n was it done, Mr Barsad ? . .

”
Just n o w, if at all .

Mr Barsad is the best auth ority poss ible s ir, said ,

Sydney an d I have it from Mr Bar s ad s communication

,
’
.

to a friend and brother S h eep o v er a bottle o f wine that the ,

arrest has taken place H e left t h e messeng e rs at the gate

.
,

and saw th em adm itted by t he por t er There is n o earthly .

doubt t h at he is retaken .

M r Lorry s business eye read in the speaker s face that

.
’ ’

it was loss o f time t o dwell upon the point C onfused .

,

but sensible that something might depend o n his presence

o f mind, he commanded himself, an d was silently atten

ti v e .

“
N o w I trust ”
,
said Sydney t o h im, that t h e name and
,
“

influence o f Doctor Manette may stand him in as good stead

t o morrow — y o u said he would be before the Tribunal
-

again t o morrow Mr Barsad ? , .

“
Yes ; I believe s o .

— I n as good s t ead to morro w as t o day But it may - -

.

n o t be s o I o w n t o y o u , I am shaken, Mr Lorry by
. .
,
 A TA L E OE TW O C I TI E S . 5

Doctor Manette s not having had the power to prevent t h is

’

”
arrest .

“ ”
He may not have known o f it beforehand, said Mr .

Lorry .

“
But that very circumstance would be alarming when we ,

”
remember how identified he is with his s o n in law - -
.

“ ”
’
That s true Mr Lorry acknowledged with his troubled
,
.
,

hand at his chin and his troubled eye s o n C arton

, .

“ ” “
I n short said S y dne y this I s a desperate time when
, , ,

d esperate games are play ed f o r desperate stakes Let the .

Doctor play the winning game ; I will play the losing o n e .

’
N O man s life here is worth purchase Any o n e carried .

h ome by the people to d ay, may be condemned to morrow -

.

N o w the stake I hav e resolved to play for in case o f the

, ,

worst is a friend in the C onciergerie And the friend I

,
.

purpose to myself to win i s Mr Barsad ,

. .

“
Yo u need hav e good cards s ir ”
said the spy , , .

“’
I ll ru n them over I ll s ee what I hold — M r Lorry
.
’
. .
,

’
y o u know what a brute I am ; I wish you d give me a little
”
brandy .

It was put before h im , and he drank o fi a glas sful

d rank o ff another glassful pushed the bottle thoughtfully
away .

“
Mr Barsad h e went o n in t h e tone o f o n e w h o really
.
”
, ,

“
was looking over a hand at cards : Sheep o f the prisons ,
e missary of Republican committees now turnkey , now ,

prisoner always spy and secret informer, so much the more

,

valuable here f o r being E nglish that an E nglishman is les s

O pen t o suspicion o f subornation in those characters than
a F renchman represents h imself to his emplo y ers under a
,

fals e name That s a ver y good card Mr Barsad, n o w in

’
. . .

the employ o f the republican F rench government, was

formerly in t h e employ o f the ar istocratic E nglish govern
ment the enemy o f F rance and freedom That s an excel
,
’
.
:
356 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S .

len t c ard Infe rence clear as day in this region o f su spicion ,

.

that Mr Barsad, still in the pay o f the aristocratic E nglis h

.

government, is the spy o f P itt, the treacherous f oe o f the

Republic crouching in its bosom the E nglish traitor and ,

agent o f all mischief so muc h spoken o f and s o difficult t o

’
fin d . That s a card not t o be beaten Have y o u followed .

my h and, Mr B arsad ?.

Not to understand your play , returne d the spy some ,

what uneasily .

“
I play my Ace, Denunciation o f M r B arsad t o t h e .

nearest Section C ommittee Look over your hand, M r

. .

B arsad and see what y o u have Don t h urry

,
.
” ’
.

He dre w t h e bottle near , poure d o u t another glassful o f

brandy, and drank it o ff H e saw that the spy was fearful
.

o f his drinking h imself into a fit state f o r the immediate

denunciation o f h im S eeing it, h e poure d ou t an d drank

.

another gla ssful .

“
Look over your hand carefully Mr B arsad Take time
, . . .

I t was a poorer hand than h e suspected M r Barsad saw . .

losing cards in it that Sydney C arton knew not h ing o f .

Thrown o u t o f h is h onourable employment in E ngland ,

throug h too muc h unsucces sful hard swearing there — n o t

because h e was not wanted there ; o u r E nglish reasons f o r
v aunting ou r superiorit y t o s ecrecy an d S pies are o f v ery
modern date — h e knew that h e h ad cro ssed the C hannel ,

and accepted service in F rance : first as a tempter an d an ,

e av esdropper among h is o w n countrymen there : gradually ,

as a tempter an d an eavesdropper among the n atives H e .

kne w that under the overth rown gover n ment h e had been
a spy upon S aint Antoine and De f ar ge s wine s h op ; h ad ’ -

received from the wat chful police suc h h eads o f informa

’
tion concerning D octor Manette s imprisonment release , ,

and h istory , as S h ould ser v e h im for an introduction t o

fam iliar con v ersation with t he D e f ar ge s ; an d tried t he m o n
358 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

I s h ould h a v e h oped gentlemen both s aid the spy

, ,
”
,

al w ays stri v ing t o hook Mr Lorry into t h e discussion that

.
“
,

your respect for my s ister

“
I could n o t better testify my respect f o r your sister
t h an by fi nally relievi n g h er o f h er brother, said Sydney
”

C arton .

“
Yo u think not, sir ? ”

I h a v e thoroughly made up my mind about it .

T he smooth manner o f the spy, curiously in diss onanc e

wit h h is ostentatiously rough dress and probably with h is ,

usual demeanour receive d such a check from the in s c ru ta

,

b ility o f C arton , who was a mystery t o wiser and honeste r

m e n than he , that it faltere d h ere and faile d h im While .

h e was at a loss C arton said, resuming his former air o f

,

contemplating cards
“
A n d indeed, now I think again I h ave a strong impres ,

s ion that I have another good card h ere , n o t yet e n u m e r

ated That friend and fellow Sheep who spoke o f him self
.
-
,

as pasturing in the country prisons who was h e ? ” :

“
F rench Yo u don t kno w him, s aid the spy quickly
.
’
,
.

F rench eh ? repeated C arton m using and not appear

”
, , ,

ing to notice him at all , though h e echoed h is word “

Well .

”
he may be .

“ ’
Is I assure you said the spy ; though it s not impor
, ,

”
tant .

“
T h ough it s n o t important, repeated C arton in t h e
’
,

same mec h anical way “

t h ough it s n o t important ’

”
N o it s n o t important
,
’
NO Yet I know the face
. . .

“ ’ ”
I think not I am sure n o t It can t be said the spy
. .
, .

“
It — ’ —
can t b e ”
muttered Sy dney C arton r e t r o s pe c
, ,

t iv e ly, and filling his glass (wh ich fortunately was a small
on e
) aga in “
C.an ’
t — be Spoke good. F renc h Yet like .

a foreigner, I thought ?
“
Pr ovincial said the spy
”
,
.
 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S . 359

No . F oreign !
crie d C arton striking his ope n h and
”
,

o n the table as a light broke clearl y o n his mind

,
C ly ! .

Disguised but the same man We had that m an before

,
.

”
us at the O ld Bailey .

“
Now there you are hasty s ir
,
said Barsad with a , , ,

smile that gave h is a quiline nose an extra inclination to

“
o n e s ide ; there you really give me an advantage over y o u .

C ly (who I will unreservedly admit, at this distance o f

time was a partner of mine ) has been dead several years
,
.

I attende d h im in his last illnes s He was buried in Lon .

don at the church o f S a int Pancras ln the F ields His

,
- - -
.

unpopularity with the blackguard multitude at th e m oment ,

prevented my following his remains , but I h elpe d t o lay

him in his co ffin .

Here Mr Lorry became aware from where he sat o f a

,
.
, ,

most remarkable gobl in shadow o n the wall Tracing it to .

its source he discovered it to be caused by a sudden ex

,

t r ao r din ar y rising and st iffening of all the risen and sti ff

hair o n Mr C runcher s head .
’
.

“
Let us be reasonable said t h e spy, and let us be fair
”
,
.

To S how y o u how m istaken you are and what an unfounded ,

assumption yours is I will lay before you a certificate o f

,

C ly s burial which I happen to have carried in my pocket

’
,

book w ith a hurried hand h e produced an d O pened it ever

,
”
,

s ince There it is
. O h look at it look at it ! Yo u may
.
, ,
” ’
take it in y our hand ; it s no forgery .

Here Mr Lorry perceived the r e fl e x io n o n the wall to

,
.

elongate and Mr C runcher rose and stepped forward His

,
. .

hair could not have been more violently o n end if it had ,

been that moment dressed by the C ow with the crumpled

h orn in the house that Jack built .

Unseen by the spy Mr C runcher stood at his s ide and ,

.
,

touc h ed him o n the shoulder like a gh ostly bailiff .

“
T h at there Roger C ly master said Mr C runcher, wit h
”
, , .
3 60 A TA LE OE Tw o CITI E S .

a taciturn an d iron bound visag e -

S o you put h im in h is
.

co ffi n ? ”

“
I did .

Wh o took him ou t o f it ? ”

Barsad leane d back in h is chair, and stammered, What “

”
do y o u mean ?
“
I mean , said M r C runcher, that he w arn t ne v er in
” “
.
’

it N 0 ! N ot he ! I ll hav e my h ead took o ff, if he was

.
’

e v er in it .

The spy looked ro und at the t w o gentlemen ; t h ey bot h

looked in unspeakable astonis h ment at Je rry _
.

“ ” “
I tell y o u said Jerry , that y o u burie d paving stones
,
-

an d earth in that there coffin Don t go and tell m e t h at

’
.

y o u buried C ly It was . a take in Me and t w o more .

”
kno ws it .

H o w do y o u know it ?
What s t h at t o y o u ? E c o d ! growled Mr C runc he r,
’ ”
.

“ ’
it s y o u I have go t a o ld grudge again, is it with your ,

shameful impos itions upon tradesmen ! I d catc h h old o f

’

your throat and c h oke y o u f o r half a guinea ”

.

Sydney C arton, wh o wi th Mr Lorry had b een lost in

,
.
,

amazem ent at this turn o f the busines s here requested Mr ,

.

C runcher t o moderate and explain himself .

“
At another time, s ir, he returned e v asively the pres
” “
, ,

ent time is ill c o n w e n ie n t f o r e x plain in

-
What I stand to, ’
.

is , that he knows well w o t that there C ly was ne v er in that

there coffin Le t h im say he was in s o much as a word o f
.
,

o n e syllable , and I ll either catch h old o f his throat and

’

choke him for half a guinea ; M r C runcher dwelt upon

”
.

this as quite a liberal off er ; o r I ll o u t and announce ’

h im .
”

“
Humph ! I s ee o n e thing said C arton ,
I h old .

anot h er card , Mr Barsad .Imposs ible here in raging P aris ,

.
,

w ith Suspicion fi ll in g t h e air, f o r y ou t o outli v e d e n u n cia

3 62 A TA LE OE Tw o CITI ES .

I tell y o u once f o r all, there is n o suc h t h ing as an

”
e scape pos s ible ,
said the spy , firmly .

“
Why need you tell me what I h av e n o t ask e d ? You
ar e a turnkey at the C onciergerie ?
“
I am sometimes .
’

Yo u c an be when y o u choose ?
I can pass in and o u t when I choose .

Sydney C arton filled another glas s w it h brandy poured ,

it slowly o u t upon the hearth, and watched it as it dropped .

It being all spent he said, ris ing :

,

S o far we have spoken before these t w o, because it was

,

as well that t h e merits of t h e cards should n o t rest solely

between you and me C ome into t he dark r oo m he r e, and

.

”
le t us have on e final w ord alone .

C HAP T E R IX .

TH E GAM E M A DE .

W HI LE Sydney C arton and the Sheep o f the prisons we re

in the adjoining dark room , S peaking s o lo w that n o t a
s ound was heard, Mr Lorry looked at Jerry in cons iderable
.

d oubt an d m istrust That honest tradesman s manner o f

.
’

receiving the look, did n ot inspire confidence ; he changed

t h e leg o n which he rested as often as if h e h ad fifty o f
,

t hose l imbs and were trying them all ; he exam ined his
,

fin ge r nails with a very questionable closeness o f atten t ion ;

-

an d whene ve r Mr Lorry s eye caught h is he was taken with

’
.
,

t hat peculiar kind o f short cough requir ing the hollow o f a

h and before it which is seldom if ever, known t o be an
, ,

infirmity attendant o n perfect openness o f character .

“ ”
Jerry, said Mr Lorry “
C om e here
.
”
. .
 A TA L E OE Tw o C I TI E S . 3 63

Mr C runcher came for w ard sideways, with o n e of h is

.

shoulders in advance o f him .

“
What have you been besides a messenger ? ,

After some cogitation, accompanied with an intent look

at his patro n, Mr C runcher concei v ed the luminous idea o f
.

”
replying, A gr icu lt o o r al character .

“ ”
My mind misgive s me much , said Mr Lorry angrily .
,

s h aking a forefinger at him, that y o u have used t h e

“

’
respectable and great house o f Te lls o n s as a blind and ,

that y o u hav e had an unlawful occupation o f an infamou s

’
de scription If y o u have , don t expect me to befriend y o u
.

when you get back to E ngland If y o u have, don t expect .

’

’
me t o keep your secret Te llso n s shall not be imposed
.

upon ? ’

“
I h Ope sir pleaded the abashed Mr C runcher that a
,
”
,
“
.
,

gentleman like yourse lf wot I ve h ad t h e honour o f o dd ’

’
j obbing till I m grey at it, would think twice about harming
o f me even if it w o s s o — ’
I don t say it is but even if it
, ,

wos And which it is to be took into account that if it

.

’ ’ ’
wos it wouldn t , even then be all 0 o n e S ide There d be
, ,
.

two sides to it There might be medical doctors at the

.

present hour a picking up their guineas where a honest

,

tradesman don t pick up his fardens — fardens ! no nor y e t

’
,

h is half fardens — half fardens ! no n o r yet his quarter — a ,

banking away like smoke at Te lls o n s and a c o ok in g their ’

,

medical e y e s at that tradesman o n the sly a going in and ,

going o u t t o their o w n carriages — ah ! e qu ally lik e smoke ,

'

if n o t more so Well that u d be imposing too o n Tell

.
’
, , ,
’
son s F o r y o u cannot sarse the goose and not the gander
. .

And here s Mrs C runcher o r leastways w o s in the O ld

’
.
,

E ngland times and would be to morrow if cause given, a

,
-
,
’
fl Oppin again the business to that degree as is ruinating
’
stark ruinating ! Whereas th em medical do c tors wive s
’
don t fl Op catch em at it ! O r if they flop their fl o ppin gs , ,
3 64 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S .

goes infav our o f more patients , an d h o w c an y o u rightly

h av e o n e without the t other ? T h en wot wit h undertakers ,
’
,

an d w o t with parish clerks an d w o t with sextons and w o t

, ,

w ith pri v ate watchmen (all aw ar ic io u s an d all in it) a m an ,

wouldn t get muc h by it, e v en if it w o s s o And w o t

’
.

litt le a man did get, would ne v er prosper w ith him Mr , .

Lorry He d ne v er h av e n o good o f it ; h e d want all along

.
’ ’

t o be o u t o f th e line , if he could see his way o u t being once ,

in — even if it w o s s o .

Ugh ! cried Mr Lorry rather relenting ne v ertheless

”
.
, ,
.

I am s h ocked at the sight o f y o u .

’

N o w what I w ould humbly offer t o y o u , sir pursued

, ,

M r C runcher, even if it w o s s o which I don t say it

.
’
,

is
Don t pre v aricate s aid Mr Lorry
’
. .

N O I will n o t sir, returned Mr C runc h er as if nothing

, ,
.
,

“ ’
were further from his thoughts o r practice wh ich I don t
say it is — w o t I would humbly offer t o y o u , S ir, would be
t h is Upon that t h ere st ool , at that there B ar, sets that
.

t h ere b oy o f mine, brought up and growed up t o be a m an ,

w o t will errand y o u , mes sage y o u general lig h t j o b y ou , ,

- -

till your h eels is wh e re your head is , if such should be your

wishes If it w o s s o, w h ich I still don t say it is (f o r I
.
’

will n o t pr e w ar ic at e t o y o u sir), let that there b o y keep,

his fath e r s place an d take care o f his mother ; don t blow

’ ’
,

upon th at bo y s father — do n o t do it, s ir — and let that

’

’ ’
father go into the line o f the reg lar diggin , an d make
amends f o r w h at he would h ave u n dug — if it w os s o -

by diggin o f em in with a will, and with c o n w ic t io n s

’ ’

’ ’ ’ ” ’
r e s e c t in the futur keepin o f em safe That Mr Lorry
p ,
.
,
.

said M r C runc h er wiping his forehead wit h h is arm as an

.
, ,

announcement that he h ad arrived at the peroration o f his

“
discourse is wot I would respectfully o ffer to y o u sir A
, ,
.

’ ’
m an don t see all this here a goin o n dr eadful round him ,
3 66 A TAL E OE Tw o CITIE S .

aff ected I could n o t see my father weep , and s it by, care

.

less An d I could n o t respect your sorrow more if you

.
,

were my fat h er Yo u are free from that misfortune,

.

h owev e r .

Though h e said the last words , wit h a slip into h is usual

m anner, there was a true feeling and respect both in h is tone
an d in his touch , that Mr Lorry, w h o had never seen the .

better side o f him , was Wholly unprepared for He gav e .

h im his hand, and C arton gently pressed it .

“
To return to poor Darnay s aid C arton ’
Don t tell , .

H er o f t h is interview, o r this arrangement It would not .

e nable H er t o go t o see him S h e might think it was c on .

t r iv e d, i n case o f the worst , t o conv ey t o him t h e means o f

”
anticipating the sentence .

M r Lorry had n o t thought o f that and he looked quickly

.
,

at C arton t o see if it were in his mind It seemed t o be ; .

he returned the look an d e v idently understood it , .

“
S h e m ight think a t h ousand things C arton said, and
” “
,

an y o f t h em would only add t o her trouble

’
Don t speak .

o f me t o h er As I said t o y o u w h en I first came I h ad

.
,

better not see her I can put my hand o u t to do any little

.
,

h elpful work for her that my hand c an find t o do without ,

that You are go I n g to her, I h op e ? She must be v ery

.

”
d esolate t o night -
.

“
I am going now directly , .

I am glad o f that S h e h as suc h a strong attach men t

.

t o y o u and reliance o n you H o w doe s s h e look ? .

“ ”
Anxious and unhappy, but very beautiful .

”
Ah !
It was a long grievi n g sound like a sigh — almost like a
, ,

s ob . It attrac ted Mr Lorry s eyes to C arton s face which

’ ’
.
,

was turned to the fire A light o r a shade (th e o ld gentle

.
,

man could n o t h ave said wh ich ) passed from it as swiftly ,

as a change Will sweep over a h ill s ide o n a w ild brigh t -

 A TALE OE WO CI TI E S
T . 367

day, an d h e lift ed h is foot to put back o n e o f t h e little

flam i ng logs, which was t u mbling forward He wore the .

w h ite riding coat and t o p boots, then in vogue, and th e light

- -

o f the fire touching the ir light surfaces made him look very

pale , with his long brown hair, all untrimmed hangi n g ,

loose about him His indifference t o fire was sufficiently

.

remarkable to elicit a word o f r emonstrance from M r .

Lorry ; his boot was still upon the h o t embers o f the

flaming lo g, when it had broken under the weight o f his
foot.

“
I forgot it h e said
”
, .

M r Lorry s eyes were again attracted to h is face Tak

.
’
.

ing note o f the wasted air which clouded the naturally

’
handsome features , and having the expression o f prisoners
faces fresh in his mind, h e was strongly reminded o f that
e xpres sion .

And y our duties h ere h ave dr awn t o an end, sir ? said

C arton turning to h im
, .

“
Yes As I was telling you last night w h en Lucie came
.

in s o unexpectedly I have at length done all that I can do

,

h ere I h oped to hav e left them in perfect safety, and then

.

t o hav e quitted Paris I h av e my Lea v e t o Pass

. I w as .

”
ready to go .

They were bot h silent .

”
Yours is a long life t o look back upon, sir ? said
C arton wistfully
,
.

“
I am in my se v enty eighth year -
.

Yo u have been useful all your life ; steadil y and con

s t an tly occupied ; trusted respected, and looked up to ? ,

“
I h ave been a man o f business ever s ince I have been a ,

man Indeed I may say that I was a m an o f busin e s s

.
,

”
when a boy .

“
See what a place y ou fill at seventy eight H ow many -
.

people w ill mis s you when y ou leave it empty !

368 A TAL E OE Tw o CITIE S .

A solitary o ld bachelor answered Mr Lorry S haking,

.
,

h is head “
.There is nobody t o weep for me ”
.

“
How can y o u say t h at ? Wouldn t She weep f o r y o u ?
’

Wouldn t her child ?

’

“ ’
Yes yes , thank G o d
,
I didn t quite mean what I
.

”
said .

“
It is a thing to thank God for ; is it not ?
Surely surely ,
.

If y ou could say, with truth to your o w n solitary h eart

, ,
‘
t o night
-
,
I have secured to m yself the love and attach
ment, the gratitude o r respect o f no human creature ; I ,

have w o n myself a tender place in no regard ; I h ave done

’
nothing good o r serviceable to be remembered by ! your
sevent y eight years would be se venty e ight h eavy curses ;
- -

would they n o t ?
Yo u say truly Mr C arton ; I think they would be
,
. .

Sydney turned h is eyes again upon the fire and after a , ,

s ilence o f a few moments , said

“
I should like t o ask y ou z— Does your childhood seem
’
far o ff ? D o the days when y o u sat at your mother s knee ,

seem days of very long ago ?

Responding to h is s oftene d manner, Mr Lorry answered .

“
Twenty years back yes ; at this time o f my life n o
, , .

F o r , as I draw closer and closer to the e n d, I travel in the

circle , nearer and nearer to the beginning It seems t o be .

o n e o f the kind smoothings and pr e par in gs o f the way .

My heart is touched now by many remembrances that had

,

long fallen asleep o f my pretty young mot h er (and I s o

,

and b y many associations o f the days when w h at we

call the World was not so real with me and my faults were ,
”
not confirmed in me .

I understand th e feeling ! ”
exclaimed C art o n , with a
bright flush “
An d y ou are t h e better f o r it ?
I h Ope s o .
3 70 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

Do y o u often go t o see h im
Shav e ? Always E v ery day W h at a barb e r ! Yo u
. .

h ave seen him at work ?

“
Never .

Go an d see him w h en h e h as a good batch F igure .

this to yourself, citizen ; he s h av ed the s ixty three to day - -

,

in less than t w o pipes ! Les s than t wo pipes Word o f .

”
honour !
As the grinning litt le m an held o u t the pipe he w as
smoki n g, to explain h o w h e time d the executioner, C arton
was s o sensible o f a ris ing desire t o strike the life o u t o f
h im, that he turned away .

“
But you are n o t E nglis h, said the wood sawyer,
” -

though y o u wear E nglish dr ess ? ”

Yes said C arton pausing again, an d answering o v e r

”
, ,

h is shoulder .

“
You speak like a F renc h man .

I am an o ld student her e ”
.

Aha a perfect F re n chman ! Good night E nglishman

, , .

”
Good night citiz en ,
.

”
But go and see that droll dog the little man pers iste d, ,

calling after him And take a pipe with y o u !

.

Sydney had not gone far o u t o f sigh t when h e stopped ,

in the middle o f the street under a glimmering lamp and ,

wrote with his pencil o n a scrap o f paper Then, travers .

ing with the decided step o f o n e w h o remembere d the way

well se v eral dark an d dirty streets — much dirtier than
,

usual , f o r the best public thoroughfares remained uncleansed

in those times o f terror he stopped at a Chemist s shop, ’

Which the owner was closing with his o w n hands A .

small dim , crooked s h Op kept in a tortuous u p hill thor

, , ,
-

o u gh f ar e by a small dim crooked man

, , ,
.

Giving this c itizen too good night as he co n fronted him

, , ,

at his counter he laid the scrap o f paper before him

,
.
 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S . 3 71

Whew ! the c h emist whistled softly , as he read it Hi .

h i ! hi ! ”

Sydney C arton took n o h eed and the chemis t said ,

”
F o r you citizen ? ,

”
F o r me .

“
Yo u will be careful to keep them separate citizen ? ,

Yo u know t h e c onse quence s o f mixing them ?

”
Perfectly .

C ertain small packets were made and given to him He .

put them o n e by o n e in the breast o f his inner coat

, , ,

c ounte d o u t th e money for them and deliberately left the ,

”
s hop .
“
There is nothing more to do said he glan c , ,

in g upward at the moon “

until to morrow I can t ,
-
.
’

”
s leep .

It was not a reckles s manner the m anner in w h ich he ,

s aid these words aloud under the fast sailing clo u ds nor -
,

was it more expres sive o f negligence than defiance It was .

the s ettle d manner o f a tired m an who had wandere d and ,

s truggled and go t lost but w h o at length struck into his

,

r oad and saw its end .

Lon g ago when he had been famous among his earliest

,

c ompetitors as a youth O f great promis e he had followed ,

his fat h er to the grave His mother had died y ears b e .

,

fore Thes e s olemn words which had been read at his

.
,

father s grave aros e in his mind as he went down the dark

’
,

streets among the heavy shadows with the moon an d the

, ,

clouds sailing o n high above him I am the resurrection .

and the life saith the Lord : he that believeth in me ,

,

t h oug h he were dead y e t shall he live : and whosoever

,

li v eth and beli eveth in me shall never die ”

,
.

I n a city dominated b y the axe alone at night wit h , ,

natu ral sorrow rising in him f o r the sixty three who h ad -

’
been that day put t o death an d f o r to morrow s victims then ,
-

aw aiting their doom in the prisons and still o f t o morr o w s

’ -
,
3 72 A TA L E OE Tw o CI TI E S .

an d to morrow s , the chain o f as sociation that br o ught t he

- ’

’
words home , like a rusty o ld ship s anchor from the deep,
might h ave b een easily found He did not s eek it, bil t
.

repeated them an d went o n .

With a solemn interest in the lighted windows where

the people were going to rest, forgetful through a few calm
h ours o f the h orrors surrounding them ; in the tow e rs o f
the churc h es where n o prayers were said for th e p o pular
, ,

revulsion h ad e v en trav elled that length o f s elf destructio n -

from years o f priestly impostors, plunder e rs , and pr o fl i

gates ; in t h e distant burial places , reser ved, as th ey wrote
-

upon the gates f o r E ternal Sleep ; in t h e abounding gaols ;

, ,

an d in the streets along whic h the sixties rolled to a death

which h ad become s o common and material, that n o sorrow

ful story o f a h aunting Spirit e v er arose among the people
o u t o f all the working o f the Guillotine ; with a solemn

interest in th e whol e life and death o f t h e city settling

down t o its short nightly pause in fury ; Sydney C arton
crossed the Seine again f o r the lighter streets .

F ew coac h e s were abroad f o r riders in coach es wer e lia

,

ble t o be suspected, an d gentility h id its head in red night

caps , and put o n h eavy s h oes an d trudged But the
,
.
,

theatre s were all well filled, and the people poured c h eer
fully o u t as he passed, and went chatting h ome At o n e .

o f t h e theatre doors , t h ere was a little girl with a mother ,

looking f o r a way acros s the street through the mud He .

carried t h e child over, an d before the timid arm was loosed

from his neck asked her f o r a kiss .

“
I am the resurrection and the life , sait h the Lord : h e
t h at belie v eth in me though he were dead, yet shall h e
,

live : and w h osoe v er liveth an d bel ieveth in me shall ,

n ever die .

N o w that the streets were quiet and the night wore

, ,

o n , the w ords were in th e echoes o f h is feet and w e re ,

3 74 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

C art on dran k n ot h ing but a little co ffee at e s o me bread , ,

and h aving washed and changed t o refresh h imself went

, ,

ou t to the place o f trial .

The court was all astir and a buzz , wh en t h e black sheep

-

whom many fell away from in dread pressed him int o

an obscure corner among the c rowd Mr Lorry was there , . .

and Doctor Manette was there She was there, s itting b e

.

s ide her fat h er .

When h er h usband was brought in , she turned a look

.

upon h im, s o sustain ing, s o encouraging, s o full o f adm ir

ing love and pitying tendernes s , yet so courageous f o r h is
sake, that it called the healthy blood into his face, bright
ened h is glance an d animated h is h e art I f there h ad been
,
.

an y eyes t o notice t h e influence o f her look, o n Sydney C ar

t o n , it would have been seen to be the same influence exactly .

B efore that unjust Tribunal , there was little o r n o order

o f procedure , ensuring t o an y accused person an y reasonabl e

h earing There could have been n o suc h Re v olution if all

.
,

laws , an d forms , an d ceremonies , had n o t first been s o m o n

s t r o u s ly abused that the suic idal vengeance o f the R e v o lu
,

tion was to scatter them all t o the winds .

E very eye was turned to the jury T h e same determine d .

patriots and good republicans as yesterday and the day

before and to morrow an d the day after E ager and promi
,
-
.

nent amo n g them o n e m an with a craving face and h is

, ,

fingers perpetually hovering about his lips w h ose appear ,

ance gav e great satisfaction t o the S pectators A life .

t hirsting, cannibal looking bloody minded juryman, the

-
,
-

Jacques Three o f Saint Antoine The whole jury, as a .

jury of dogs e m pan n e lle d to try the deer .

E v er y e y e then turned to the five judges and th e publi c

prosecutor No favourable lean ing in that quarter to
.

day . A fell uncompromising, murderous bus iness mean

,
-

ing there Ev ery e y e then sought some oth er eye in t h e

.
 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S . 3 75

c rowd, and gleamed at it approvingly ; an d h eads nodded

at o n e another, before bending forward with a strained
attention .

C harle s E vr emonde , calle d Darnay Release d yester .

d ay . R e accused and r e taken yes t erday

-
Indi c tment -
.

d elivered to h im last night Suspected an d Denounced .

e nemy o f the Republic Aristocrat one o f a family of , ,

tyrants o n e o f a race proscribed, for that they had used

,

t heir abolished privileges to the infamous O ppress ion of the

people C harles E vr emonde called Darnay in right of
.
, ,

s uch proscription absolutely Dead in L aw ,

.

To this effect in as few or fewer words the Public Pros

, ,

e cu to r .

The Pres ident asked was t h e Accused O penly denounced ,

o r secretly ?
“ ”
O penly President ,
.

By whom ?

Three voices E rnest D e farge , win e ve ndor o f Saint

.
-

”
Antoine .

“
Good .

Th er ese Defarge, h is wife .

”
Good .

Alexandre Manette phys ician , .

A great uproar took pl ace in the court and in th e m ids t ,

o f it Doctor Manette was seen pale and trembling stand

, , ,

ing where he had been seated .

Pres i dent, I indignantly protest to you that this is a

forger y and a fraud You know the accused to be the b u s
.

band o f my daughter My daughter and those dear to her

.
, ,

are far dearer to me than my life Who and where is the .

false conspirator w h o says that I denounce the husband of

my child ?
C itizen Manette be tran quil To fail in submission to
, .

th e authority o f the Tribunal would be t o put yourself o u t

 A TALE OE TW O CITI E S .

of Law A S t o wh at is dearer t o yo u than life, not h ing can

.

”
be so dear t o a good citizen as the Republic .

Loud acclamations h ailed t h is re b uke Th e President .

rang h is bell, and with warmt h r e sumed .

If th e Republic should demand o f y ou the sacrifice o f your

child herself y o u would hav e n o duty but t o sacrifice h er
, .

Listen t o w h at is t o follow I n th e mean while, be s ile n t !

.

F rantic acclamations were again raised Doctor Manette .

sat down , wit h his eyes looking around, and his lips trem
bling ; h is daughter drew closer t o him The craving man .

o n the jury rubbed his h ands toget h er , an d restored the

usual h and t o his mout h .

Defarge was produced, w h en t h e court was quiet enough

t o admit o f his being heard, and rapidly expounded the
story o f the imprisonment, and o f his having been a mere
’
b o y in the Doctor s service and o f the release and o f the
, ,

state o f the prisoner when released an d delivered t o him .

This short examination follo w ed, f o r th e court was quick

with its work .

“
You did good ser v ice at t he taking o f t h e B astille ,
”
citizen ?
“
I belie v e s o .

Here , an excited woman screec h ed from the crowd : Yo u “

were o n e o f the best patriots there Why n o t say so ? .

Yo u were a cannonier that day there and y o u were among ,

the first t o enter the accursed fortress when it fell Patri .

o t s , I speak the truth !

It was The Vengeance w h o amidst the warm co m m e n

,

dations o f the audience thus ass isted the proceedings

,
.

The P res ident rang his bell ; but, The Vengeance warming ,
“
with encouragement, shrieked, I defy that bell ! wherein
she was likewise muc h commended .

“
Inform t h e Tribunal o f what y o u did th at day With in ‘

”
the Bastille citizen
,
.
3 78 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S .

the last mont h o f the y ear, 1 7 67 I write it at stolen in

.

t e r v als un der every di fficulty

,
I design t o secrete it in
.

the wall o f th e chimney, where I hav e S lowly and labori

o u s ly made a place o f concealment f o r it S ome pity ing .

hand may find it there, w hen I an d my sorrows are dust .

“
Thes e words are formed by the rusty ir on po int with
which I write with di fficulty in scrap ings o f s oot an d char
coal from the ch imney mixed w ith blood in the last mont h
, ,

o f the tenth year of my capti v ity Hope h as quite departed

.

from my breast I know from terrible warnings I ha ve

.

noted in mys elf that m y reason will not long remain unim
paired, but I solemnly declare that I am at this time in the
possess ion o f my r ight m ind — that my memory is exact
an d c ircumstantial and that I write the truth as I shall
answer for these my last recorded words whether they be ,

eve r read by m e n or not, at the E ternal Ju dgm e n t s eat -

.

“
O ne cloudy moonlight nigh t, in t h e third week o f
December (I think the twenty second o f t h e mon th) in the
-
,

year 1 7 5 7, I was walki n g o n a retire d part o f the quay by

’
th e S eine f o r the refreshment o f the frosty air at an hour s ,

distance from my place o f residence in the Street o f t h e

S c h ool o f Medicine, w h en a carriage came along be h ind me
driven v ery fast As I stood aside to let th at carriage
.

pass , appre h ens ive that it might ot he rwise r u n me down a ,

h ead was put o u t at the windo w, an d a v oice c alled to the

driver t o stop.

“
The carriage stopped as soon as th e driver could rein in
h is horses, and the sa m e v oice called t o m e by m y name I .

answered The carriage was th en so f ar in advance o f me

.

that tw o gentlemen h ad time t o open t h e door and alight

b e fore I came up with it I O bserved that they were both
.

wrapped in cloaks , and appeared t o conceal themselves A s .

they stood s ide by side near the c arriage door I also observed ,

t h at t hey both looked o f about m y own age o r rather younger ,

,
 A TA L E OF T WO C ITI E S . 3 79

and that they were greatl y alike in stature, manner voice, , ,

and (as far as I could see ) fa c e too .

You are Doctor Manette ? said o n e .

’
I am .

Doctor Mane t te formerl y of Beauvais said the ot h er ;

,
’
,

‘
the young phys ician originally an expert surgeon w h o
, , ,

within the last year o r two has made a rising reputation in

Par is ?
“ ’ ‘
Gentlemen I returned, I am that Doctor Manette of
,
’
whom y ou speak so graciously .

We hav e been to your residence said the first an d ,

’
,
‘

n o t being so fortunate as to find you there , and bein g

informed that you were probably walking in this direction ,

we followed in the h ope o f overtaki n g y o u

,
Will y o u .

please to enter the carriage ?

The manner o f both was imperious and they both moved, ,

as these w ords were spoken so as to place me between ,

t hemselves an d the carriage door They were armed I . .

was not .

’ ‘
Gentlemen said I pardon me ; but I usually inquire
, ,

who does me the honour to seek my ass istance and what is ,

’
the nature o f the case to which I am summoned .

“
The reply to this was made by him who had spoken
,

s econd . Doctor, your clients are people of conditio n As .

to the nature o f the case o u r confidence in y our skill

,

assure s us that y o u will ascertain it for y ourself better than

we can describe it E nough Will y o u ple as e t o enter the
‘

. .

carriage ?
“
I could do nothing but comply and I e n tered it in ,

silence They both entered after me — the last spri n gin g

.

in after putting up the steps The c arriage turned about

, .
,

and drov e o n at its former speed .

I repeat this conversation exactly as it oc curred I .

have no doubt that it is word for word the same I

, ,
.
38 0 A TAL E OE TW O CITI E S .

describe everything exactly as it took place , cons t raining

my mind n o t t o wander from the task Where I make the .

broken marks that follow here I leave off f o r the time , ,

an d put my paper in its hiding place

-
.

The carriage left the streets be h ind, passed the North

B arrier and emerged upon the Country road At two
,
.

thirds o f a league from the Barrier — I did not estimate the

distance at that time but afterwards when I traversed it
,

it struck o u t o f the m ain avenue an d presently stoppe d at ,

a solitary house We all three alighted, an d walked by a

.
,

damp soft footpath in a garden where a neglected fountain

had o v e rfl o w e d to the door o f t h e house It was not O pened
,
.

immediately in answer to the ringing o f the bell and o n e

, ,

o f my two conduc t ors struck the man w h o Opened it with ,

his heavy riding glove across the face

-
,
.

There was nothing in this action to attract my particular

attention for I had seen common people struck more com
,

m o n ly than dogs But, the other o f the tw o bein g angry

.
,

likewise struck the m an in like manner with his arm ; the

,

look an d bearing o f the brothers were then s o exactly alike,

that I then first perceive d them to be twin brothers .

“
F rom the tim e of our alighting at the outer gate (whic h
we found locked an d which o n e o f the brothers had O pene d
,

to admit us and had r e locked) I had heard crie s proceed

,
-
,

ing from an upper chamber I was conducted to this .

chamber straight the cr ies growing louder as we ascended

,

the stairs , and I found a patient in a high fever o f t h e

brain, lying o n a bed .

“
The patient was a woman o f great beauty and young ; ,

assuredly not much past twenty Her hair was torn an d .

ragged, and her arms were bound to her si d es with sas h es

an d handkerchiefs I n oticed t hat thes e bonds were all
.

’
portions o f a gentleman s dress On o n e o f them which .
,

was a fringed scarf for a dres s o f ceremony , I s aw t h e

38 2 A TA LE OE T WO CITIE S .

I had known what I was com ing to see I could have come ,

provided As it is , time must be lost There are no

. .

’
medicines to be obtained in this lonely place .

“
The elder brother looked to the younger who said ,

haughtily There is a case of medicines here ; and brought

,

i t from a closet and put it o n the table ,

.

“
I opened some of the bottles , smelt them and put the ,

stoppers to my lips If I had wanted to use an y thing save .

narcotic medicines that were poisons in thems elves I woul d ,

not have administered an y o f those ‘

Do y o u doubt them ? asked the younger broth er .

Yo u see monsieur, I am going to use them I replied,

,
’
,

and said no more .

I made the patient swallow with great difficulty and , ,

after many efforts the dos e that I desired to give As I

,
.

intended to repeat it after a while, an d as it w as neces sary

to watc h its influence I then s at down b y the side o f the ,

bed There was a timid and suppressed woman in attend

.

ance (wife o f the man down stairs) w h o had retreated into -

,

a corner The house was damp and decayed indifferently

.
,

furnis h ed — evidently recently occupie d and temporarily ,

used S ome thick o ld h angings had been nailed up before

.

the windows to deaden the sound o f the shrieks

,
They .

continued to be uttered in their regular successio n , w ith

the c ry, M y husband m y father, and my brother ! the ,
’

’
counti n g up to twelve and Hush ! The fren zy was so ,

violent that I had not unfastened the bandage s restraining

,

the arms ; but I had looked to t hem to see that they were
, ,

not painful The only spark of encouragement in the case

.
,

was that my hand upon the sufferer s breast had this much
,
’

s oothi n g influence that for minutes at a time it tranquillised

,

the figure It had no effect upon the cries ; no pendulum

.

could be more re gular .

“
F o r the reason that my hand had this e ff ect (I assume ) ,
 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S . 383

I had sat by the s ide of the bed for half an hour with the ,

two brothers looking o n before the elder said : ,

’
There is another patient .

I was startled and asked I S it a p ress ing case ?

, ,

Yo u had better see , he carelessly answered ; and took

’

up a light .

“
The oth er patient lay in a back room across a second
staircase , whi c h was a species o f loft over a stable There .

was a low plastered ceiling to a part o f it ; the rest was

O pen to the ridge o f the tiled roof and there were beams
, ,

across Hay and straw were stored in that portion of the

.

place fagots for firing and a heap o f apples in sand I

, ,
.

had to pas s through that part to get at the other My ,

.

memory is circumstantial and unshaken I try it with .

these details and I see them all in this my cell in t h e

, ,

Bastille near the close of the tenth year o f my captiv ity,

,

as I saw t h em all that night .

O n some hay on the ground with a cushion thrown ,

under his head lay a handsome peasant b o y ,

a b oy of not
more than seventeen at the most He lay on his back with .
,

his teeth set his right hand clenche d o n his breast and his
, ,

glaring eyes looking straight upward I could not see .

where his wound was as I kneeled o n o n e knee over him ,

:

b u t I could see that he was dying o f a wound from a sharp

,

point .

“ ‘ ’ ‘
I am a doctor m y poor fellow said I Let me
, , .

’
examine it .

I do not want it examined he answered ;

’
let ,
’
it be .

“
It was under his hand and I soothed him to let me ,

move his hand away The wound was a sword thrust .

-
,

received from twenty to twenty fo u r hours before but no -

,

s kill could have saved him if it had been looked to without

delay He was then dy ing fast As I turned my e y es t o

. .
3 84 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

the elder brot h er, I saw him looking down at this handsome
boy whose life was ebbing o u t, as if h e were a wou n ded
bird o r hare o r rabbit ; not at all as if he were a fello w
, ,

creature .

H o w has this been done , mons ieur ? ’

s aid I .

A crazed young common do g! A serf ! F orced my

brother to draw upon him and has fallen by my brother s ,
’

’
s word like a gentleman .

“
There was no touch o f p ity, sorrow, or kindred humanity,
in this answer The S peaker seemed to acknowledge that it
.

was inconvenient to h a v e that different order o f creature

dying there and that it would have been better if he had
,

died in the usual obscure routine o f h is vermin kind H e .

was quite incapable o f any compassionate feeling about th e

b oy o r about his fate
,
.

The boy s eyes had slowly moved to him as he had

’

spoken an d t h ey now slowly mo v e d to me

, .

“
Doctor, they are very proud, t h ese Nobles ; but we
‘

common dogs are proud t o o sometimes The y plunder us, ,

.

outrage us beat us kill us ; but we h ave a little pride left

, , ,

sometimes She have y ou seen h er, Doctor ?

.
’

“
The shrieks and the cries were audible there, though
subdued by the distance He referred to them as if she .
,

were lying in o u r presence .

“
I said, I have seen h er ’
.

She is my S ister D octor They hav e had their s h ame ,

.

ful rights these Noble s in the modesty an d v irtue o f our

, ,

sisters many years but we have had good girls among us

, ,
.

I know it and have heard my father s ay s o

,
She was a .

good girl She was betrothed to a good young m an too : a

.
,
’
tenant of his We were all tenants o f his — t h at man s
.

who stands there The other is his brother the worst of a

.
,
’
bad race .

“
It w as with the greatest difficulty that the b oy gat h ered
fronting o n e another I c an see, e v en in this Bastille ; th e
,

gentleman s , all negligent in diff e r e n c e ; th e peasant s all

’ ’
_
,

trodden down sentiment and passionate revenge

-
,
.

Yo u know Doctor, that it is among t h e Righ ts o f

,

these Noble s t o h arnes s us com m on dogs t o carts and driv e ,

us . They s o harnessed him and drove him Yo u kno w .

that it is among t heir Rights to keep us in their grounds all

night quieting the frogs in order that t h eir noble slee p
, ,

m ay not be disturbed They kept him o u t in the unw h ole

.

some mists at night and ordere d h im back into his h arnes s

,

in the day But h e was not persuaded N o ! Taken o u t

. .

o f harnes s o n e day at noon to feed if he could fin d food

,

h e sobbed twelve times once f o r e v ery stroke o f the bell,

,

’
and died o n her bosom .

Nothing human could h ave held life in t h e b oy but h is

determination to tell all his wrong He forced back th e .

gathering shadows o f death, as he forced h is clenc h ed right

hand to remain clenched, and to cover his wound .

Then w ith that man s permiss ion and e v en w it h h is

,
’

aid his brother took h er away ; in sp ite o f what I know

,

she must have told h is brother — and w h at t h at is will not ,

be long unknown to you , Doctor if it is now — his br other ,

took her away f o r his pleasure an d di v ers ion f o r a little ,

while I saw her pas s me o n the road When I took the

. .

tid i ngs l ome o u r father s h eart burst ; he ne v er spoke o n e

1
,
’

o f the wor d s that filled it I took my young sister (f o r I

.

have another) to a place beyond the reach o f this man, an d

where at least she will never be h is vassal
, , Th en , I .

tracked the brother here and last nigh t climbed in — a ,

c ommon dog but sword in hand — Where is the loft w in

,
.

’
dow ? It was somewhere here ?
“
The room was darkening to his S ight ; the world w as
narrowing around h im I glanced about me and saw t h at
.
,

the hay and straw were trample d over the floor, as if th ere
h ad been a struggle .
 A TA LE OE TW O CITI E S . 3 87

She heard me an d ran in I told her not to c ome n e ar

, .

us till he was dead He came in and first tossed me some

.

pieces of m oney ; then struck at me with a whip But I .

,

though a common dog so struck at him as to make him ,

dra w Let him break into as many pieces as he will the

.
,

s word that he stained with my com m on blood ; he drew to

defend himself thrust at me with all his skill for his life .
’

“
My glance had fallen but a few moments before o n the
, ,

f ragments of a broken sword l y ing among the h ay That , .

’
weapon was a gentleman s I n another place lay an o ld .
,

s word that seemed to h ave been a soldier s

’
.

N o w , lift me up Doctor ; lift me up ,

Wh ere is he ? .

’
He is not here I said supporting the b oy and t hink
, , ,

in g that he referred to the brother .

‘
He ! Proud as these nobles are he is afraid to see me ,
.

W h ere is the man who w as here ? Turn my face to him .

’

’
I did so raising the boy s head against m y knee But
,
.
,

inv ested for the moment wi t h extraordinary power h e ,

raised h imself completely : obliging me to rise too, o r I

coul d n o t ha v e still supported him .

Marquis said the boy turned to him wit h h is eyes

’
, ,

‘
O pened wide and his right han d raised in the day s when ,

all these things are to be an swered for , I summon y o u and ,

y ours t o the last o f y our bad race to answer for them I ,

.

m ark this cross o f blood upon you as a sign that I do it ,

.

I n the day s when all these things are to be answere d for I .

summon your brother the worst of the bad rac e to answer

, ,

for them separately I mark this cros s of blood upon him

.
,

’
as a S ign that I do it .

“
Twice he put his hand to the wound in h is breast and
, ,

with his forefinger drew a cross in the air He stood for .

an instant with the finger y e t raised an d as it dropped he , , ,

dr opped with it and I laid him down dead

,
.

“
Wh e n I re t urned to the beds ide of the y oung woman I ,
3 88 A TA LE OE T WO C I TI E S .

found her raving in precisely the same order and continuity .

I knew that this might last for many hours , and that it
would probably end in the S ilence of the grave .

“
I repeated the medicines I had given her and I sat at ,

the side o f the bed until the night was far advanced She .

never abated the pierc i ng quality o f her shrieks neve r ,

stumbled in the distinctness o r the order o f her words .

‘
They were alway s My husband, my father and m y brother ! ,

On e two three , four five six, seven , eight nine t e n

, , , , , , ,

ele ven twelve Hush !

,
.

“
This lasted twenty six hours from the time when I first
-

saw h er I had come and gone twice and was again sitting
.
,

by her, w h en she began to falter I did what l ittle could be .

done to assist t h at opportunity and b y an d b y she sank into ,

- -

a lethargy and lay like the dead

,
.

“
It was as if th e wind and rain h ad lulled at last after ,

a long and fearful storm I released her arms and called .

,

the woman to assist me to co m pose her figure and the dres s

she had torn It was then that I knew her condition to be
.

th at o f o n e in whom the first expectations o f being a mother

ha v e arisen ; and it was then that I lost the little h Ope I
had had o f h er .

I S she dead ? asked the Marquis w h om I will still

’
,

describe as the elder brother, coming booted into the room

from his horse .

’ ’
Not dead said I ; but like to die,
.

’
What strength there is in these common bodies ! he
said looking down at h er with some curiosity
, .

’
There is prodigious stre n gth, I answered him in ,
‘

’
sorrow and despair .

“
He first laughed at my words and t hen frowned at ,

them He moved a chair with his foot near to mine

.
,

or dered the woman away and said in a subdued voice , , ,

Doctor finding m y brother in this difficulty with

,
3 90 A TA L E OE Tw o CITI E S .

curtain at the head o f the bed when I was there But when .

it came to t hat they seeme d careless what communication

,

I might hold with her ; as if — the thought passed through

m y mind — I were dying too .

I alway s observed that their pride bitterly resented the

younger brother s (as I call him) having crossed swords
’

with a peasant and that peasant a boy The onl y c o n s id

,
.

c ration that appeared really t o a ff ect t h e mind o f either o f

them , was the consideration that this was highly degrading

to the family and was ridiculous As often as I caugh t
,
.

’
the younger brother s ey es their expres s ion reminded m e ,

that he disl iked me deeply for knowing what I knew fro m ,

the boy H e was smoother and more polite to me than th e

.

elder ; but I saw this I also saw that I was an e n cu m .

brance in the mind o f the elder t o o .

“
My patient died tw o hours before midnight — at a,

time by m y watch an swering almost t o the minute when

, ,

I had first seen her I was alone with her w h en her f o r

.
,

lorn young head drooped gently o n o n e s ide and all h e r ,

earthly wrongs an d sorrows ended .

“
The brothers were waiting in a room down stairs im -
,

patient t o r ide away I had heard them alone at the bed

.
,

s ide striking their boots with their riding whips and

,
-
,

loitering up and down .

At last she is dead ? said the elder when I went in ,

.

’
She is dead said I ,
.

’
I congratulate y o u , my brother were his words as he ,

turned round .

“
He had before o fi e r e d me mone y which I had post ,

poned taking He now gave me a rouleau of gold I took

. .

it from his hand but laid it o n the table I had considered

, .

the questio n and had resolved to accep t nothing

, .

’
Pray excuse me said I
‘
Under the circumstances n o
,
.
,
.

They exchanged looks but bent their heads to me as I ,

 A TA L E OE Tw o CITI E S . 391

b ent m ine to them and we parted without another word o n

,

e ither side .

“
I am weary weary weary — worn down b y misery I
, ,
.

c annot read what I have written with this gaunt hand .

“
E arly in the morning, the rouleau of gold was left at
m y door in a little box with my name o n the outs ide , .

F rom the first I had anxiously considered what I ought to

,

do. I dec ided that day to write priv ately to the Minis
, ,

ter stating the nature o f the two cases to which I had been
,

summoned, and the place to which I had gone : in effect ,

s tating all the circumstances I kne w what C ourt in fl u .

e nce was and what the immunitie s o f the Nobles were and
, ,

I expected th at the matter would never be heard o f ; but I ,

wished to relieve my o w n mind I had kept the matter a .

profound secret even from my wife ; and this too I re

, , ,

s olved t o state in my letter I had no apprehension what .

e ver o f m y real danger ; but I w as conscious that there ,

might b e d anger for others if others were compromised ,

by posse s sing the knowledge that I possessed .

“
I was much engaged that day and could not complete ,

m y letter that night I rose long before my usual time

.

n ext morning to finish it It was the last day of the y ear

. .

Th e letter was l y ing before me just completed when I was ,

t old that a lady w aited who wished to see me ,

.

“
I am growing more and more unequal to t h e task I have
s e t m y self .It is s o cold s o dark m y senses are so b e , ,

n umbed , and the gloom upon me is so dreadful .

“
The lady was y oung engaging and handsome but not , , ,

m arked f o r long life She was in great agitation She

. .

presented herself t o me as the w ife o f the Marquis St ,

.

E vremonde I c onnected the title b y which the b o y had

.

addressed the elder brot h er w ith the initial letter e m b r o id ,

ered o n the scarf and had no d i ffic ult y in arriving at th e

, ,

c onclusion that I had seen that nobleman very lately .

3 92 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

My memory is still accurate but I cannot write the ,

words o f o u r conversation I suspec t that I am watche d .

more closely than I was and I know n o t at what times I ,

may be watched She had in part suspected, and in par t

.

disco v ered, the main facts o f t h e cruel story o f her h us ,

’
band s share in it and my being resorted to She did n o t
,
.

know that the girl was dead Her hope had been she said .
,

’
in great distres s to S how her, in secret, a woman s s y mpa
,

thy Her hope had been to avert the wrath o f Heaven

.

from a House that had long been hateful t o the s n fi e r in g

many .

“
She had reasons for believing that there was a youn g
sister living and her greatest des ire was t o help that sis
, ,

ter I could tell her nothing but that there was suc h a
.

sister ; beyond that I knew nothing Her inducement to ,

.

come to me relying o n my confidence, had been the hope t h at

,

I could tell her the name and place o f abode Wherea s, .

t o this wretched hour I am ignorant o f both .

These scraps o f paper fail me O ne was taken from .

me with a warning yesterday I must finis h my record

, , .

t o day
-
.

She was a good compassionate lady and n o t h appy in

, ,

her marriage H o w could she be ! The brot h er distrusted

.

and disliked her and his influence was all O pposed to her ;
,

she stood in d read o f him an d in dread o f her husband t o o ,

.

When I handed h er down to the door, t h ere was a child, a

pretty boy from two to three years O ld, in her carriage .

F or h is sake , Doctor she said pointing to h im in

’
, ,
‘
tears I would do all I can to make what poor amends 1
,

can He will ne ver prosper in his inheritance otherwise

. .

I have a presenti ment that if no other innocent atonement

is made f o r this it will one day be re quired o f h im What
, .

I have left to call m y o w n it is little beyond t h e worth

o f a f e w j ewels I will make it the firs t charge o f his l ife
3 94 A TA L E OE T WO CITI E S .

kno w by a word whether alive o r dead — I might have

thought that He had n o t quite abandoned them But now .
,

I belie v e that the mark o f the red cross is fatal to them ,

and that they have n o part in His mercies And them and .

their descendants to the last o f t heir race , I Alexandre

,

Manette , unhappy prisoner do this last night o f the year

,

1 7 67 in my unbearable agony denounce t o the time s when

, ,

all these t h ings S hall be answered for I denounce them .

”
t o Heaven and to earth .

A terrible so u nd aros e when the reading o f this docu

ment was done A sound o f craving and eagerness that
.

h ad nothing articulate in it but blood The narrative .

called up the most revengeful pas s ions o f t h e time and ,

there was not a head in the nation but must have dropped
before it .

Little need in pre sence o f that tribunal and that audi

,

tory to show h o w the De f ar ge s had not made the paper

,

public with the other captured B astille memorials borne

,

in procession and had kept it biding the ir time

,
Little
, .

need to show that this detested famil y name had long been
an athematised by Saint Antoine and was wrought into the ,

fatal register The man never trod ground whose virtues

.
,

and service s would h ave sustained him in that place that

day against such denunciation
,
.

And all the worse for the doomed man that the de ,

n o u n ce r was a well known ci t izen h is o w n attached friend

-
, ,

the father o f h is w ife O ne of the frenz ie d aspirations of

.

the populace was for imitations o f the questionable public

,

virtues o f antiquity, and for sacrifices and self immolations -

’
o n the people s altar Therefore when the President said
.
,

( e lse had his o w n head quivered o n his shoulders

) that ,

the good ph y s ician o f the Republic would deser v e better

s till o f the Republic by rooting o u t an obnoxious famil y o f
 A TALE OE Tw o CI TI E S . 395

Ar istocrats and would doub t less feel a sacred glow and

,

j o y in making his dau ghter a widow and her c hild an

orphan there was wild exc itement pat riotic fervour not
, , ,

a touch of human s y mpath y .

“ ”
Much infl uence around him has that Doctor ? mur ,

mured Madame Defarge smiling to The Vengeance Save , .

”
him now m y Doctor save him !
, ,

’
At ever y jury man s vote there was a roar Another and ,
.

another Roar and roar

. .

Unanimousl y voted At heart and by descen t an Aristo .

c r at an enem y o f the Republic a notorious O ppressor of

, ,

the People Back to the C onciergerie and Death within

.
,

four an d twenty hours !

- -

C HAPT E R X I .

D US K .

TH Ewretched wife of the innocent man thus doo med to

die fell under the sentence as if she had been mortally
, ,

str icken But she uttere d n o sound ; and so strong was

.
,

the voice within her representing that it was she of all the
,

world w h o must uphold him in his misery an d not augme n t

it that it quickly raised her even from that shock
, ,
.

The judges having to take part in a public demonstration

out of doors the tribunal adjourned The quick noise and
, .

’
movement o f the court s empty ing itself by many passages
had n o t ceased when Lucie stood stretching o u t her arms
,

towards her husband with nothing in her face but love and,

consolation .

“
If I might touch him ! If I m ight embrace him once !
0 good citizens if y ou would have so muc h compassion
, ,
.

for us !
3 96 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

T h er e was but a gaoler left along with t w o o f the four ,

m e n w h o had taken him last night, an d Barsad Th e .

people had all poured o u t to the show in the streets Bar .

sad proposed to the rest Let h er embrace him then ; it is

“
, ,

”
b u t a moment .It was s ilent ly acquiesced in and they ,

passed h er o v er the seats in the hall to a raised place ,

where he, b y leaning over the dock could fold h er in his ,

arms .

“
F arewell , dear darling o f m y soul My parting bles s .

ing o n my lo v e We shall meet again wh ere t h e weary

.
,

”
are at re st !
They were h er husband s words , as he h eld h er t o h is
’

bosom .

“
I c an bear it dear Ch arles I am supported from
,
.

’
above don t suff er f o r me A parting bless ing f o r o u r
:
.

child .

“
I send it t o her by you I kis s h er by y o u I say . .

farewell t o her by y ou .

“
My husband N o ! A moment !
.
”
H e was tearing
h imself apart from h er “
We shall n o t be separated long
. .

I feel that this will break my heart b y and b y ; but I will - -

do my duty while I can and when I leave h er, G o d will ,

”
raise up friends f o r her as He did f o r me ,
.

Her father had followed h er, an d would have fallen on

his knees t o both o f them but that Darnay put o u t a h and ,

and se ized him , crying

N o , n o ! What have y o u done , w h at have y ou done ,
t h at y ou S h ould kneel to us ! We know n o w , what a strug
g yle o u m ade o f o ld We know n o.w w h at y o u underwent ,

when y o u suspected my descent and when you knew it ,

.

We know n o w t h e natural antipat h y you stro v e against

, ,

and conquered for her dear sake We thank y o u with all

,
.

o u r hearts , and all o u r love an d duty Heav e n be with .

y ou !
3 98 A TA L E OE T wo CI TI E S .

’
she is better so ; don t revive her t o consciousnes s whil e ,

”
s h e only faints .

“
O h C arton C arton dear C arton ! cried l ittle Lucie
,
”
, , ,

spr inging up and throwing her arms passionately round

“
him in a burst of grief
,
N o w that y ou have come , I .

t h ink you w ill do something to help mamma something t o ,

save papa ! 0 look at her dear C arton ! C an y o u , o f all

, ,

t h e people wh o love her bear to see her so ? ,

H e bent over the child an d laid her blooming cheek ,

against his face He put her gently from him and looked .
,

at her unconscious mother .

“ ”
Before I go, he said, and paused I m ay kiss .

”
her ?
It was remembered afterwards that when h e bent down
an d touched her face with h is lips , he murmure d some
words The child who was nearest to h im told them
.
, ,

afterwards an d told her grandchildren when she was a

,
.

handsome o ld lady that she h eard him say A life y o u“

, ,

love ? ’

When he had gone out into the next room , h e turned sud
d e n ly on Mr Lorry an d her father, w h o were following,
.

and said to the latter

You had great influence but yesterday Doctor Manette ; ,

let it at least be tried These judges and all the m e n in

, ,
.
,

power are very friendly to y o u and very recognisant o f

, ,

your services ; are they not ?

“
Nothing connecte d with C harles was concealed from
me . I had the strongest assuran ces t h at I should sav e him ;
”
and I did He returned the answer in great tro u ble and
.
,

very slowly .

“
Try th em again The hours between this and t o .

morrow afternoon are few an d S hort but try ,

.

“ ”
I intend to try I will not rest a moment . .

’
That s well I have known such energy as yours do .
 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S . 399

great things before now —

though never, h e added with a ”
,

s mile and a sigh together

“
suc h great things as this But
, .

try ! O f little worth as life is when we misuse it it is ,

worth that effort It would cost nothing to lay down if it

.

”
were not .

“
I will go said Doctor M an e tte , to the Prosecutor an d
,
“

the President straight and I will go to others whom it is

,

better n o t to name I will write too, and . But stay !

There is a celebration in the str e ets, an d n o o n e will b e
”
accessible until dark .

“
That s true Well ! It is a forlorn h ope at the best
’
.
,

and not much the forlorner for being delay ed till dark I .

should like to know how you speed ; though m ind ! I ex ,

pe ot nothing ! Wh en are you likely to h ave seen thes e

”
dread powers Doctor Manette ? ,

“
Immediately after dark I s h ould h Ope With in an ,
.

h our o r two from this .

“
It will be dark soon after four Let us stretch t h e .

h our or two If I go to Mr Lorry s at nine S hall I hear

.
’
.
,

what y ou have done e ith er from o u r friend or from your

”
self ?

Yes .

”
May you prosper !
M r Lorry followed S y dn e y to t h e outer door and, touch
.
,

ing him o n the shoulder as he was going away caused h im ,

to turn .

“
I h av e no hope , said Mr Lorry in a low and sorrow .
,
‘

ful whisper .

Nor have I .

If any o n e o f these m e n or all of these men were dis ,

.

posed to spare him — which is a large supposition ; for

what is h is life or any man s to them ! — I doubt if they
,
’

”
durst spare him after t h e demonstration in the cou rt .

“
And so do I I heard the fall o f th e axe in that sound
.
.
400 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

Mr Lorry leaned his arm upon t h e door post, an d bowe d

.
-

h is face upon it .

“
Don t despond, said C arton , v ery gently ; don t grie v e
’ ” ’
.

I encouraged Doctor Manette in t h is idea because I felt ,

that it might o n e day be consolatory t o her O therwise, .

s h e might think his life was wantonly thrown away o r

‘

wasted, and that might troubl e her

’ ”
.

“
Ye s, yes, yes, r e turned Mr Lorry, dry ing h is eyes
”
.
,

y o u are right But h e will.perish ; there is n o real h Ope

”
.

“
Y e s H e will perish ; there is n o real hope, echoe d
.
”

C arton An d w alked with a settled step, down stairs

.
-
.

C HAPT E R XII .

D A R KN E S S .

S Y D N E Y C A R TO N paused in the street n o t quite dec ided ,

“ ’”
where to go At Te lls o n s banking house at nine, he
.
-

s aid wit h a musing face

“
,
Shall I do well in the m ean
.
,

time , t o show myself ? I think s o It is best that t h ese .

people sh ould know there is such a man as I here ; it is a

sound precaution, and may be a neces sary preparation But .

”
care care care ! Let me t hink it o u t !
, ,

C hecking h is steps which h ad begun to tend towards an

obj ect he took a turn or two in the already darkening
,

street, and traced the thought in h i s m i nd to its poss ible

“
cons equences His firs t impre ssion was confirmed
. It is .

best h e said finally resolved that these people should

,
”
,
“
,

”
know there is such a m an as I here And he turned his .

face towards Saint Antoine .

Defarge had described himself that day as the keeper o f , ,

a wine s h Op in the Saint Antoine suburb It was not d iffi

-
.

cult for one who knew the city well, to find h is house w it h
40 2 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

an d, as he took up a J ac o b in j ournal and feigned to pore

o v er it pu z z ling out its meaning he heard her say , I swear ,

t o y o u like E vr emonde !
,

Defarge brought him t h e w ine , and gave him Good

E vening .

(C
H OW ? 7)

Good even ing .

O h ! Good e v ening citizen ”

filling his glas s
, ,
.

and good wine I drink to the Republic

. .

Defarge went back to th e counter and said, C ertainly “

, ,

” “
a little like Madame sternly retorted I tell y o u a good
.
,

” “
deal like Jacques Three pac ifically remarked, He is s o
.

”
much in your mind, see y ou madame The am iable V e n
,
.

“
ge a n c e added with a laugh,
Ye s ,
m y faith ! And, y o u ar e

looking forward with s o much pleas u re to seeing him once

more to morrow !
-

C arton followed the lines and words o f his paper, wit h

a slow forefinger and with a studious and absorbe d face
,
.

They were all leaning the ir arms o n the counter clos e

together speaking low After a s ilence of a few moments
, .
,

durin g whi c h they all looked towards him withou t disturb

in g hi s outward attention from the Jacobin e ditor, they
resumed their conversation .

“
It is true w h at madame says obser v ed Jacques Three
”
,
.

Wh y, stop There is great force in that Wh y stop ?

? ”
.

“ ” “
Well well , reasoned Defarge
, but o n e must stop ,

somewhere After all the question is still where ?

.

“
At extermi n ation said madame , .

”
Magnificen t ! croaked Jacque s Three The Vengeance .
,

also h ighly approved

,
.

“
E xtermination is good doctrine my wife said Defarge
”
, , ,
“
rather troubled ; in general I say nothing against it Bu t , .

this D octor has suffered m u ch ; you have seen him to day ; -

”
y o u have observed his face when the paper was read .
 A TA L E OE Tw o CITI E S . 4 03

I h ave observed his face ! repe ated madame c o n ”

,
“
t e m pt u o u s ly and angrily Ye s I have observed his face , .

I have observed his face to be not the face of a true friend

”
o f the Republic Let him take c are o f his face !
.

”
And y o u have o b served my wife said Defarge in a , , ,
“
d eprecator y manner the anguish o f his daughter, which
,

must be a dreadful anguish to him !

“ ”
I have observe d his daughter repeated madame ; y e s ,

I have observe d h is daughter more times than o n e I have

,
.

observed her to day and I have observed her other day s

-
, .

I have O bserved h e r in the c our t an d I have observed her ,

in the street b y the prison Let me but lift m y finger

.

’
She seemed to raise it ( the listener s ey es were alway s on
his paper), and to let it fall with a rattle o n the ledge
before her as if the axe had dropped
,
.

“ ”
The citizeness i s superb ! c roake d the Ju ry m an .

”
She is an Angel ! said The Vengeance and embraced ,

As t o th e e pursue d madam e implacably addressing

'

, , ,

“
her husband if it depended o n thee — which h appily it
, , ,

d oe s not — thou wouldst rescue this man even now .

“ ” “
No ! protested Defarge Not if to lift this glass .

would do it ! But I would leav e the matter there I say .

,

”
stop there .

“
See y o u then Jacques said Madame Defarge wrath
, , ,

“
full y ; and see y o u too m y little Vengeance ; see y o u
, ,

both ! Listen ! F or other crimes as ty rants and Oppr e s

sors I have this race a long time on m y register doome d
, ,

to destruction and extermination A sk m y husband is .

”
that so .

“
It is so assented Defarge without being asked
, ,
.

In the beginning of the great day s when the Bastille ,

falls he finds this paper of to day and he brin gs it home

,
-
, ,

an d in the middle o f the night when this place is c lear an d

404 A TA L E OE Tw o C ITI E S .

shut we read it here o n this spot, by t h e light o f this

, ,

”
lamp Ask him is that so
.
,
.

“ ”
It is so assente d Defarge
,
.

That night I tell him when the paper is read through

, , ,

and the lamp is burnt o u t and the day is gleaming in abo ve ,

those shutters an d between tho se iron bars that I have n o w ,

”
a secret to communicate Ask him is that so .
,
.

“ ”
It is so assented Defarge again
,
.

I communicate to him that secret I smite this bosom .

with these t w o hands as I smite it n o w an d I tell him , ,

‘
Defarge I was brought up among the fishermen o f the
,

seashore and that peasant family so injured by the two

,
-

E vr emonde brothers as that Bastille paper describes is my

, ,

family Defarge , that sister o f the mortally wounded boy

.

upon t h e ground was my sister t h at husband was my ,

’
s ister s husband that unborn child was their child that
, ,

brother was my brother that father was my father those , ,

de ad are my dea d an d that summons to answer for those

,
”
things descends to me ! Ask him is t hat s o ,
.

“ ”
It is so as sented Defarge once more
,
.

Then tell Wind and F ire where t o stop returned ,

” ’
madame ; but don t tell me .

B oth her hearers derive d a horrible enj oyment from the

deadly nature o f her wrath — the listener could feel how
white she was without seeing her — and both high ly com
,

mended it Defarge a weak m inorit y interposed a few

.
, ,

words for the me m ory o f the compassionate wife o f the

Marquis ; but only elicited from his o w n wife a repetition
,

o f her last reply

“
Tell the Wind and the F ire where to
,

”
stop ; not me !
C ustomers entered and the group was broken up The ,
.

E nglish customer paid f o r what he had had perplexedly ,

counted his change and asked as a stranger to be directed

, , ,

towards the National Palace Madame Defarge took him .

406 A TA LE OE Tw o CI TI E S .

His head an d throat were bare an d as he spoke with a , ,

hel pless look stray ing all around he took his coat o ff and , ,

let it drop o n the floor .

Where is my bench ? I have b een looking every

w h ere f o r m y bench and I can t fi nd it What hav e they
,
’
.

done with my w ork ? Time presses : I must finish thos e

’
shoes /
They looked at o n e another and t h eir hearts died within ,

them .

C ome come ! said he in a whimpering miserable way ;

, ,

”
let me get to work Give me my work . .

Rece iving n o answer he tore h is hair and beat his feet , ,

upon the ground like a distracted child

, .

“ ’ ”
Don t torture a poor forlorn wretch he implored them , ,

“
with a dreadful cry ; but give me m y work ! What is t o
become o f us if those shoes are not done to night ?
,
-

Lost utterly lost !

,

It was so clearly beyond h Ope to reason with him or t ry , ,

to restore him that as if b y agreement

,
they each put a
hand upon his shoulder and soothed him to S it down before ,

the fire with a prom ise that he S hould have his work
,

presently He sank into the chair and brooded over the

.
,

embers and shed tears As if all that had happened s inc e

,
.

the garre t time were a m omentary fancy o r a dream Mr , ,

.

Lorry saw him shrink into the exact figure that Defarge
had had in keepin g .

Afl e ct e d and impressed with terror as they both were by

, ,

this spectacle of ruin it was not a time to y ield to such

,

emotions His lonel y daughter bereft of her final hope and

.
,

reliance appealed to them both too strongly Again as

, ,
.
,

if by agreement they looked at o n e another with one

,

meaning in their faces C arton was the first to speak

. .

“
The last chance is gone : it was not much Ye s ; he .

had better be taken to her Bu t before y o u go will you .

, , ,
 A TAL E OE T WO CITI E S . 40 7

’
for a moment steadily attend to me Don t ask me wh y I
,
?

make the stipulations I am going to make and exact the ,

promise I am going to exact ; I have a reason — a good

”
one .

“
I do n o t doubt it answered Mr Lorry S ay o n
,
. . .

The figure in the chair between them was all the time ,

monotonousl y rocking itself to an d fro an d moaning The y ,

.

S po ke in su c h a tone as the y would have used if they had

been watching b y a sick bed in the night -

.

C arton stooped to pick up the coat wh ich lay almost ,

entangling his feet As he did s o a small case in wh ich

.
,
’
the Do ctor was accustomed to carr y the list of his day s
duties fell lightly on the floor C arton took it up an d
, ,

? ”
there was a folded paper in it We S hould look at this .

he said Mr Lorry nodded his consent He O pened it an d

. . .
,

“
exclaimed Thank G O D ! ,

“ ”
What is it ? ask e d Mr Lorry eagerly .
,
.

A moment ! Let me speak of it in its place F irst he ”

.
,

u t his hand in his coat and took another paper from it

p , ,

that is the certificate which enables me t o pass out

o f this city Look at it You see — Sydney C arton an
. .
,

E nglishman ?

Mr Lorry held it open in h is hand gazing in h is earnest

.
,

fa c e .

“
Keep it for me until to morrow I s h all see him to -
.

morro w y o u remember and I had bett e r not take it into

, ,

”
the prison .

“
Wh y not ? ”

’
I don t know : I prefer not to do s o N o w take th is .
,

paper that Doctor Manette has carried about him It is a .

s imilar certificate, enabling him and his daughter and her

child at an y time to pas s the Barrier an d the frontier ?
, ,

”
You see ?
a ! : 2
Yes
40 8 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S .

Perhaps he obtained it as his last an d utmost precaution

against evil yesterday When is it dated ? But no mat
,
.

’
ter ; don t stay t o look ; put it up carefully with mine an d
your o w n N o w obser v e ! I never doubted until within
.
,

this hour o r t w o , that he had, o r could have , such a paper .

It is good until recalled But it may be soon recalled an d

, .
, ,
”
I have reason to think will be ,
.

“ ”
They are not in danger ?
They are in great danger T he y ar e in dang e r o f .

denunciation by Madame Defarge I know it from her .

‘

o wn lips I have over h eard words o f that woman s

.
’
,

t o night, whic h h ave pres ented the ir danger t o me in strong

-

colours I have lost n o time and s ince then I have seen

.
, ,

th e spy . He confirms me He knows that a wood sawyer.

-
,

living b y th e prison wall , is under the control o f the

De f arge s and has been re h earsed by Madame Defarge as t o
,

his having seen Her ”

h e never mentioned Lucie s name ’

“
-
making signs and s ignals to prisoners It is easy to .

foresee that the pretence will be the common o n e a prison ,

plot and that it will involve her life — an d per h aps her
,

an d p e rhaps her father s f o r both have be e n see n

’ ’
child s
with h er at that place Don t look s o horrifi e d
. You will
’
.

”
s ave them all .

“
Heaven grant I m ay C arton ! But h ow ,
? ”

I am going to tell y o u how It will depend o n y o u and .

,

it could depend o n n o better m an T h is new denunciation .

will certainly not take place until after to morrow ; probably -

not until two o r three days afterwards ; more probably a

week afterwards You know it is a capital crime to mourn
.
,

f o r, o r sympathise with a victim o f the Guillotine

,
She .

an d her fat her would unquestionably be guilty o f this crime ,

and this woman (the inveteracy o f whose pursuit can not be

described ) would wait to add that strength t o her c as e , and
make herself doubly sure Yo u follo w me ? .
”
4 10 A TA L E OE Tw o CITIE S .

Why t h en , said Mr Lorry , grasping his eager but s o

,

fi rm an d steady hand it does not all depend o n o n e o ld

,

man bu t I shall have a young and ardent man at my side

,
.

“
By the help o f Heaven you shall ! Promis e me s o l
e m n ly that nothing will influence you t o alter the course
,

”
o n which we now stand pledged t o o n e another .

“
Nothing, C arton ”
.

Remember these words t o morrow : change t h e course -

,

o r delay in it f o r any reason and n o l ife c an possibly

”
be saved, and many lives must inevitably be sacrificed .

“
I w ill remember them I hope t o do my part faith .

fully
And I h Ope t o do m ine N o w good bye ! .
,
-

Though he said it with a grave smile o f earnestness and ,

’
though he even put the o ld man s hand t o his lips he did ,

n o t part from him then He helped h im s o far t o arouse

.

the rocking figure before the dying embers, as t o get a cloak

an d hat put upon it and t o tempt it forth t o find where the
,

bench and work were hidde n that it still moan ingly b e

sought to have He walke d o n the other s ide o f it and
.

protected it to the court yard o f the house where the afflicted

-

h eart — s o happy in t h e memorable time when he had r e

vealed his o w n desolate heart to it outwatched the awful
night He entere d the court yard and remained there f o r
.
-

a few moments alone looking up at the light in the window

,

o f her room Before he went away, he breath ed a blessing

.

towards it an d a F arew e ll
,
.
 A TA L E OE Tw o C ITI E S . 4 11

C HAPT E R XIII .

F I F TY T
‘

WO .

I N the black prison the C onciergerie the doomed o f

of ,

the day awaited their fate They were in number as the .

weeks o f the year F i f ty two were to roll that afternoon

.
-

o n the life tide of the city to the boundless everlasting sea

-
.

B efore their cells were quit o f them, n e w occupants w ere

appointed ; before their blood r an into t h e blood spilled
yesterday the blood that was to mingle with theirs to
,

morrow was already set apart .

Two score and twelve were told O ff F rom the farmer .

general o f seventy whose riches could not buy his life to

, ,

the seamstress o f twenty whos e poverty an d obscurity could

,

not save her Phy sical diseases engendered in the vice s

.
,

and neglects of men will seiz e o n victims o f all degrees ;

,

and the frightful moral disorder born o f unspeakable suf ,

f e r in g intolerable oppression and heartles s indifference

, , ,

smote equally without distinction .

C harles Darnay alone in a c ell had sustained him sel f

, ,

with no flattering delus ion s ince he came t o it from th e

‘

Tribunal . I n every line o f the narrat ive he had heard h e ,

had heard h is condemnation He had fully comprehende d .

that no personal influence could possibly save him that ,

he was virtually sentenced by the millions and t h at unit s ,

could avail him nothing .

Nevertheless it was n o t easy, with the face o f his b e

,

lo v ed wife fresh before him , to compose his min d to what

it must bear His hold o n life was strong an d it w as
.
,

very very h ard to loosen ; b y gradual e ff orts and degree s

,

unclosed a little here it clenched th e tighter there ; and

,
412 A TA L E OE Tw o C I TI E S .

when h e brought his strength to bear o n that hand and

it y ielded this was closed again There was a h ur ry too
, .
, ,

in all his thoughts a turbulent and heated workin g of

,

h is heart, that contended against res ignation If, for a .

moment, he did feel resigned, then his wife and child w h o

had to live after h im, seemed to protest and t o make it a
selfish thing .

But all this was at first B efore long the consideration

,
.
,

that there was n o disgrace in the fate he must meet, an d

that numbers went the same road wrongfully an d trod it ,

firmly e v ery day, S prang up t o stimulate him Next f o l

,
.

lowed the though t that much o f the future peace of m i n d

e nj oyable by the dear ones depended o n his qu iet fortitude
,
.

S o by degrees he calmed into the better state when he

, ,

c ould raise his thoughts much h igher, and draw comfort

d own .

Before it had set in dark o n t h e night o f h is c o n de m n a

tion he had travelled thus far o n his last way Being
,
.

allowed t o purchase the means o f writing and a light, he ,

s at down t o write until such time as the prison lamps

s h ould be extinguished .

H e wrote a long letter t o Lucie, showing her that he had

’
kn own nothing o f her father s imprisonment until he had
heard o f it from herself and that he had been as ignorant
,

as she o f h is father s an d uncle s respons ibility f o r that

’ ’

miser y , until the paper had been read He had already .

e xplained to her that his co n cealment from herself o f the

name he had relinquished was the o n e condition — fully

,

intelligible now — that her father had attached to t h e ir

betrothal , and was the o n e promise he h ad still exacted o n
the morning o f their marriage He ent reated her for her .
,

father s sake ne v er to seek to know whether her father had

’
,

become oblivious of the existence o f the paper o r had h ad ,

it recalled to him ( for the moment o r for good ) by the , ,

41 4 A TAL E OE T WO CI TI E S .

with Luc ie again an d she told him it was all a dream, and
,

he had never gone away A pause o f forgetfulnes s an d

.
,

then he had even suffered an d had come back to her dead

, ,

and at peace an d y e t there was no difference in him A h

,
.

o ther pause o f oblivion and he awoke in the sombre morn

,

ing unconscious where he was o r what had happened

, ,

u ntil it flashed upon his mind, this is t h e day o f my

“

”
d eath !
Thus h ad he come through the hours , to th e day w h en
,

t h e fif t y t w o heads were to fall

-
An d now , while h e was
.

c omposed , an d h oped that h e could meet the end with quiet

heroism a new action began in his waking t h oughts wh ich

, ,

was very di fficult to master .

He had never seen the instrument th at was to terminate

h is life H o w high it was from the ground h o w many
.
,

s teps it had where he would h e stood h o w he would be

, ,

touched w hether the touching hands would be dyed red

, ,

which way his face would be turne d whether he would be ,

the first o r m ight be the last : these and many similar

,

q uestions in n o wise directed by his will , obtruded them

,

selves o ver an d over again countless times Neither were

,
.

they connected with fear : he w as conscious o f n o fear .

Rather t he y originated in a strange besetting des ire to

,

know what to do when the time came ; a des ire gigantically

d is pr Opo rt io n at e to the few swift moments to which it r e
ferred ; a wondering that was more like the wondering
o f some other spirit within his than his o w n , .

The hours w ent o n as he walked to and f ro and the ,

c locks struck the numbers he would never hear again .

Nine gone for ever t e n gone for e ver eleven gone for e v er
, , ,

twelve coming o n to pass away After a hard contest with .

t hat eccentric action o f thought which had last perplexed

him he had go t the better of it He walked up and down
, .
,

s oftly repeating their names to himself The worst o f the .

'
 A TA LE OE Tw o CITI E S . 415

strife was over He could walk up and down free from

.
,

distracting fancies praying f o r himself and f o r them

, .

Twelve gone for ever .

He had b e en apprised that the final hour was T h ree and ,

he knew he would be summoned some time earlier inas ,

much as the tumbrils j olted heavily and slowly through the

streets Therefore he resolved to keep Two before his
.
,

mind as the hour and so to strengthen himself in the in

, ,

t e r v al that h e might be able after that time to strengthen , ,

others .

Walking regularly to and fro with h is arms folded o n his

breast a very different man from the prisoner w h o had
,

walked to an d fro at La F orce he heard O ne struck away ,

from him without surprise The hour had measured like

,
.

most other hours Devoutl y t hankful to Heaven for his

.

“
recovered self possession he thought -
There i s but an , ,

”
other now and turned to walk again
,
.

F ootsteps in the stone passage outs ide the door He , .

stopped .

The key was put in the lock and turned B efore the , .

door was O pened or as it O pened a man said in a low voice

, , ,

in E ngl ish : He has never seen me here ; I have kept o u t

“

of his way Go you in alone ; I wait near Lose n o time !

. .

The door was quickl y O pened and closed and there stood ,

before him face to face quiet inten t upon him with the
, , , ,

ligh t o f a sm ile on his features and a cautionary finger o n

his lip S y dney C arton
, .

There was some t hing so bright and rem arkable in h is

look that for the first momen t the pris oner misdo u bted
, , ,

him to be an apparition of his o w n imagining But h e .

,

’
spoke and it was his voice ; he took the pri soner s hand,
,

and it was his real grasp .

O f all t h e people upon earth y o u least expected to see ,

”
me ? he said .
41 6 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S .

I could belie v e it t o be y o u
n ot I can scarcely belie ve .

it n o w You are n o t
. t h e appre h ension came suddenly
“ ”
into his mind a prisoner ?
N o I am accidentally possessed o f a power o v er o n e
.

o f the keepers h ere , and in v irtue o f it I stand before y o u .

I come from her — your wife, dear Darnay ”

.

The prisoner wrung his h and .

I bring y o u a request from h er .

”
What is it ?

A most earnest pressing and e mp h atic e ntr e aty , ad

, ,

dressed t o you in the most pathetic tones o f t h e v oic e s o

dear t o y ou , that y o u well remember .

The prisoner turned h is face partly aside .

Yo u have n o time t o ask me w hy I bring it, o r wh at it

means ; I h av e no time t o tell y o u Yo u must comply wit h .

it — take o ff those boots y o u wear and draw o n th es e o f ,

”
mine .

There was a c h air against the wall o f the cell, b eh ind t he ‘

prisoner C arton, press ing forward h ad already, with the

.
,

S peed o f lightning, go t him down into it and stood ove r ,

h im barefoot .

“
Draw o n these boots o f mine P ut your hands to them ;
’

put your will t o them Quick ! .

“
C arton there is n o escaping from t h is p lace ; it never
,

c an be done Yo u will only die with me It is mad

. .

”
ness .

‘
It would be madnes s if I asked y o u t o es cape ; but do
'

I ? When I ask y o u to pass ou t at that door tell m e it is ,

madnes s and remain here C han ge that cravat f o r t h is o f

.

mine t h at coat for this of mine W h ile y o u do it let me

,
.
,

take this ribbon from your hair and shake o u t your hair ,
”
l ike this of mine !
With wonderful quickness and with a strengt h bot h o f,

w ill and action that appeared q uite supernatural he forced

, ,
41 8 A TAL E OE T wo CI TIE S .

few words more .

”
H e dictated again I am t h ankful .

that t h e time has come when I can prove them That I

,
.

’
do s o is n o subj ect for regret o r grief
,
As he said these .

words with his e y es fixe d o n the writer his hand slowly ,

’
and softly moved down close t o t h e writer s face .

The pe n dropped from Darn ay s fi n gers o n t h e table , and

’

h e looked about him vacantly .

What vapour is th at ? he asked

”
.

”
Vapour ?
Something th at crossed me ? ”

I am conscious o f nothing ; there can be nothing h ere .

Take up t h e pen and finish Hurry hurry ! .

,

As if his memory were impaired o r h is faculties dis o r ,

dered, th e prisoner made an effort to rally h is attention .

A s h e looked at C arton with clouded eyes and with an

altered manner o f breathing C arton — h is h and again in
,

h is breast — looked steadily at him .

“
Hurry h urry !
,
”

T h e prisoner be n t over the paper once more ,

.

If it h ad been otherwise ; C ar ton s hand was again ’

watchfully and softly stealing down ; I never should have

used the longer opportunity If it had been otherwis e ;
.

’
the hand was at the prisoner s face ; I should but have
h ad s o muc h the more to answer f o r If it had been other
.

wise C arton looked at the pen, and saw that it

was trailing O ff into unintelligible signs .

C arton s hand moved ba ck to h is breast no more The

’
.

prisoner S prang up with a reproachful look but C arton s

, ,
’

hand was close an d firm at his nostrils , and C arton s left ’

ar m caught h im round the waist F o r a few seconds he

.

faintly struggled with the man who had come t o lay down
h is life for him ; but within a minute o r s o he was stretc h ed
, ,

insens i b le o n the ground .

Quickly , but with hands as true to the purpose as h is

 A TAL E OE Tw o C IT I E S . 41 9

heart was C arton dress ed himself in the clothes t h e pris

,

oner had laid aside combed back his hair an d tied it wit h
, ,

t h e ribbon the prisoner had worn Then he softly called .

,

“
E nter there ! C ome in ! an d the s py presented himself
”
.

“
You see ? sa id C arton looking up as he kneeled o n
”
, ,

o n e knee beside the insens ible figure putting the paper in ,

“ ”
the breast : is your hazard very great ?
“
Mr C arton the S py answered with a timid snap o f
.
”
, ,

“
h is fingers m y hazard is not th at in the thick o f bus ines s
, ,

here if y o u are true to the whole of y our bargain

,
.

“ ”
Don t fear me I will be true to the death
’
. .

You must be Mr C arton if the tale o f fif ty t w o is to

, .
,
-

be right Being made right b y y o u in that dress , I S hall

.

”
have no fear .

“
Have no fear ! I shall soon be out of the w ay o f harm
ing you and the rest will soon be far from here please
, ,

God ! Now get assistance and take me to t h e coach

,
.

“ ”
You ? said the Spy nervously , .

Him man with whom I have exchanged Yo u go o u t

, , .

at the gate b y whic h you brought me in ? ”

”
O f course .

I was weak and faint when y o u brought me in and I am ,

fainter now y o u take me out The parting interview has .

o verpowered me Such a thing has happened here often

.
, ,

and too often Your life is in your o w n h ands

. Quick ! .

C all assistance !
“ ”
You swear not t o betray me ? said the t rembl ing spy,
as he paused for a last moment .

“
Man m an ! returned C arton stamping his foot ; have
,
“
,

I sworn by no solemn v o w already to go through with this , ,

t h at y ou waste the precious moments now ? Take him your

s elf to the court yard y o u know o f place him yourself in the
-
,

carriage show him yourself to Mr Lorry tell him yourself

, .
,

to give him no restorative but air an d to remember my ,

4 20 A T AL E OE Tw o C ITI E S .

words o f last night an d his prom ise o f last night and drive ,

”
away !
The spy withdrew and C arton seated himself at the table
, ,

resting his forehead o n his hands The spy returned .

immediately, with t w o men .

H o w , then ? ”
said one of them contemplating the fallen ,

“
figure . S o afflicted to fin d that his friend has drawn a
”
prize in the lottery of Sainte Guillotine ?
“ ” “
A good patriot said the other ,
could hardly have ,

”
been more afflicted if the Aristocrat had drawn a blank .

They raised the unconscious figure placed it o n a l it ter ,

the y had brought to the door an d bent to carry it away ,

.

“
The time is short E vr emonde , said the Spy , in a
”
,

warning voice .

“
I know it well ans wered C arton
”
,
“
Be careful o f my .

friend, I entreat y o u , and leav e me ”

.

“
C ome , then , my children s aid Barsad
” “
Lift h im , and
,
.

”
come away !
The door clos ed, and C arton was left alone Straining .

his powers o f listening to the utmost he listened f o r any ,

s ound that might denote suspicion or alarm There was .

none Keys turned, doors clashed footsteps passed along

.
,

distant passage s : n o cry was raised o r hurry made that , ,

seeme d unusual Breathing more freely in a little while

.
,

he sat down at the table and listened again until the clocks
,

str uck Two

'

Sounds that he was n ot afraid o f f o r he di vined t h eir ,

meaning then began to be audible Se v eral doors were

, .

O pened in succession , and finally h is o w n A gaoler with .

,

a list in his hand looked in merely saying F ollow me

,
“
, , ,

E vr emonde ! and he followed into a large dark room, at a

distance .It was a dark winter day and what with the ,

shadows within, and what with the S ha dows without, he

could but dimly discern the others who were brought there
4 22 A TAL E OF Tw o CI TI E S .

If I may ride with you, C itizen E vr emonde will y o u le t ,

me hold your hand ? I am not afraid but I am little and ,

”
weak, and it will give m e more coura ge .

As t h e patient eyes were lifted to h is fa c e h e saw a sud ,

den doubt in them, and then astonishment He pressed t h e .

work worn hunger worn young fingers and touched his lips
-
,
-
, .

“
Are y o u dying f o r h im ? she whispered .

”
And hi s wife and child Hush ! Yes . .

0 y o u will let m e h old your brave hand stranger ? ”

,

”
Hush ! Yes , my poor sister ; t o the last .

The same shadows that are falling o n the prison ar e ,

falling, in the sam e h our o f that early afternoon o n the ,

Barrier with the crowd about it when a coach going o u t o f ,

Paris drives up to be examined .

“
Who goes here ? Whom have we within ? Papers ! ”

The papers are handed o u t and read .

Alexandre Manette Phys ician .F rench Which I s . .

he ?
This is he ; this helples s inarticulately murmuring, w an
,

dering o ld man pointed o u t .

“
Apparently the C itizen Doctor is n o t in his righ t -

mind ? The Revolution fe v er will have been too much

-

”
for him ?

Greatly too much for him .

Hah ! Many suffer with it Lucie His daughter . . .

F r e nch Which is she ?

.
”

This is she .

Apparently it must be Lucie the wife o f E vr emonde ;

.
,

is it n o t ?
It is .

H ah ! E vr emonde has an assignation els ewhere Lucie, .

h er child E nglish This is she ?

. .

S h e and no other .
 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S . 4 23

Kiss me , child o f E vr emonde N o w thou hast kissed a .

,

good Republican ; something n e w in th y family ; remember

it ! S y dney C arton Advocate E nglish Which is he ?
.
”
. .

He lie s here in this corner o f the carriage He , too is

,
.
,

pointed o u t .

“
Apparently the E nglish advo c ate i s in a swoon ? ”

It is hoped he will recover in the fresher air It is .

represen t ed that he is not in strong health , and h as sepa ~

rated sadly from a friend who is under the displeasure of

the Republic .

“
Is that all ? It is not a great deal that ! Many are ,

under the displeasure o f the Republic and must look o u t ,

at the li t tle window Jarvis Lorry B anker E nglish

. . . .

”
Which is he ?

‘
I am he Necessarily being the last
.
,
.

It is Jarvis Lorry who has replied to all t h e previous

questions It is Jarvis Lorry who has alighted and stands
.

with his hand on the coach door repl y ing to a group o f ,

o fficials They leisurely walk round the carriage and leis

.

u r e ly mount the box to look at what little luggage it

,
'

carries on the roof ; the country people hangi n g about press -

,

nearer to the co ach doors and greedily stare in ; a little

child carried by its mother has its short arm held out for
, ,

it that it may touch the wife of an aristocrat who has gone

,

to the Guillotine .

”
Behold your papers Jarvis Lorry countersigned , ,
.

”
On e can depar t citizen ? ,

On e can depart F orward m y postilions ! A good

.
,
”
journey !
“
I salute you citizens — And the first danger passed ! ”
,
.

These are again the words of Jar v is Lorry as he C lasps ,

his hands and looks upward There is terror in the car

, .

r iage there is weeping the r e is the heav y breat h ing o f the

, ,

in sensible trav e ller .

4 24 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

Are we n o t going too slowl y C an they n o t be induced ?

to go faster ? asks Lucie clinging to the O ld man

”
, .

It would seem like flight my darling I must not urge ,

.

them t o o much ; it would rouse suspicion .

“
Look back look back, and see if we are pursued !
,

The road is clear my dearest S o far, we are n o t, .

”
pursued .

Houses in twos and threes pas s by us , solitary farms ,

ruinous buildings dye works, tanneries and the like , open
,
-

country, avenues o f lea fl ess trees The hard uneven pave .

ment is under us the soft deep mud is o n either s ide

, .

Sometimes we strike into t h e skirting mud to avoid the

, ,

stones that clatter us and shake us ; sometimes we stick in

ruts and sloughs there The agony o f o u r impatience is .

then s o great that in o u r w ild alarm and hurry we are for

,

getting ou t an d running — hiding — doing anything but

stopping .

O ut o f the open country in again among ruinous build ,

ings solitary farms dy e w o rk s, t an n e r ie s and the like c o t

, ,
-
,

tages in twos and threes , avenue s o f leafless trees Have .

these m e n deceived us , and taken us back by another road ?

Is not this the same place twice o v er ? Thank Heaven no .

A village Look back look back and see if we are pur

.
, ,

sued ! H ush ! the posting house -

.

Leisurely o u r four horses are taken o u t ; leisurely the

, ,

coach stands in the little street bereft o f horses an d w ith , ,

no likelihood upon it o f ever moving again ; leisurely the ,

new horses come into visible existence o n e by o n e ; lei ,

surely the new postilions follow , sucking an d plaiting the

,

lashes o f their whips ; leisurely the o ld postilions count ,

their money, make wrong additions and arrive at d is s at is ,

fie d resul t s All the time o u r overfraught hearts are beat

.
,

in g at a rate that would far outstrip the fastest gallop o f

the fastest horse s ever foaled .
4 26 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S .

ary Jury N o t in the wine s h Op did Madame Defarge

.
-

confer wit h these ministers but in the shed o f the wood ,

sawyer, erst a mender o f roads The sawy er himself did .

not participate in the conference but abided at a little ,

distance like an outer satellite who was n o t to S peak until

,

required o r to off er an O pinion until invited

,
.

“ ”
But o u r Defarge said Jacques Three, is undoubtedly
,

a good Republican ? E h ?
“ ”
There is n o better the voluble Vengeance protested in
,

h er shrill notes in F rance

“
,

“
Peace , little Vengeance said Madame Defarge lay ing , ,

h er hand with a slight frown o n her l ieutenant s lips hear ’

,

me speak My husband fellow citi z en is a good Republi

.
,
-
,

c an and a bold man ; he has deserved well o f the Republic ,

and pos sesses its confiden c e But my husband has his weak .

”
nesses and he is s o weak as to relent towards this Doctor
,
.

“ ”
It is a great pity croaked Jacques Three dubiously
, ,

s h aking his head with his cruel fingers at his hungry

,

“
mouth ; it is not quite like a good citi z en ; it is a thing
”
t o regret .

“ “
See y o u said m ad ame , I care nothing for this Doctor
, ,

I He may wear his head o r lose it for an y interest I have

.
,

in him ; it is all o n e to me But the E vr emonde people are

.
,

t o be exterminated an d the wife and child must follow the

,

husband and father ”

.

S h e h as a fin e head f o r it croaked Jacques Three

”
I ,
.

h a v e seen blue eyes and golden h air there an d they looked ,

”
charming when Sanson h eld them up O gre that he was .
,

h e spoke like an epicure .

Madame Defarge cast down her eyes , and reflected a little .

“ ”
The child also observed Jacques Three with a medi
, ,

“
t at iv e enj oy ment of his words has golden hair and blue ,

e y es A n d we seldom hav e a child there It is a pretty

. .

s igh t !
”
 A TALE OE Tw o C I TI E S . 7

”
Ina word said Madame Defarge , coming o u t of her
‘

short abstraction I cannot trust my husband in this mat

,

ter N o t only do I feel since last night that I dare not

.
, ,

confide to him the details of m y projects ; but also I feel

that if I delay there is danger of his giving warning an d
, ,

”
then they m ight escape .

“
That must never be croaked Jacques Three ; n o one ,

must escape We have not half enough as i t is We ough t

. .

”
to have s ix score a day .

”
I n a word Madame Defarge went on m y husband has
, ,

not my reason for pursuing this family to annihilation and ,

I have not his reason for regarding this Doctor with an y

sensibility I m u s t act for myself therefore C ome hither
.
,
.
,

little citi z en .

The wood sawy er who held her in the respect and him
-
, ,

self in the submission o f mortal fear advan ced with his , ,

hand to his red cap .

“
Touching those s ignals little citi z en said Madam e , ,

“
Defarge sternly that she made to the prisoners ; y o u are
, , .

”
ready to bear witness to them this very d ay ?
“
Ay ay , w h y not !
,
”
crie d the sawy er “
E very day in .
,

all weathers from t w o to four always s ignalling sometime s

, , ,

with the little o n e , sometimes without I kno w what I .

know I have seen W

. ith m y e y es ”
.

He made all manner o f gestures while he spoke as if in ,

incidental imitation o f some few o f the great divers ity of

signals that he had never seen .

“
C learly plots said Jacques Three
”
,
Transparently ! .

”
There is no doubt of the Jury ? inquired Madame
Defarge letting her e y es turn to him with a gloom y smile
,
.

“
Rel y upon the patriotic Jury dear citizenes s I answer ,
.

”
for my fellow Jurymen -
.

“ ”
Now let me see said Madame Defarge pondering
, ,

again . Yet once more ! C an I spare this Doctor to my

 A TAL E OF TWO C I TI E S .

husband ? I h av e n o feeling either way C an I spar e .

”
him ?

“
He would count as one h ead obser v ed Jacques Three ,
”
,
“
in a low voice . We really have not heads enough ; it
”
would be a pity I think
,
.

“
He was signalling with her when I saw her urged ,
“
Madame Defarge ; I cannot speak of o n e without the
other ; and I mu s t not be s ilent, and trust t h e case wholly
to him this little citizen here F o r, I am n o t a bad
,
.

witness .

The Vengeance and Jacques Three vied with each other

in their fer v ent protestations that she was the most admi n
able and mar v ellous of witnesses The little citizen n o t .
,

t o be outdone , declared her to be a celestial witness .

“ ”
He must take his chance said Madame Defarge
,
.

No ; I cannot spare him ! You are engaged at three

o clock ; y o u are going to see the batch o f to day ex ecuted
’ -
.

”
-
You ?

The question was addres sed to the wood sawyer w h o -

,

hurriedly replied in the affirmative : seiz ing the occasion t o

add that he was the most ardent o f Republicans an d that ,

he would be in effect the most desolate o f Republicans if ,

any thing prevented him from e n j oyin g the pleasure o f

smoking his afternoon pipe in the contemplation o f the
d roll national barber He was so very demonstrative
.

herein , that he m ight have been suspected (perhaps was ,

b y the dark eyes that looked contemptuously at him out of

Madame De f ar ge s head ) o f having his small individual
’

fears for his o w n personal safety every hour in the day,

“ ” “
,
I said madame am e qually engaged at the same
,

place After it is over — say at eight to night — come you

.
-

to me, in Saint Antoine , and we will giv e information

against t h ese people at m y Sectio n
.
”
.

The wood sawyer said he w ould be proud and flattered to

-
 WO CI TI E S
"

4 30 A TA L E OE T .

Th ere w ere many women at that time, upon wh om the

time laid a dreadfully disfiguring hand ; but there was n o t ,

o n e among them more to be dreaded than this ruth le s s

woman, n o w taking her way along the streets O f a strong .

and fearless characte r o f shrewd s ense and readines s , o f

,

great determination o f that kind o f beauty which n o t

,

o nly seems to impart to it s possessor firmness and animos ity,

but to strike into others an instinc t ive recognition of those

q ualities ; the trouble d time would ha v e hea v ed her up ,

under any circumstances But imbued from her childhood

.
,

with a brooding sens e o f W rong and an inveterate hatred ,

o f a class , O pportunity had developed her into a tigre ss .

She was absolutely without p ity If she had ever had the .

v irtue in her it had q u ite gone o u t o f her

,
.

It was nothing t o her that an innocent m an was to die

,

f o r t h e sins o f his forefathers ; she saw, not him but them ,

.

It was nothing to her, that his wife was t o be made a widow

an d his daughter an orphan ; that was insufficient punish

ment , because they were her natural enemie s and her prey,
an d as such had no right to live To appeal to her w as .
,

made hopeless by her havi n g n o sense of pity e ven for ,

h erself If she had been laid low in the streets in any o f

.
,

the many encounters in which she had been engaged she ,

would not hav e pitied herself ; nor if she had been ordered ,

to the axe to morrow would she have gone t o it with any

-
,

softer feeling than a fierce desire to change places with t h e

m an who sent her there .

Such a heart Madame Defarge carried un der her rough

robe C arelessl y worn it was a becoming robe enough in
.
, ,

a certain weird way, and her dark hair looked rich under
h er coarse red cap Lying hidden in her bosom was a
.
,

loaded pistol Lying hidden at her waist was a sharpened

.
,

dagger Thus accoutred and walking with the confident

.
,

tread o f such a character an d with the supple freedom o f

,
 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S . 4 31

a woman w h o h ad h abitually walked in her girlhood bare ,

foot and bare legged o n the brown sea sand Madame De

-
,
-
,

farge took her way along the streets .

Now when the j ourney o f the travelling coach at that

, ,

very moment waiting for the completion o f its load had ,

been planned out last night the difficulty o f taking Miss ,

’
Pross in it h ad much engaged Mr Lorr y s attention It . .

was not merely desirable to avoid overloading the coach ,

but it was of the highest importance that the time occupied

in examining it and its passengers should be reduced to ,

the utmost ; since their escape might depend o n the saving

o f onl y a few seconds here and there F inally he had pro .
,

posed after anxious consideration that Mis s Pros s and

, ,

Jerry who were at liberty to leave the city should leave

, ,

’
it at three o clock in the lightest wheeled conveyance -

known to tha t per i od Unencumbere d with luggage , they

.

would soon overtake the coach and pass ing it and preced , ,

ing it o n the road would order its horses in advance and

, ,

greatly facilitate its progress during the precious hours o f

the night w h en delay was the most to be dreaded
,
.

Seeing in this arrangement the h Ope of rendering real

service in that pressing emergency Miss Pross hailed it ,

with joy She and Jerry had beheld the coach start had
.
,

known who it was that S olomon brought, had passed s ome

ten minutes in tor t ures of suspense and were now c o n clu d ,

ing their arrangements to follow the coach even as Madame ,

Defarge taking her way throug h the streets , now drew

,

nearer an d nearer to the else deserted lodging in whic h -

they held their consultation .

“
Now what do y o u think M r C runcher said Mis s
, .
,

Pross whose agitation was so great that she c ould hardly

,

“
speak o r stand o r move o r li ve
, , what do y o u think of o u r
,

n o t starting from this court ard ? Another carriage

-
having
y
already gone from here to day it might awaken suspicion
-
,
.
43 2 A T AL E OE T w o CITIE S .

My opinion miss returned Mr C runcher, is as you r e

, ,
.
’

” ’
right Likewise w o t I ll stand by you right or wrong
.
, .

“
I am s o distracted with fear and h Ope for o u r precious
” “
creatures said Miss Pross wildl y crying that I am in
, , ,

capable o f forming any plan Are yo u capable o f forming .

any plan my dear good Mr C run c her ?

,
.

’ ’
R e s pe ct in a future spear 0 life miss returned Mr , , .

C runcher I hope so R e s pe c t in any present use 0 this

“
,
.
’ ’

’
here blessed o ld head 0 mine , I think not Would you do .

’
me the favour miss to take notice 0 two promise s and
, ,

”
wows w o t it is my wishes fur to record in this here cris is ?
“ ”
O h for gracious sake ! cried Miss Pross still wildly
, ,

crying record them at once , and get them o u t o f the way,

,

l ike an excellent m an
“
F irst said Mr C runcher, wh o was all in a tremble
”
,
.
,

“
and who spoke with an ashy and solemn visage them poor ,

things well o u t 0 this ne v er no more will I do it never no

’
, ,

more !
“
I am quite sure Mr C runcher, returned Miss Pross
,
.
,

that y o u never will do it again, whatever it is an d I beg ,

you not to think it necessary to m ention more particularly

what it is .

“
No miss returned Jerry
, ,
it shall n o t be named to ,
’
you Se c ond : them poor things well o u t 0 this and never
.
,

no more will I interfere with Mrs C runc h er s flopping .

’
,

never no more !
“
Whatever h ousekeepi n g arrangement that may be said ”
,

Miss Pross , striving to dry her e y es and c ompose herself ,

“
I have n o doubt it is best that Mrs C runcher should have .

it entirely under h er o w n superintendence — O my poor

darlings !
“
I go so far as to say , miss m o r e h o v e r proceeded Mr , ,
.

C runcher with a most alarming tendency to hold forth as

,

“
from a pulpit an d let my words be took down an d took
4 34 A TALE OE Tw o CITIE S .

dre d s o f miles away, an d M adame Defarge was draw ing

v ery near indeed .

‘
By the cathedral door, said Mis s Pros s Would it .

be much o u t o f the way, to take me in , near the great

”
cathedral door between the two towers ?
“
N o miss , answered Mr C runcher
,
”
. .

”
Then, like the best o f men, said Miss Pross , go t o
”
t h e posting house straight and make that change
-
, .

“
I am doubtful said Mr C runcher, hesitating an d shak
”
,
.

“
ing his head about leaving o f y o u , y o u see We don t
,
.
’

”
know what may happen .

“
Heav en knows we don t, returned Mis s Pross , b u t
’ ” “

hav e n o fear for me Take me in at the cathedral , at Thre e

.

’
O C lo c k o r as near it as you c an , and I am sure it will b e

better than o u r going from here I feel certain o f it . .

There ! Bles s you, Mr C runcher ! Think — n o t o f me,

.

but o f the lives that m ay depend o n both o f us !

This exordium and Miss Pro ss s t w o h ands in quit e
,
’

agonised entreaty clasping his , decided Mr C runcher . .

With an encouraging nod o r t w o he immediately went o u t ,

to alter the arrangements and left her by herself t o follow

,

as she had proposed .

The having originated a precaution which was already in

course o f execution, was a great relief t o Miss Pross Th e .

nece ssity o f composi n g her appearance so that it should

attract no special notice in the streets was another relief , .

She looked at her watch, and it was twenty m inutes pas t

t wo . She had no time to lose but must get ready at once ,
.

Afraid in her extreme perturbation o f the loneliness o f

, ,

the des erted rooms an d o f h alf imagined faces peepin g

,
-

from beh ind every O pen door in them Mis s Pros s got a ,

basin of cold water and began laving her eyes which were ,

swollen an d red Haunted b y her feverish apprehensions

.
,

she could n ot bear t o ha v e her S ight obscured for a minut e

 A TALE OF Tw o CITI E S . 4 35

at a time b y the dripping water but constantly paus ed and ,

looked round to see that there was no one watching her .

In o n e o f those pauses she recoiled and cried out for she ,

s aw a figure standin g in the room .

The basin fell to the ground broken and the water flowed ,

to the feet of Madame Defarge By strange stern way s .

,

and through much staining blood, those feet had come to

meet that water .

“
Madame Defarge looked coldly at h e r, and said The ,

wife of E vr emonde ; where is she ? ”

It flashed upon M iss Pross s mind that the doors were all ’

standing O pen and would suggest the flight Her first act
,
.

was to shut them There were four in the room an d S h e

.
,

s hu t them all She then placed herself before the door o f

.

t h e chamber which Lucie had occupied .

Madame De f ar ge s dark e y e s followed her through this

’

rapid movement and rested o n her when it was finished

, .

Miss Pros s h ad nothing beautiful about her ; y ears h ad not

tamed the wildness o r softened the grimness of her appear
, ,

ance ; but she too was a determined woman in her different

,

w ay , and she meas u red Madame Defarge with her eyes

every inch .

“
You might from your appearance be the wife o f 1 11 0 1
, ,
1
“

” “
fer said Miss Pross in her breat h ing
,
Nevertheless you
,
.

s hall not get the better of me I am an E ngl ishwoman ”

. .

Madame Defarge looked at her scornfully but still with ,

’
s omething o f Miss Pros s s own perception that the y two

were at bay She saw a tight hard w iry woman before

.
, ,

her as Mr Lorry h ad seen in the same figure a woman with

,
.

a strong hand in the years gone by

,
She knew full well .

’
that Miss Pross was the family s devoted friend ; Mis s
’
Pross knew full well that Madame Defarge was the famil y s
malevolent enem y .

“
On my way yonder , said M adame Defarge with a ,
43 6 A TAL E OE TW O CI TI E S .

sligh t mo v ement o f her hand towards the fatal spot w h ere ,

“

they reser ve my chair and m y knitting for me I am come to ,

”
make my compliments to her in pass ing I wish to see her . .

“ ”
I know that y our intentions are evil said Mis s Pross ,
.

’
an d y o u may depend upon it I ll hold my o w n agains t ,

them .

E ach spoke in her o w n language ; neither understood the

’
other s words ; both were very watchful and intent to de ,

duce from look and manner, what the unintelligible word s

meant .

“
It will do her no good to keep hers elf concealed from
” “
me at this moment s aid Madame Defarge
,
Good patri .

o t s will kno w what that means Let me see her G O tell . .

”
her that I wish to see her Do you hear ? .

“ ”
If tho se eyes of yours were bed winches returned Mis s -
,

Pross, an d I was an E nglish four poster the y shouldn t

“ ’ -
,

loose a splinter o f me N 0 y o u wicked foreign woman ; I

.
,

”
am your match .

Madame Defarge was not likely to follow thes e idiomatic

remarks in detail ; but she so far understood them as to
,

perceive that she was set at naught .

“
Woman imbecile and pig like ! said Madame Defarge -
,

“
frowning .I t ake no answer from y o u I demand to se e .

her E ither tell her that I demand to see h e r o r stand out

.
,

”
o f the way of the door and let me go to her ! Th is with ,

an angr y explanatory wave o f her right arm .

“ ” “
I little thought said Miss Pross that I should ever
, ,

want t o understand your n onsensical language ; b u t I would

give all I hav e except the clothes I wear to know whether
, ,
”
o suspect the truth o r any part o f it
y u ,
.

’
Neither o f them f o r a single moment released the o ther s
eyes Madame Defarge had n o t m ove d from the spot where
.

s h e stood when Mis s Pros s first became aware o f her ; but ,

she n o w adv anced o n e step .

438 A TALE OE Tw o CITI E S .

Pros s t o h e r self ; and y o u s h all n o t know that if I c an

“
,

prevent your knowing it ; an d know that or not know that ,

you shall not leave here While I can hold y o u ”

.

‘
I have been in the streets from the first nothing h as ,

stopped me I will tear y o u to p ieces but I will have you

,
”
from that door said Madame Defarge,
.

“
We are alone at the top o f a high house in a solitary
court y ard we are not likely to be heard, and I pray f o r
-
,

bodily streng th to keep y o u here while every minute y o u ,

are h ere is worth a hundred thousand guineas to my dar t

”
ling said Miss Pross
,
.

Madame Defarge made at the door Mis s Pross on th e .

,

instinct o f the moment, seized her round the waist in both

her arms and held her tight It was in vain for Madame
,
.

Defarge to struggle and to strike ; Mis s P ross with the ,

vigorous tenacity o f love always so much stronger than

,

hate clasped her tight and even lifted her from the floor in
, ,

the struggle that they had The t w o hands of Madam e .

D efarge bu ff e ted and tore her face ; but Miss Pross wit h , ,

her head down held her round the waist, an d clung t o her
,

wit h more than the hold o f a drowning woman .

S oon Madam e D e f ar ge s hands cease d t o strike and felt

,
’
,
“
at her encircled waist It is under my arm said Mis s
.
,

Pross, in smothere d tones you shall not draw it I am, .

s tronger than y o u I bless Hea v en f o r it

’
,
I ll hold y o u till .

o n e o r other o f us faints o r dies !

Madame D e f ar ge s hands were at h er bosom Miss P ros s

’
.

looked up saw what it was struck at it struck o u t a flash

, , ,

an d a crash and stood alone — blinded w ith smoke

, .

All this was in a second As the smoke cleared leav ing

.
,

an awful stillness it passed o u t o n the air like the soul o f

, ,

the f u rious woman whose body lay lifeless o n the ground .

I n the first fright and horror of her s ituation Mis s Pros s ,

passed the body as far from it as she could and ran down ,
 A T A LE OE Tw o C ITIE S . 43 9

th e stairs t o call f o r fruitless help Happily she bethought .

,

herself of the consequences of what she did in time to check ,

herself an d go back It was dreadful to go in at the d oor

.

again ; but she did go in and even went near it to get the
, , ,

b onnet and other things that she must wear These she .

put o n , o u t on the staircase first S hutting an d lo cking the ,

door and taking away the key She then sat down o n the .

stairs a few moments to breathe and to cry , and then got

,

up an d hurried away .

By good for t une she h ad a veil o n her bonnet o r s h e ,

could hardly have gone along the streets without being

stopped By good fortune too she was naturally so pe cu
.
, ,

liar in appearance as not to show disfigurement like an y

other woman She needed both advantages for the marks
.
,

o f griping fingers were deep in her face , and her hair was

t orn and her dress (hastily composed with unsteady hands )

,

was clutched and dragged a hundred ways .

I n cross ing the bridge she dropped the door k e y in the ,

r iver Arriving at the cathedral some few minutes before

.

h er escort and waiting there she thought what if the key

, , ,

were already taken in a n e t what if it were identified what , ,

if the door were O pened and the remains discovered what if ,

S h e were stopped at the gate sent to prison and charged , ,

with murder ! I n the midst o f these fluttering thoughts ,

the escort appeared took her in and took her away
, ,
.

“
Is there an y noise in the streets ? S h e asked him .

The usual noises Mr C runcher replied ; and looked

”
, .

surprised by the question and by her aspect

“
I don t h ear y o u , said Miss Pros s
’ ”
What do y ou .

s ay ? ”

It was in v ain for Mr C runcher to repeat what he said .

“ ”
Miss Pross could not hear him So I ll n o d my head, .
’

thought Mr C runcher, amazed, at all e v ents S he ll see

.
“ ’

”
that .And she did .
44 0 A TAL E OE Tw o CITI E S .

Is t he re any noise in t h e streets n o w ? ask e d M i ss ”

P ros s again presently

,
.

Again Mr C runc h er nodded his h ead

. .

“ ’ ”
I don t hear it .

Gone deaf in a hour ? said Mr C runc h er , ruminating,

”
.

with h is mind much disturbed ; wot 8 come t o her ? ’

“ ”
I feel said Mis s Pross as if there had been a flash
, ,

and a crash , and that crash was the last thing I should ever
”
hear in this life .

“ ”
’
Blest if she ain t in a queer condition ! s aid Mr .

C runcher more and more disturbed

,
“
Wo t c an she h av e .

’ ’
been a takin to keep her courage up ? Hark ! There s the
,

”
roll o f them dreadful carts ! You c an hear that mis s ? ,

”
I c an hear said Miss Pross seeing that he S poke t o
, ,

h er nothing O my good man, t h ere was first a great

,
“
.
,

crash , and then a great stillness and that stillness s eems to ,

be fixed and unchangeable, ne v er to be broken any mor e as

”
long as my life lasts .

“
If she don t hear t h e roll o f t h ose dreadful carts , now
’

very nigh their journe y s end said Mr C runcher glancing ’

,
.
,

over his shoulder it s my O pinion that indeed s he ne ve r

“ ’
,

will hear anything e lse in this world ”

.

An d indeed s he n ev er did .

CH APT E R ! V .

TH E F O O TS TE P S DI E O! T F OR E VER .

A L O N G the P aris streets , the deat h carts rumble, ho ll o w -

and h arsh S ix tumbrils carry the day s w ine t o La

.
’

Guillotine All t h e devouring and insa tiate Monsters

.

imagine d since imagi n ation could record itself, are fused

in t h e o n e realisation, Guillotine And yet t h ere is n ot in .
 4 42 A TAL E OE Tw o CI TI E S .

O f the riders in the tumbrils , some observe t h e s e t h ings,

an d all th ings o n their last roads i de with an impassive ,

s tare ; others with a lingering interest in the ways o f life

,

an d m e n Some s eated with drooping heads , are sunk in

.
,

s ilent despair ; again, there are some s o heedful o f their

looks that they cast upon the multitude such glances as they
h ave seen in theatres , and in pictures S everal close their .

eyes an d think, o r try to get their stray ing thoughts

,

together O nly o n e and he a miserable creature o f a

.
,

crazed aspect is s o shattered and made drunk b y horror that

,

h e sings an d tries to dance Not o n e o f the whole number

,
.

appeals , by look o r gesture , to the p ity of the people .

There is a guard o f sundry horsemen riding abreast o f the

t umbrils an d face s are often turned up to some o f them and
,

t hey are asked some question It would seem to be always .

the same question , for it is always followe d by a press o f

,

people towards the third cart The horsemen abreast o f .

th at cart frequently point out one m an in it with their

,

s words The leading curiosity is to know wh ich is he ; he

.
,

s tands at the back O f the tumbril with h is head bent down ,

'

to converse with a m ere girl who S its o n the s ide o f the

car t , and holds h is hand He has no curiosity o r care f o r.

the scene about him and always speaks to the girl Here
,
.

and there in a long Street o f St Honor é, cries are raised .

against him If th ey mo v e him at all it is only to a quiet

.
,

smile , as h e shake s h is hair a little more loosely about his

face H e cannot easily touch his face his arms being
.
,

bound .

On t h e steps o f a churc h , awaiting the coming u p o f t h e -

tumbrils stands the S py and prison sheep He looks into

,
-
.

t h e first o f them : not there He looks into the second : .

n o t there H e already asks h imself Has he sacrificed

.
“
,

me ? when his fa c e c lears as h e looks into the t h ird

”
,
.

“
W h ic h is E v r emonde ? said a m an be h ind h im .
 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S . 4 43

That At the back there

. .

With h is hand in the girl 8 ?

’

Yes .

The m an cries Down E vr emonde ! To the Guillotine

“
, ,

all aristocrats ! Down E v r é m o n de ! ,

”
Hush hush ! the Spy entreats him, timidly
,
.

”
An d why n o t citizen ?
,

He is going to pay the forfeit ; it will b e paid in five

”
minutes more Let him be at peace . .

But the m an continuing to exclaim

,
Down E vr e ,

monde ! the face of E vr emonde is for a moment turned

”

towards h im Ev r emonde then sees t h e Spy, and looks

.

attentively at him and goes his way ,

.

The clocks are o n the stroke o f three and the furrow ,

ploughed among the populace is turning round to come o n ,

into the place o f execution and end T h e ridges thrown to ,

.

this side and to that now crumble in and close behind the,

last plough as it passes o n for all ar e following to the ,

Guillotine I n front of it seated in c h airs as in a garden

.
,

o f public diversion are a number of women , busily knitting

, .

O n o n e o f the foremost chairs , stands T h e Vengeance look ,

ing about f o r her friend .

” “
Th er ese ! she cries in her shrill tones Who has ,
.

s een her ? Th er ese Defarge '

“
She never missed before say s a knitting woman o f the ,
-

s isterhood .

“
No ; nor will she mi s s now cries The Vengean c e , ,
“
petulantly Th er ese
. .

“ ”
Louder the woman recommends
, .

Ay ! Louder Vengeance, much louder, an d still she will

,

scarcely hear thee Louder yet Vengeance , with a little

.
,

oath o r s o added and yet it will hardly bring her Send

, .

other women up an d down to seek her lingering somewhere :

.
,

an d yet, although the messengers hav e done dread deeds , it

44 4 A TALE or Tw o CITIE S .

is questionable wh ether of their o wn wills they will go f ar

enough to fin d her !
“
Bad F or t une ! cries The V engeance stamping h er foot
”
,

in the c h air, and here are t h e tumbrils ! An d E vr em onde

will be despatched in a wink an d she n o t here ! See h er ,

knitting in my hand and her empty ch air ready f o r her I

,
.

cry wit h vexation and disappointment !

As The Vengeance descends from her ele v ation t o do it ,

the tumbrils begin t o discharge t h eir loads T h e ministers .

o f S ainte Guillotine are robed an d ready C rash ! A h ead .

is h eld up an d the knitting women w h o scarcely lifted their

,
-

e ye s to look at it a moment ago w he n it could t h ink an d

speak, count O n e .

The s econd tumbril emptie s an d mo v e s o n ; t h e third

comes up C ras h !
. And t h e knitting women never falter -
,
'

in g o r pausing in t h eir work , count Tw o .

The supposed E v r emonde d e sc e nds , and t h e seamstres s is

l ifted ou t n e xt after h im He h as n o t relin q uis h ed h er
.

patient h and in g e tting o u t but still h olds it as h e promised

, .

H e gently plac e s h er wit h h er back t o t h e cras h ing engine

that constantly w h irrs up an d falls , and s he looks into his
face and thanks h im .

“
But f o r y ou dear stranger I s h ould n o t be s o composed,
, ,

f o r I am naturally a poor little th ing faint o f heart ; n o r ,

should I h ave b e en able t o raise my though ts t o H im w h o

was put t o death, that we migh t h av e h Ope and comfort h ere
I t h ink y o u were sent t o me by H eav en
”
t o day
-
. .

O r y o u t o me says Sydney C arton

”
,
“
Keep you r eyes .

”
upon m e, dear child, an d mind n o other obj ect .

“
I mind noth ing wh ile I h old your h and I s h all mind .

not h ing when I let it go , if t h ey are rapid ”

.

“
They will be rapid F ear n o t ! .

T h e tw o stand in t h e fast t h inning t h rong o f victi ms , but

-

t he y speak as if th ey w ere alone E ye t o eye, v oice t o

.
4 46 A T AL E OF Tw o C ITI E S .

it ; nothing worse than a s w eet, bright constan cy is in t he ‘

patient face She goe s next b efore him — is gone ; th e

.

knitting women count Twent y Two

- -
.

“
I am the Resurrection and the Life , saith the Lord : h e
that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he , ,

live : an d whosoever liveth and believeth in me , shall never

die.

The murmuring o f many voices the upturning o f many ,

faces the pres sing o n of many footsteps in the outskirts o f

,

the crowd so that it swells forward in a mass like o n e

, ,

great heave o f water, all flashe s away Twenty Three .

-
.

They said of him about the city that night that it was
, ,
’
the peacefullest man s face ever beheld there Many added .

th at he looked sublime an d prophetic .

O ne o f the most remarkable sufferers by the same axe

a woman had asked at the foot of the same scaffold not ,

long before to be allowe d to wr ite down the thoughts that

,

were inspiring her If he had given any utterance to his,

.

an d the y were pG h e t ic they would have been these ,

I see Barsad and Cly Defarge The Vengeance the

, , , ,

Ju ry m an the Judge long ranks of the new oppressors who

, ,

have risen o n the destru c tion o f the old perishing by this ,

retributive instrument before it shall cease o u t o f its pres

,

e n t use I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising

.

from this abyss and in th eir struggles to be truly free in

, , ,

their triumph s an d defeats through long long years to ,

c ome I see the evil of this time and o f the previous time of
,

which this is the natural birth gradually making expiation ,

for itself and wearing o u t .

“
I see the liv es for which I lay down my life , peaceful ,

useful prosperous and h appy in t hat E ngland which I

, ,

s h all see no more I see Her with a child upon her bosom
. ,
 A TAL E OF Tw o CITI E S . 44 7

wh o bears my name I see her father aged and bent but

.
, ,

otherwise restored and faithful to all m e n in his healing

,

office, and at peace I see the good old man so long their
.

’
friend in t e n y ears t i m e enriching them with all he has,
,

and passing tranquilly to his reward .

I see that I hold a sanc t uary in their hearts and in t h e ,

hearts of their descendants generat ions hence I see her

,
.
,

an old woman weeping f o r me o n the anniversary of thi s

,

day I see her an d her husband the ir cours e done ly in g

.
, ,

s ide b y s ide in their last earthly bed, and I know that each
was not more honoured and held sacred in the oth er s soul , ’

than I was in the souls of both .

“
I see that child who lay upon h er bosom and who bor e
my name , a man, winning his way up in that path of life
which once was m ine I se e him winning it so well that
.
,

my name is made illustrious there b y the light o f his I .

see the blots I threw upon it faded away I see him fore
,
.
,

most o f just judges and honoured men bringing a boy o f ,

m y name with a forehead that I know and golden hair to

, ,

this place — then fair to look upon with not a trace o f this ,
’
day s d is figu r e m e n t — an d I hear him tell t h e child my
story, with a tender and a faltering voice .

“
It is a far far better thing that I do than I have eve r
, ,

done ; it is a far, far better rest t h at I go to than I hav e ,

”
ever known .
450 N O TE S .

D o y ou s e e an y advan c e in t h e pl o t Do e s th e o pe i n ng p aragrap h
he lp th e s to ry Wh y is it pu t in
12 . f id e t c Th i s is a ki d o f figu re o f wh i ch
As if t h e y w e re a ra ,
. n

D i c k e s is e x c e e di gl y f o d S e e t h m
n t io f l apfr g o
n th e n . e en n o e o n

o pp s i t e p age He d o e s o t o ft
’

o e it . i th Tale f Two C ities n us so en n e o

as i h is o t h e b
n ks b t m a y e x am pl m ay b e f o n d eve h re
r oo ,
u n es u n e .

2 0 S m al l t rad e m e n e t c
. i o t h e r wo rd s s m u ggli g w as e x te n
s ,
. n , n

s iv ly c arr i e d o
e n .

2 2 De ad S e a fru it : i e t as te l e ss wi t h u t lif e
. . .
,
o .

2 4 B e au vai s : a s m all c i ty
. rth we st f Pari s ab t fo rty m il e s no o ou .

2 5 An i m m e ns e pe cu n i ary M an gl e
. A m a gl w as a m ac h in e . n e

fo rm e rl y s d f s m o o th i g c l o t h e s it c o rre p d e d t t h e m o d e rn
u e or n s on o

wr i ge rn .

2 6 Th e p riv il e ge of fi lli n g u p bl an k form s I t w as ve ry c m m o n

. . o

f o t h e F re
r h ki gs t o i g bl a k f o r m s o f arre s t c all d lett es de
nc n s n n , e r

c ach t a d di s t r ib t e t h e m t o t h e i
e ,
n f av r i t Th e l at t e
u u ld t h e r o es . r co n,

of c o e fi ll i
u rs a f o rm w i th t h e n am e o f a y
,
n e t h e y ch ose a d s o n on n

s e c r e h is i m p r i s o m e t
u n n .

2 9 L ay i n g a b aw y h an d I
. th i s m e t i o f M i s s P ro s s s
r n . s n n o
’

s tr e gt h m e a i gl e
n o m ad e p u p se l y
n n ss, r r o

3 2 S u b u rb o f S t A nt o i n e A t t h e t i m e o f t h R e vo l t i o t h i s
. . . e u n

p art o f Pa is wh i c h b o d r d n th e fam
r , pr is o f t h e B as till er e e o ous on

s o o ft e m e ti ed i
n th i t o r y w as
n on e of th p r st a d m o s t
n s s ,
on e oo e n

da ge r q ar te rs f th c i ty S t A t o i e wa t h e re f ore c all e d t h e
n ou s u o e . . n n s “

p atr s ai t f R v l t i
on n o e o u on .
”

3 4 K e n n e l : i gh t e t h ce t ry wo rd f o
. e g tt e r e n - n u r u .
”

3 7 I n t h at gall e y F r e c h d an s c ette gale e

. a s l a g p h rase
. n r n .

5 1 52 W h at d y u t h i k f t h e s e s p e e c h e s o f L i
-
. o o n o uc e s
’

Ch apt er V W h at is t h e s i g i fi canc e o f th e i t ro d c t i
. o f th e n n u on

bro k w i e c as k
en n

E n d of B ook 1 Wh y d o e Di c k e s divid e h is s t o ry h r . I s t h re s n e e e

as y e t a y h i t o f t h e fi al o t c m
n n I t h i s t o b e a h m ro u s s t o ry n u o e s u o

or a t rag d y H w do y ou k w
e Wh i t h l adi g fig r f t h e
o no o s e e n u e o

firs t b o o k ? Hav w e h ad a y e piso di c c h ap t e s o h as t h e s to ry

e n r ,
r

m o ve d t e adil y s

Ch ap t e r I B ook I I Th i s is a
,
pi o di c c h apt e r i e it d o e s ot
. n e s ,
. . n

f orward t h e m ai pl ot N t e w h y n . o .

59 Th e s t o ry o f t h B ar m e c id m ay b f
. d in th e A rabian e e e ou n

N igh ts E n te rtain m e n ts .

66 . Old B ail e y :
pri c ip al c ri m i al c rt th e n n ou of L o n d on ; on Ne w
G ate S tre e t e ar S t P a l n . u
’
s .

6 7 Ty b urn E xe cu t i o s w e re h ld at Ty b u
. . n e rn u n t il 1 783 .
 N O TE S . 451

B e dl am : t h e princ ip al i s a e asyl u m o f L ond on

68 . n n .

Ch apt e I I I Th e t w o p r i c ip al m al
r .h ar ac t r f t h e s t o ry a n e c e s o re

i n tro d e d i t h i h ap te r Wh a t h y C a y o p i t t a y
uc n s c . o re e n u o n ou n

s p e i al i m s ta ce o f pr o b abl b ari g t h
c c rc u nt m o f t h pl t e e n on e o u co e e o

98 S e i on s Ki n g s B e ch
. ss Th S si s i ,
O f t h e l ow r
’
n . e es on s one e

E gli s h c ri m i al c r t t h Ki g B h i t h e h igh t ’
n n ou s e n s enc s es .

99 H il ary Te rm an d M i ch ae l m a
. J a ary 1 1 t o S e pt e m b e r 2 9 ; s : nu

i c l d e s th fou r te m s d i g wh i h as s w pr s e t d i E gli h
n u e r ur n c c e e re e n e n n s

c ou rt s .

10 0
J ff i e s . G o rge J e ff e y s ( 1 64 8
e r B ea a d Ch i f J t i e r ro n n e us c

o f E gl a d ; a m a
n n f vil h abi t wh o wa k n o w as t h e H a gi g s, s no n e n n

J dge fr m h is re l e nt l e s s c r e l ty e sp e c i ally af t r t h e Mo m o th
u ,
”
o u ,
e n u

e x p e di t i on .

1 0 4 A we ll o f h ou s e s : h u s e b il t r u d a s m all i
. r c ou rt o s u o n nn e
,

lik e a w e ll .

10 6 Pau p e r w i t h ou t a s e t t l e m e n t
. s A p o r m a i E gl a d . o n n n n

m s t b t ak
u ar
e f b y t h e p ar i h i wh i c h h e h as re id d i e m ad e
en c e o s n s e , . .

a s e tt l m t e I f h e w a d e r i t o a o th e r p ari s h h e h a
en . n l ai m o it
s n n s no c n .

1 19 P e h aps e t c Th i s i o e o f Di k
. r ,
rat h r O bvi o s a d y e t
. s n c ens s
’
e u n

ve ry ffe t i v d vi ce s f o m ai t ai i n g t h e re ad e i s s p s e
e c e e r n n r n u en .

12 1 Com e dy an d Gran d Op e ra Th e r f r
. i t t h a tr s s s . e e e nce s o e c e e ,

n ot t t h e a t h o rs
o Th e m e rry S tu art w h o o ld it S e M a a l ay
u .
— s . e c u ,

H is to y f E gla d C h ap t r I I
r o n Th e ki g f E gl a d (C h arl e s I I )
n , e . n o n n

O ffe re d t o j o i w i t h F r a e agai s t H o ll a d if F ra c e wo ld
n nc gage n n ,
n u en

to l d h im h m ili t ary a d p e c iary aid a m i gh t m ak h im i d e

en su c n un s e n

p e d t f h i p arli am t Th i agre m e t w a rat i fi d b y t h e s c t

n en O s en .
”
s e n s e e re

t r aty f D
e er i o 1 6 70 — Th e e art h an d t h e f l n e s s
ov n 1 Co
. x 26 u . r . . .

— F arm e Ge n e al : a t ax c o ll t r w h o p a id t h v r m t a
r- ;ro g ec o ne e o e n en

c t ai
er m i re t r f
n su t h e p i il e ge o f c o ll e c t i g t h e t ax
n u n or wh i h r v n es, c

w r th
e e aid t b us s farm e d o t t o h imo e
“
u .

122 N ot re Dam e : t h m s t f am s a d p h ap s t h m t b a t i
.
- e o ou n er e os e u

f l th
u , gh t t h l arg s t O f t h e c h r c h s f P ari s
ou no e I t is o t h e I le
e ,
u e o . n

d la C i t é ( e
e t t p se no e o .

1 3 2 T h e F u i e s : i G r e k m y t h d a gh t e rs f Ni gh t a d D ark
. r n e ,
u o n

n e s a d th
s , av n g O f all wr g
e en pp o se d t b e w m w ith t
e rs on su o o en er

ribl f a e a d l g s ak y h ai r
e c s n on n .

13 7 T h e Gorgon . h e ad I Gre k m y th l o gy t h e G rgo s w r

’
s . n e o o n e e

t h re e h id e s s i t rs w i t h
ou ak s f o h ai
s e o l k fr m wh m wo ld sn e r r, ne oo o o u

t ur n a m an t o s to n e .

13 8 li n e t h at w a n e ve r t o bre ak Th e ki g o f F ra e at t h e
. Th e s . n nc

t im e O f th e R l t i w as a B b f w h ich h
e vo u s e it h ad b e e
on ou r on , o ou n

p ph e ie d t h at it s h ld h ld th t h r e f F ra f r ve r
ro s ou o e on o n ce o e .
4 52 N OTE S .

14 1 . Le tt e r de cach e t . S ee n ot e to p . 26 .

150 . Th e Ge rm an b allad :
l d ab o u t a p o e m ve ry p o pu l ar in E n g an
t h e c l se o f t h e i gh t e e nth c e t ry S i W al t S tt s fi rs t p bli s h e d
’
o e n u . r er co u

w rk w as a t ra s l at i o n f it all e d William a d H l
o n H l is ar o ,
c n e en . e en c

r i d O ff o h r e b ac k b y t h k e l e t on p c t e r O f h e l ove r
e n o s e s s e r .

1 6 0 Dou bl e t id e s : l g h r
. i all i t w o rk i g a fi h on ou s n us on o n ,
s s er

m e n an d s e am e n s o m e t i m e m s t b y t h e n i gh t t id e as w ll as b y t h s u ,
e e

d ay .

1 65 . M i ch ae lm as T e rm . See n ote p 99
to . .

Chapt e rs ! I I an d XIII . D o t h e se c h ap t r e s , st ri c t l y s p e aki n g ,

ad

van c e th eW h at is t h e i r p rp o s
st o ry u e

1 6 6 V aux h all G arde n s Rane l agh : p o p l ar pl a

. f am m e nt ,
u ce s o u se

i L on d o n i t h e l at t r h alf f t h e i gh t e t h c e t ry ; t h e y w re
n n e o e e n n u e

s o m e t h i g li k e t h e nc r t gar d e s i l arge A m e ri an c i t i
c on B th e n n c es . o

V a x h all a d R a l agh w
u n l s e d so af t e r 1800 S t Du n s t an
ne e re c o on . .
’
s .

D s t a w a A r c h bi h p
un n f C a t e b r y i t h e t e t h c nt ry a d w as
s s o o n r u n n e u n

af t r w ar d s m ad
e a ai t A t at t h im rnam
e te d th
s ity n . s ue o o en e c ,
or

i n r id f T m pl e Ba
ne ,
s e o e r .

1 79 Th e h e at h e n r t i c
. wat ch i g t h e s t re am : a all i n us n n us o

t o t h s t ry f a c
e t ym a w h
o o wi hi g t r a i
oun r at d w n n o, s n o c o ss r ve r , s o

t w ai t t ill t h e w at r h
o ld h a by e s ou ve r u n .

1 80 A p oe t s at u p o a s t o o l S h i aid t h av b e e t h c t m
. n . uc s s o e n e us o

am o g t h e A t h e ni ans
n .

1 8 7 I aak W alt on : t h a t h r O f Th C m p l at A gl t h m t
. z e u o e o e n er , e os

f am o s b o o k o n t h e a t f fi h i g H is c all d t h e p atro n s ai t o f
u r o s n . e e n

fi s h e rm e n .

19 0 . C l ay -
so il e d b oot s S e p 62 . e . .

19 1 . A Re s u rre ct i o n M an : o e w h - n k s a t rad e f diggi g

o ma e o n up

b dio es to se ll to su rge o n s f or an at o m i al p r p o se s ; l at e r
c all e d u c a

b dy o s n at c h e r .

199 . Dam ie n s . R o b e rt D am i e n s
pt d t a as i at e L o i s at t e m e o ss s n u

! V i 1 75 7 H e n c ed d i . t abbi g t h ki g t h
su gh cet i killi g e n s n e n ,
ou no n n

h im a d w as a t all y e x e
,
n t d i th m a c u e r Di k d scrib e cu e n e nn c ens e s.

20 4 S h i ni n g B ll s E y e of t h e i r Cou rt A b l l s — y is a ki d f
. u
’
. u
’
e e n o

l a t e r D i c k e s m a s h e r t h at t h e
n n. n rt i p art i l arl y vivid i
e n e co u s cu n

c o t ra t w i t h t h e d ar kn e s a d m i e ry o f t h e p e o pl e O f F a c e
n s s n s r n .

Ch apt e r ! V I H as t h i s c h ap t r a y b ar i g o t h m ai
. t ry e n e n n e n s o

209 J acqu e rie : t h

. p e o pl C f J ac q e s On e Two Th r e t c e e . . u , ,
ee, .
,

Wh o a e m e t i rd i n C h ap t e r V B o o k I
n on e , .

2 53 Th e B as t ill e : t h e m t c e l e b rat d p r i
. i F a ce b g n os e so n n r n ,
e u

in 1 3 70 a d ad d d t at i t e r al t h r af t
,
n e I t w a alwayo da a n v s e e er . s s u se s

c i vil n t as a m ili t ary p r i s o

,
o Th e m o b f t h F r c h R e vo l t i o h at e d
,
n. o e en u n
4 54 N O TE S .

b o dy . Th e m ac h i ne w as n am e d fr o m its i ve n t o r
n ,
a Dr . Gu ill o t i n e ,

w h o is id t o h av p e r i h e d b y it S e e p 3 2 3
sa e s . . .

2 9 7 Pr i s on of La F orce S e o t e t p 2 84
. . e n o . .

3 0 4 S ai n t Ge rm ai n Q u art e r : a f as h i o abl e qu art e r o f P ar i s b e f ore

. n

t h e R e vo l t i o — His m e t e m p s ch os i
u y n . h is c h a ge d c di ti on s n on .

3 0 5 I n t o t h e Ga e tt e am
.
g t h e li s t s o f b a kr p t s z on n u .

3 1 8 E l e ve n h u n dre d Th e s e w e r e t h e vi t i m s o f w h at we re s b
. . c u

s e qu e t l y c all e d t h e M a s acr e s O f S e p t e m b e r (S e p t e m b e
n 2 6 s r -
,

D a t o o r d e r e d o p e r m i t t e d t h e c o m m i tt e e o f
n n , rve ill a c e t o ord e r
r su n ,

t h e s e fr i gh t f l m ass ac re s A b a d o f f o r o r five h dr d as s ass i s

u . n u un e n ,

h ir e d b y t h e C o m m e t o o k p sse s s i o o f th e pr i so s un S o m e of th e m
,
o n n .

c o s t i t t e d t h e m s e l v s a tr ib
n u al o t h e rs s e rve d as e x e c t i o e rs
e Th e un u n .

pri o r we re c all d a d aft r a f e w q u st i on t h e y we re pu t at

s ne s e ,
n e e s

lib e rty o le d i t o th c rty ar d O f t h pri on a d di s p at c h e d with

r n e ou e s n

s ab e r pike s ax e a d c l b Th e m b r o f kill e d am o t e d t o
s, ,
s, n u s . nu e un

n ni e h dre d a d ix ty s ix ( C t y D icti a y) I t w a t h e s e m as a
un n s - en u r on r . s s

c re s, w i th t h e killi g o f t h e k i g i t h e J an u ary f ll owi g t h at

n n n o n ,

p art i l arl y ali e ate d E gl a d fro m t h e c a s e o f t h e R vo l t i on is ts

cu n n n u e u .

3 22 Th e n e w E ra b e gan F ra c e w as d e c l ar d a r p bli c a d t h e
. . n e e u n

ki g w as b h e ad d as a t rait or i t h e arl y d ay s f 1 793 Th e m ott o

n e e n e o .

O f th e w R e p u bli c w as a d is L ib e r t é E gali t é F rat r i t é

e n L ib e rty
, n , , ,
e n ,

E q ali ty B o t h e rh o o d
u , Th e c al e d ar w a r e vi s e d an d F anc e b gan
r . n s r e

t o r e ck o f ro m t h e Ye ar O e o f t h e R e p bli c
n n u .

3 2 7 S an s on S a s on w as t h e c h i e f e x e cu t i one r t h ro gh ou t t h e
. . n u

R e i g o f Te rr r H e b h e ad e d b o th t h e ki g a d t h e q
n o . e n n u een .

3 3 0 Th e Carm agn o l e Th e Ca I a w a t h p o p u l ar P ar i s i a s o g
. . r s e n n ,

t h e C arm ag o l e t h e p o p l ar d a ce o f t h R e vo l u t i o
n u n e n .

3 4 4 Con fou n d t h e ir poli t i cs e t c Th e wo rd s a e fr m o e o f th e

.
,
. r o n

sta nz as o f t h e E gli h n at i o al a t h e m n s n n .

3 4 7 Tu il e r i e s : th e gr e at p al ac e o f L i s ! I V
. t h e s i te o f th e ou , on

O ld P ar i s i a p o t t r i e s (tu ile ie s )
n P ont N e u f : a br id ge ove r t h e S e i e
e r .
- n

nea r t h e L o u vre .

361 . On ce m ore ! On e O f Dicke n s ’

s m o st c o n s t an t d evi ces is
re p e t it i o n . Wh e n h e h as m a de a go o d poi nt he lik es to wo rk it
in O t e n f .

3 65 Br i ng t h e pr i ce down t o porte rage : i e t h e pric e r c e ive d f or

. . . e

th e b o di e s will h ar dl y pay f o t h e c s t o f c arry i g t h e m r o n .

3 70 Ch e m i t s s h Op : a dru g s t o r e
. s
’
.

3 7 1 3 73 W h at i t h e p rp os e f t h e s e p age s
— . s u o

3 73 I s l an d o f P a i : t h e I le d e la C ite o I l a d f t h e C i t y
. r s ,
r s n o ,

th e l a g t i s l a d i th e S e i n e ; it c on t ai t h e gre at Cath e dral O f

r es n n ns

N Ot D am e
re .
 N O TE S . 4 55

385 . We we re
bbe d Wh at d y o t h in k o f th e n atu ral e s
s o ro . o u n s

o f th i s p h — C h ap t r X Th i i f Di k s f w s f l ’
s eec ce e . s s one o c en s e uc ss u

sh t to i s
or sI t is c o m pl e t e i i ts e lf w e ll
r e . tr t e d a d r e m ark abl y n ,
con s uc ,
n

p w rf l
o e u .

402 J acobi n j ou rn al
. Th J a b i ( c all e d fr o m th e c o ve t o f
. e co ns s o- n n

t h e Jac o b i m k w h re i t h e y m e t ) w r a p a t y i t h R v l t i
n on s, e n e e r n e e o u on

l d b y R b s pi r
e a d c h i fl y re p
o e eibl f t h R ig O f T o r f
re , n e s on s e or e e n e rr o

1 792 — 1 79 3 .

4 04 . I com m u n cat e i t o h im t h at s e cre t , etc . D o e s th i s seem a

p art o f th e pl t f ro o e se e n by Di c k e n s o r an a ft r t he o u gh t I S it nee dd e

I s it e ff t ivec e

4 22 . Wh y d o e s Di c k e n s i n t e rru p t th e fat e of S id ney C art o n h e r e

t o te ll of th e e sca p e of t h e D ar n ay s
4 24 . P os t i n g-h ou s e : ve l is b y p o s t t h at is b y re l ay s o f
w h e n t ra ,

h o rs e s , ill ag h a e ac h v e s a h o u s e w h e r e a s u ppl y o f h o rs e s is k e p t r e ad y

f o t ave l s
r r Th i s is c all e d t h e
er . p ti g h e os n -
ou s .

432 W h at i D i c k
. m t iv i i t r d c i g h m
s h i th e
e ns s
’
o e n n o u n u or e re n

m id s t O f t rag d y ? e

4 3 6 Be d w i ch e s : w e h s f m e l y
.
- n se d i s tti g p a d r nc e or r u n e n u n

t ak i g d ow b d s
n n e .

44 1 J e ab e l
. J e e b e l t h e w ife f Ah ab ki g f I a l w a a
z s . z ,
o ,
n o sr e ,
s

w i ke d w m a w h o
c am e h a
o m e t o b a y o y m f v il
n se n Di k s co e s n n o e . c ens

m is p e ll s it h r
s N ot m y f at h e s h ou e t c F r m C h ri t
e e .
— p ch r
’
s ,
e . o s
’
s s ee

to th m o e y h a ge
e i t h T m pl e M att x x i 1 3 ; J h ii 1 6
n -
c n rs n e e . . . o n . .

T h e w is e Arabi an s t o i e : t h e A ab ia N igh ts S I t d cti r s r n . ee n ro u on .

S c h all i
u t li t rat e t h gh m m i m a y ve lis ts as
u s on s o e ur ,
ou co on n n no ,

Th a k ray a d G
c e ge E li t a n ve y ar i D i c k s eor o , re r r e n en .

44 6 Tw e t y T h re e W h at d
. n Di k e s gai b y s gge st i g t h
- . oe s c n n u n e

d ath O f C art rat h t h a ay i g tri gh t t h at h w as kill d

e on , er O e n s n ou e e n

o f t h e m o t r m ar k abl e s ffe e r
s Ja
e c mm l y all d M ad am e u r s : e nn e , o on c e

R o l a d wif f R o l a d d e la P lat ie
n , e o S h w a g ill t i d l at i 1 79 3
n re . e s u o ne e n .

44 6 4 4 7 A e t h— fi al p a ag ap h aft th w rd Twe ty
. r e n r r s er e o n

Th re e an adva t ag a di adva t age t t h e s t o ry

n e or. s n o
 R ET! R N TO The c i rc ulatio n d e sk o f a ny

! nive rsity O f C alifo rnia Li b ra ry

o r to th e
NO RTHER N R EG IO NALLIBR ARY FAC ILITY
Bld g 400 Ri c h m o nd Fie ld Statio n
. ,

! nive rsity o f
C alifo rn ia
Ric h m o nd C A 9 4 80 4 4 6 9 8
,
-

ALL BO O KS MAY BE R EC ALLED AFTER 7 DAYS

2 m a n rh lo a ns m ay b e we d b y c alling
‘
-
re ne

( 5 10 ) 64 2 6 7 53 -

I ye a r lo a ns m a y b e
-
re c h a rge d b y b i i
r n g ng

b o o ks to NRLF
Re w als a nd re c h a rge s m ay b e m a d e 4
ne

d ays prio r T
O d u e d ate .

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