A Tale of Two Cities

George Hotel opened the coach-door as his custom was. He did it with some flourish of ceremony, for a

ns. The mildewy inside of the coach, with its damp and dirty straw, its disagreeable smell, and its obscurity, was rather like a larger dog-kennel. Mr. Lorry

packet to Calais,

s tolerable fair. The tide will serve pretty nic

till night; but I want

leman's valise and hot water to Concord. Pull off gentleman's boots in Concord. (You

Conc

one kind of man was seen to go into it, all kinds and varieties of men came out of it. Consequently another drawer, and two porters, and several maids and the landlady, were all loitering by accident at various points of the road between

reakfast-table was drawn before the fire, and as he sat, with its light shining on him,

setting very close to his head: which wig, it is to be presumed, was made of hair, but which looked far more as though it were spun from filaments of silk or glass. His linen, though not of a fineness in accordance with his stockings, was as white as the tops of the waves that broke upon the neighbouring beach, or the specks of sail that glinted in the sunlight far at sea. A face habitually suppressed and quieted, was still lighted up under the quaint wig

it, Mr. Lorry dropped off to sleep. The arrival of his breakfast r

at any time to-day. She may ask for Mr. Jarvis Lorry, or she may o

lson's Bank in

es

in their travelling backwards and forwards betwixt London and Paris,

French House, as we

e habit of such travellin

ifteen years since we--sinc

sir. Before our people's time here, sir. The

lieve

use like Tellson and Company was flourishing, a m

say a hundred and fifty, yet

eed,

rom his-right arm to his left, dropped into a comfortable attitude, and stood surveying the guest while he a

what it liked was destruction. It thundered at the town, and thundered at the cliffs, and brought the coast down, madly. The air among the houses was of so strong a piscatory flavour that one might have supposed sick fish went up to be dipped in it, as sick people went down to be dipped in the sea. A little fishing was don

lear enough to allow the French coast to be seen, became again charged with mist a

he had awaited his breakfast, his mind was di

had been idle a lo and had just poured out his last glassful of wine complete an appearance of satisfaction as is ever to be found in an elderly ge

s untouched. `This i

unce that Miss Manette had arrived from London,

so

d none then, and was extremely anxious to see the gentleman from

ss Manette's apartment. It was a large, dark room, furnished in a funereal manner with black horsehair, and loaded with heavy dark tables. These had been oiled, until the two tall cand

ll candles, he saw to receive him by the table between them and the young lady of not more than seventeen, in a riding-cloak, and still holding her straw travelling-hat by its ribbon in her hand. As his eyes re

s passed before him, of a child whom he had held in his arms on the passage across that very Channel, one cold time, when the hail drifted heavily and the sea ran high. The likeness passed away, like a breath along the surface of the gaunt pier-gl

and pleasant young voice; a little foreig

with the manners of an earlier date, as

e

, sir, yesterday, informing me tha

aterial, miss; eit

erty of my poor father, whom

towards the hospital procession of negro cupids. As i

there to communicate with a gentleman of the Bank, s

ys

repared to

s), with a pretty desire to convey to him that she felt how m

hat as I am an orphan and have no friend who could go with me, I should esteem it highly if I might be permitted to place myself, during the journey, under

be entrusted with the charge. I s

plain to me the details of the business, and that I must prepare myself to find them of a surprising nature.

said Mr. Lorr

again settling the cris

y difficul

ut, in his indecisi

retty and characteristic, besides being singular--and she raised her hand, a

te a strange

s hands, and extended them outw

was possible to be, the expression deepened itself as she took her seat thoughtfully in the chair by which she

I cannot do better than address you a

please

r reception of it, don't heed me any more than if I was a speaking machine--truly, I am not

to

es, customers; in the banking business we usually call our connexion our customers. He

f Beau

e, your father, the gentleman was of repute in Paris. I had the honour of knowing him there. Our relations were

I may ask, at w

n a similar way I am, or I have been, trustee of one kind or other for scores of our customers. These are mere business relations, miss; there is no friendship in them, no particular interest, nothing like sentimen

--

d was very intent upon him--'that when I was left an orphan through my mother's surviving m

conducted the young lady straightaway to her chair again, and, holding the chair-back with his left hand, and using his right by turn

ures are mere business relations, when you reflect that I have never seen you since. No; you have been the ward of Tellsons House since, and I have been busy with

s flaxen wig upon his head with both hands (which was most unnecessary, for nothing c

r regretted father. Now comes the difference. If your father h

And she caught his wri

of the chair to lay it on the supplicatory fingers that clasped him in so violent

him that he stopped, w

isappeared; if he had been spirited away; if it had not been difficult to guess to wh

filling up blank forms for the consignment of any one to the oblivion of a prison for any length of time if his wife had implored the king, the queen, the court, the cl

ou to tell m

going to. Yo

the uncertainty you lea

`A matter of business. Regard it as a matter o-business-business that must be done. Now if this doctor's wife, thou

hild was a da

ld was born, that she came to the determination of sparing the poor child the inheritance of any part of the agony she had known t

r, good, compassionat

headed. If you could kindly mention now, for instance, what nine times ninepence are, or how many shillings

raised her, and the hands that had not ceased to clasp his wrists were so much more

d--I believe broken-hearted--having never slackened her unavailing search for your father, she left you, at two years old, to grow to be blooming, beautiful, and ha

ity, on the flowing golden hair; as if he pictured to h

hat they had was secured to your mother and to you. There has b

the forehead, which had so particularly attracted his notice, and

though we will hope the best. Still, alive. Your father has been taken to the house of an old servant in Pari

ough his. She said, in a low, distinct, awe-str

is Ghost! It will be

he best and the worst are known to you, now. You are well on your way to the poor wronged gentl

whisper, `I have been free, I have been h

lways designedly held prisoner. It would be worse than useless now to make any inquiries, because it would be dangerous. Better not to mention the subject, anywhere or in any way, and to remove him--for a while at all events--out of France. Even I, safe as an Englishman, and even Tellson's, important as they are to French cr

nd fixed upon him, and with that last expression looking as if it were carved or branded into her forehead. So close was her hold u

, and to have on her head a most wonderful bonnet like a Grenadier wooden measure, and good measure too, or a great Stilton cheese, came running into the room in advance of the in

Mr. Lorry's breathless reflection, simulta

ngs, instead of standing there staring at me? I am not so much to look at, am I? Why don't you go and fe

n a sofa, and tended her with great skill and gentleness: calling her `my precious!' and `

ell her what you had to tell her, without frightening her to death? Look at her

and humility, while the strong woman, having banished the inn servants under the mysterious penalty of `letting them know' something not mentione

l do well now,'

brown, if she does.

ause of feeble sympathy and humility, `th

as ever intended that I should go across salt water, do y

hard to answer, Mr. Jarvis L