A Tale of Two Cities

, looking down at he white head t

ry faint voice responded to the salu

od

ll hard at w

e voice replied, `Yes--I am working.' This time, a pair of haggard

s like the last feeble echo of a sound made long and long ago. So entirely had it lost the life and resonance of the human voice, that it affected the senses like a once beautiful colour faded away into a poor weak stain. So sunken and suppressed it wa

t with any interest or curiosity, but with a dull mechanical perception, beforehand,

s gaze from the shoemaker, `to let in a little

stening, at the floor on one side of him; then similarly, at t

did yo

ar a little

n.' (Laying the palest shadow of

his labour. His few common tools and various scraps of leather were at his feet and on his bench. He had a white beard, raggedly cut, but not very long, a hollow face, and exceedingly bright eyes. The hollo

s old canvas frock, and his loose stockings, and all his poor tatters of clothes, had, in a long seclusion from direct li

ze, pausing in his work. He never looked at the figure before him, without first looking down on this side of himself, then on that, as i

of shoes to-day?' asked Defarge, mo

did yo

shoes to-day?' `I can't say that I m

ded him of his work, an

showed no surprise at seeing another figure, but the unsteady fingers of one of his hands strayed to his lips as he looked at it (his lips and his nails were

or, you see,' sai

did yo

is a v

s before, but without rem

ws a well-made shoe when he sees one. Show him t

took it in

kind of shoe it is,

se than usual, before

was you asked me.

cribe the kind of shoe, f

he present mode. I never saw the mode. I have had a pattern in my h

er's name?'

then passed a hand across his bearded chin, and so on in regular changes, without a moment's intermission. The task of recalling him from the vacancy into which he alwa

ask me fo

edly I

and Five, N

that

and Five, N

h, nor a groan, he bent to work again

y trade?' said Mr. Lorry,

ed the question to him: but as no help came from that quarter, t

not a shoe-maker by trade. I--I learn't it

s came slowly back, at last, to the face from which they had wandered; when they rested on it, he sta

t it with much difficulty after a long w

t had been taken from him, Mr. Lorry sai

e, do you rememb

round, and he sat looking

er nothing of this man? Look at him. Look at me. Is there no old banker, no ol

ey were fainter, they were gone; but they had been there. And so exactly was the expression repeated on the fair young face of her who had crept along the wall to a point where she could see him, and where she now stood looking at him, with hands which at first had been only raised in frig

hat it looked as though it had passed

vely, and his eyes in gloomy abstraction sought the ground and looked about him in t

him, monsieur?' asked

t I have unquestionably seen, for a single moment, the face t

he sat. There was something awful in his unconsciousness of the figure that

as made. She stood, like a spirit, b

side on which she stood. He had taken it up, and was stooping to work again, when his eyes caught the skirt of her dress. He raised them, and saw her face.

to form some words, though no sound proceeded from them. By degrees,

is t

hands to her lips, and kissed them to him; then clasped

the gaoler'

ighed

are

ed, but she laid her hand upon his arm. A strange thrill struck him when she did so, and

ver her neck. Advancing his hand by little and little, he took it up and looked at it. In the m

y there, he laid down his work, put his hand to his neck, and took off a blackened string with a scrap of folded rag attached to it. He opened this, carefully,

d looked closely at it. `It is the same.

ad, he seemed to become conscious that it was in hers

one--and when I was brought to the North Tower they found these upon my sleeve. "You will leave me them? They can never

e he could utter it. But when he did find spoken wor

this?--Wa

denness. But she sat perfectly still in his grasp, and only said, in a low voice,

aimed. `Whose v

renzy. It died out, as everything but his shoemaking did die out of him, and he refolded his little

e hands she knew, this is not the face she knew, this is not a voice she ever heard. No, no. She was-

daughter fell upon her knees before him,

w their hard, hard history. But I cannot tell you at this time, and I cannot tell you here. All that I may tel

hair, which warmed and lighted it as though

touch, in touching my hair, anything that recalls a beloved head that lay on your breast when you were young and free, weep for it, weep for it! If, when I hint to you of a Home that is before u

the neck, and rocked him o

e, and of our native France so wicked to you, weep for it, weep for it! And if' when I shall tell you of my name, and of my father who is living, and of my mother who is dead, you learn that I have to kneel to my

feel his sacred tears upon my face, and his sobs strik

so touching, yet so terrible in the tremendous wrong and suffering

f the rest and silence into which the storm called Life must hush at last--they came forward to raise the father and daughter from the ground. He had gradually dropped to the

ped over them, after repeated blowings of his nose, `all could be arranged for o

e fit for the journe

k, than to remain in this

ar. `More than that; Monsieur Manette is, for all reasons, bes

the shortest notice his methodical manners; `an

with me now. Why should you be? If you will lock the door to secure us from interruption, I do not doubt that you will find him, when

were not only carriage and horses to be seen to, but travelling papers; and as time pressed, for the day was drawing to

nd close at the father's side, and watched him. The darkness deepened and deepene

pers, bread and meat, wine, and hot coffee. Monsieur Defarge put this provender, and the lamp he carried, on the shoemaker's ben

ere questions which no sagacity could have solved. They tried speaking to him; but, he was so confused, and so very slow to answer, that they took fright at his bewilderment, and agreed for the time to tamper with him no more

im to eat and drink, and put on the cloak and other wrappings, that they gave him to wear. He readily

closing the little procession. They had not traversed many steps of the long

ce, my father? You re

did yo

he question, he murmured an an

n't remember. It wa

d when he looked about him, it evidently was for the strong fortress-walls which had long encompassed him. On their reaching the courtyard he instinctively altered his tread, as b

s; not even a chance passer-by was in the street. An unnatural silence and desert

door-post, knitti

making tools and the unfinished shoes. Madame Defarge immediately called to her husband that she would get them, and went, knitting, out of the lamplight, t

Barrier!' The postilion cracked his whip, and they

ee here then, Monsieur the Officer,' said Defarge, getting down, and taking him gravely apart, `these are the papers of monsieur inside, with the white head. They were consigned to me, with him, at the---' He dropped his voice, there was a flutter among the military lanterns, and one of them

er the great g

in space where anything is suffered or done: the shadows of the night were broad and black. All through the cold and restless interval, until dawn, they once more whispered in the ears of

are to be rec

e old

an't