The Original: A Tale of Two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
The Plot:
It is the year 1775. Dickens begins the novel by describing this year with one of the most famous sentences in literature: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" In short, despite the rapturous joy or painful suffering that everyone seems to feel, the time is really no less different than our own. It is filled with people who think "in the superlative degree of comparison only," and who believe that the world is not going to change. The narrator describes the goings-on in England and France. In England, ghost sightings and prophets holding s�ances are common. Highwaymen by night live as honest tradesmen by day, and thieves run rampant. In France, people are tortured for not paying homage to monks walking fifty yards away, and already there are rumblings of the terrible time that is to come. In short, the kings and queens of both countries rule, while the world of the commoners continues beneath them.
On a misty Friday night in November, a mail-coach lumbers up a hill on the road to Dover. Three passengers trudge in the mud behind it, with one passenger flinching each time the coach rattles. The guard and coachman both complain that it is late, and the coach cannot go any faster. Suddenly they hear a horse coming at full gallop. Everyone is frightened as the guard calls out to the mystery man. In a hoarse voice, the horseman asks for Mr. Jarvis Lorry. Lorry identifies the voice as Jerry. When the guard shows some apprehension, Mr. Lorry states that he is from Tellson's Bank in London, and there is nothing to fear. Jerry gives Lorry the message "Wait at Dover for Mam'selle." Lorry gives the reply, "Recalled to life," and sends Jerry on his way. After a few moments, the guard and coachman wonder what the conversation means. Meanwhile, Jerry rides back, hoping that "recalling to life" doesn't become fashionable.
The narrator begins with some musings on how human hearts have secrets buried within, and we can never see anyone else's except our own. From there, he moves to the passengers, who are all suspicious of each other. Next he gives us a description of the shaggy-haired Jerry, who rides into town, murmuring that recalling to life will ruin his profession. Back in the mail-coach, Lorry tries to keep his mind on his job at the Bank. His mind keeps slipping back to his present situation, however: he is going to "dig someone out of a grave." He dreams of a conversation with an old man, whom he asks if he would like to be recalled to life. The response is always, "I can't say." Lorry keeps concentrating on digging this person out, but keeps returning to the mist of the night. The cycle of thought continues until the morning. As he watches the sunrise, he says, "To be buried alive for eighteen years!"
Mr. Lorry finally arrives in Dover the next morning. He arrives at the Royal George Hotel and makes his way to breakfast. He orders and falls asleep, but when his breakfast arrives, he awakens and tells the servant that he his expecting someone. The waiter asks about Tellson's, and Lorry reveals that there is a branch in Paris as well as London - he worked there fifteen years ago. In the late evening, Miss Manette, Lorry's visitor, arrives. Lorry is led to her apartment. He reaches the rooms to discover a pretty, golden-haired young lady.
Miss Manette politely welcomes him, and asks him if he will escort her to Paris for the business that Tellson's has for her there. Lorry stammers as he tries to tell her what she must do. Miss Manette wonders if she knows the gentleman, but Lorry says nothing. Instead, he tells her the story of one customer. This customer was a French doctor from Beauvais in France. He married an English lady and put his affairs into Tellson's hands. Miss Manette stops Lorry, realizing that this is like her father's story and that Lorry must be the man who brought her to England. Lorry continues, saying that this story ends differently than her father's story. This doctor's wife must have suffered so deeply from her husband's actual location that she decided to tell her child � a daughter - that her father was dead.
Miss Manette drops to her knees and begs Lorry for the truth. Lorry tells her that this was her family's story. While no more possessions of her father's have been found, her father has been found alive and in a terrible condition. Lorry will take her to Paris so she may retrieve him. After a moment, Miss Manette falls into a faint. Lorry calls for help, and immediately a wild, red women flies into the room in a rage. She orders the servants to get smelling salts, then begins scolding Lorry as she frets over Miss Manette. Lorry learns, much to his chagrin, that the wild woman will accompany them to France.
In the St. Antoine district, an impoverished section of Paris, everyone comes into the street because a cask of wine has been dropped and broken. Men, women, children all push and shove to get even a small drop of the red wine. Afterwards, everyone returns to their hard labors of chopping wood and caring for children with smears of red covering their faces and clothes. One man named Gaspard writes "Blood" on the wall, using the last of the spilled wine. Nearby, the owner of a wine shop watches the squabble. He chastises Gaspard for writing on the wall in the public space, then wipes it away and returns to the wine shop.
When he returns, his wife, Madame Defarge, knits and coughs. Monsieur Defarge notices the old man and young woman sitting at a table. He ignores them and has a short conversation with three men, all of whom have the name Jacques. He directs them toward a chamber on the fifth floor. Suddenly the old man has a quick conversation with Defarge. Defarge takes the gentleman and lady to a dark room high in the wine-shop. Apparently Dr. Manette must be kept in a room like a prison, because to do otherwise would drive him mad. Defarge says he shows Dr. Manette to a chosen few, because their name is Jacques. Lucie feels nothing but fear. When the door is unlocked, the company sees a little old man making shoes.
The little old shoemaker speaks as a man who has been buried alive, and dresses in dirty and yellowing clothes. When he is asked his name, he says, "One Hundred and Five, North Tower"- his cell room and location. Lorry tries to make Manette remember him, but Manette's eyes fall on Lucie, and he seems to remember her. When Lucie goes to him, he believes that she is the jailer's daughter. Seeing her beautiful blonde hair, though, upsets him. He is confusing her with his own wife. Lucie comforts him, and says that she will take him home to England. Defarge agrees, and he and Lorry get the carriage and traveling-papers in order while Lucie stays with Dr. Manette. When they depart, Manette seems very agitated. Lorry thinks of men being buried alive as they head back to England.
The year is 1780, and five years have passed since Dr. Manette's arrival in England. At Tellson's, business is bustling, even though the shop and all one's papers seem to be in a permanent state of decay. Everything, that is, except Jerry Cruncher, Tellson's faithful messenger. At home, Jerry beats his wife for "flopping" (his word for praying). His son, Young Jerry, helps his father by telling him that his mother is going to pray again. Eventually father and son go off to work. A Tellson's man calls for a messenger. While Jerry goes out on his errand, young Jerry wonders why his father's fingers are always so rusty.
The Tellson's clerk orders Jerry to the Bailey courts. Jerry is to wait there for Lorry until Lorry gives him a message to bring back. Lorry is at a treason trial, as Jerry learns from the clerk and from a man who delights in describing the punishment. The judge enters, and Jerry sees the man being tried. He is a young, dark-haired man named Charles Darnay. As the Attorney-General gives a long-winded speech, Darnay looks calm, while the crowd watches eagerly. Two of the witnesses will be Dr. Manette and Lucie!
The first witness is called: Mr. John Barsad. He had never been a spy, or a criminal of any sort. He says he saw Darnay with some papers that had lists on them. Another man, Roger Cly, says the same. Soon Lorry is called. Darnay traded these papers on the same ship that the Manettes and Lorry took in returning to England. Lucie is called, and she shows reluctance in saying anything against the prisoner. Dr. Manette is called, but he says he knows very little, as his mind was not fully present. C.J. Stryver, Darnay's lawyer, doesn't know what to do.
Things look bad for Darnay until his lawyer's clerk, Sydney Carton, writes quickly and gives it to Stryver. Stryver points out to Cly that the man they could have seen was probably not Darnay. After all, his clerk looks like Darnay! The whole crowd notices the similarities between Carton and Darnay, and gasps. The jury goes out, but the outcome is not in doubt. Darnay is acquitted of treason. In the push of the celebrating crowd, Carton notices that Lucie is fainting, and calls for help. Jerry takes the verdict back to Tellson's.
Darnay, Carton, Stryver, Lorry, and the Manettes linger to celebrate Darnay's acquittal. Dr. Manette looks gloomy, but Lucie comforts him. Darnay kisses Lucie's hand and thanks his lawyers. Carton, looking unkempt, speaks rudely to Lorry and Darnay, but then he invites Darnay to dinner.
At the bar, Carton is bitter, and says they are not alike at all. Darnay is confused, but tries to act cheerfully. Carton acts jealous of Lucie's attention to Darnay, and says that he doesn't like Darnay at all. Darnay continues to be kind, and says that Carton should put his talents to better uses. After Darnay leaves, Carton looks at himself in a mirror. He confesses that Darnay is a vision of what he could have been, and that explains his hatred for him. Carton falls to the table and has some more wine.
Stryver and Carton's history together is recounted first. Stryver was a great lawyer, but he could never glean the right information from the wealth of legal documents. Somehow he gained the ability, and although he drank with Carton, he always had his briefs ready by the morning.
Carton is awakened by the tavern owner at ten o'clock. After a few moments, he heads for Stryver's office. As Carton goes to work on the briefs, Stryver sits nearby, drinking and taunting Carton about his luck. Soon Carton finishes, and the two men discuss the events of the day. We learn about Carton's past - he was always the boy who did the work for his classmates. When he met Stryver, Stryver was the successful one, while Carton was the wastrel. Carton orders Stryver to changes the subject, so Stryver begins talking about Lucie Manette. Carton calls her "a golden-haired doll," and heads home. The air is gloomy, and Carton throws himself on his bed and weeps for the life he has wasted.
On a Sunday afternoon, Lorry decides to call on the Manettes. The Manettes live in a quiet and beautiful area. The house holds the doctor's practice also. When Lorry arrives, no one is home, so he makes himself at home. As he walks, he sees the old shoemaker's bench, and wonders why Dr. Manette keeps it. Miss Pross comes in and acts characteristically angry with Lorry. She is upset because "hundreds of people" come to see Lucie every day. She wishes that her brother Solomon, who has abandoned her, would come to court Lucie, since he is the only worthy one. Yet Miss Pross notices that Dr. Manette never talks about his imprisonment.
Soon Darnay comes to visit Lucie, to the consternation of Miss Pross. Darnay tells a story of a discovery in the Tower. Some prisoner had buried something in the walls long ago - something that the poor person had hidden in the walls. At this story, Dr. Manette looks stricken, but he says it is only because of the rain. They go inside, where Carton meets them. All sorts of people are running for cover in the rain. Lucie is frightened, and Darnay tries to comfort her. Lucie says she thinks of the footsteps coming into their lives. Carton says the rainfall sounds like those horrible footsteps.
In France, a great nobleman called Monseigneur holds court in his Paris apartments. His four servants serve him a cup of chocolate - that is their sole duty. He couldn't be bothered with affairs of state because he spent the night at the Opera. He also has powerful friends, including the common-born but very rich Farmer-General to whom he forced his sister in marriage. Doctors, businessmen, even soldiers all bow to Monseigneur's wishes, and everyone dresses in the latest fashion to please him. As he leaves his chamber, he ignores one of the noblemen, a Marquis.
The Marquis is so angry that he forces his coachman to drive away at breakneck speed. His carriage rushes through the Saint Antoine district. A child is caught under the wheels and killed. A man wails over the body, and to placate the man the Marquis tosses some money at him. Defarge says that the child is better off dead than suffering alive, and the Marquis throws money at him too. Defarge throws it back, and the Marquis drives off in a huff as Madame Defarge watches the scene, knitting.
The Marquis rides to his country castle. As he stops in a village, a mender of roads tells him that he saw a man under the carriage. After much searching, the Marquis orders the man to be put off by his servant, Gabelle. The coach rides on, past a graveyard. A woman stops the carriage and begs the Marquis for some money for a gravestone for her husband. Gabelle removes her too, and the coach rides on. When he gets to his chateau, the Marquis asks if Monsieur Charles has arrived from England and gets a negative response.
The Marquis strides through his home, passing through the torture rooms and the luxurious rooms. As he eats dinner, he has the servants checking for anything suspicious. Halfway through his meal, his nephew arrives - the man called Charles Darnay. Uncle and nephew both speak cautiously. Charles thinks his uncle is trying to kill him, and the Marquis makes no real complaint. Charles talks about the repressive nature of the aristocracy and how it is harmful; the uncle responds that it is the only way to keep the lower classes in line. Charles angrily says that he will renounce all his claims to the title and fortune, because he wants to work for a living. The Marquis simply retires to his rooms and prepares for bed. The stone faces of the chateau watch the night, and by the morning another face joins them, that of the dead Marquis, who was killed in the night by someone who signs himself "Jacques."
A year has passed since the death of the Marquis. In that year, Darnay has returned to England and become a successful French teacher. He has also fallen in love with Lucie, though she doesn't know. He decides to call on Dr. Manette to talk to him about it. Dr. Manette greets Darnay warmly. Darnay professes his undying love for Lucie, but Dr. Manette stops him. Darnay tries again, describing Lucie's kindness and loving spirit. Dr. Manette tells Darnay that she is not sought by another man, although Carton and Stryver may be potential suitors. Darnay wants Dr. Manette to support his suit if Lucie asks his advice. In return, he will tell Dr. Manette about his past. Dr. Manette stops him, saying that Darnay can tell him on the morning of his and Lucie's wedding day. Later that night, Lucie looks in on her father, and sees him at his shoemaker's table.
Stryver and Carton are organizing the last of their briefs before their vacation. As they drink and work, Stryver tells Carton that he is thinking of getting married, since he is the type of man who understands women. Carton, to Stryver, is a disagreeable fellow. Carton laughs and wants to know who the lucky lady is. After a moment, Stryver announced that it is Miss Manette. Carton drinks in response. Stryver goes on to say that Carton should find an agreeable woman to marry. Carton says that he'll think about it.
Stryver sets out to ask Lucie for her hand before he takes his vacation. He plans his proposal, and where the two will present themselves. He decides to stop in and see Lorry on the way to Lucie's. Lorry is shocked about Stryver's proposal, and tries to convince him not to go. He hints that Lucie may not accept Stryver's suit, and sends Stryver home while he goes to ask. Later that night, Lorry tells Stryver that Lucie does not want his advances. Stryver behaves genially, but weeps on his sofa when Lorry finds himself outside.
Carton visits the Manettes' home, since he never goes to his own home. Even after his employer says that his plan to marry Lucie is no longer in effect, Carton still visits. One day he calls on Lucie, who notices that he doesn't look well. Carton opens up about his dissolute life. Lucie weeps for him as he says that Lucie could never care for him - after all, no one could because he has wasted his life. Lucie wants to know if there is anything she could do to help. Carton says that he will do anything at all to keep a life she loves beside her, and then leaves quietly.
Jerry Cruncher is sitting outside of Tellson's as usual when a noisy funeral procession passes. Jerry learns that it is the funeral of Roger Cly, the same man who was involved in Darnay's trial so long ago. The wild crowd celebrates madly, as Jerry thinks that this dead man was young and healthy. At home that night, Jerry tells his wife that he is going out, and young Jerry wants to go. Jerry says that he's going fishing, but young Jerry sneaks out after his father. He follows his father and his friends to a graveyard. As Jerry pulls a coffin out of the ground, young Jerry runs away. The next morning, Jerry berates his wife for praying against him. On the way to work, young Jerry asks his father what a resurrection-man is. Jerry says it's an honest tradesman who harvests bodies. Young Jerry hopes that he can be one too, and Jerry is pleased by the sentiment.
In France, the wine shop has been inhabited very early for several mornings. One morning, Defarge brings the mender of roads, who wears a blue cap. All the Jacques greet the man warmly. Defarge calls the man Jacques. The mender of roads tells the story of Gaspard, the man who killed the Marquis so long ago. He was finally caught by the police, tied tightly, and led to the fountain in the village. There he is hanged and left for a few days. The Jacques recount the gruesome execution of Damiens, a man who tried to kill the king long ago. The Jacques send the mender of roads out, and they decide that extermination must come to the chateau and the whole race of Evremondes. When they call the mender of roads back in, Defarge tells him that they will see the King and Queen on Sunday. Sunday comes, and the Defarges set out for Versailles. The mender of roads celebrates, and then looks at the Defarges with shame. Defarge comforts the man, telling him that cheering for the nobles actually fools them into thinking that they shall be in power forever.
The Defarges return from their trip to Versailles. Ernest says that there is another spy coming to the Saint Antoine district. The spy is named John Barsad (one of the men who testified at Darnay's English trial). Madame promises to "register" Barsad's name tomorrow. As she counts the money, Ernest becomes nervous at all the smells of the shop. Madame Defarge mocks him for being nervous. Defarge wonders why they are working so hard. After Madame Defarge points out that they are working for the poor people, Defarge seems to think that they will not see the revolution completed. Madame becomes so angry that Defarge is forced to say that they will work for the revolution all the same. They go to bed.
The next morning a new customer comes into the wine shop. Madame Defarge pins the rose in her hair, and all the regular customers begin to leave. She thinks it is John Barsad, because the man goes to a lot of trouble to engage in conversation with her about the cognac's flavor and about the. Defarge enters, and the man tries to get him to answer to the name of Jacques. He also tries to elicit some sort of response from Defarge about Gaspard, but without success. Finally, the man begins talking about the Manettes, and he mentions that Lucie is to be married to Charles Darnay, the nephew of the Marquis St. Evremonde. Finally, the man leaves. Defarge hopes that Darnay will stay out of France, but Madame Defarge says they must be registered if they return. That night, as Madame Defarge meets with the other women in a knitting-circle, Defarge calls his wife "a frightfully grand woman."
It is an intensely beautiful night in London. Since tomorrow is her wedding-day, Lucie has decided to spend the last night of her single life with her father. Lucie is distraught at the fact that she must part from her father. Dr. Manette gently scolds her, saying that he is very happy that her life has not been wasted. He finally tells her something about his years in prison - during that time, he often wondered about the daughter he would never know. He imagined her life, and eventually he imagined that she would free him from his prison. Yet he also imagined another daughter, one who raised her children with stories of their imprisoned grandfather. This second daughter could never free him, but she could give him relief for a time. Yet Dr. Manette tells her that he is happier now than he ever imagined, and he leaves her for bed. In the middle of the night, Lucie looks in on her sleeping father, and prays that she will continue to be a good daughter to him.
It is the morning of the wedding-day. Dr. Manette and Darnay are talking in the Doctor's room, while Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross talk with Lucie. Miss Pross tells Lorry he was a bachelor from his cradle. After the delightful banter between the two, Darnay and Dr. Manette enter the room. Dr. Manette looks pale, and Lorry thinks that he has resumed his prisoner's air. However, Lucie and Darnay go to church, and the wedding takes place without a hitch. Afterwards, Lucie and Darnay leave for their honeymoon. Lorry says he must go to Tellson's, but will return in two hours. When Lorry returns, Miss Pross cries that Dr. Manette is making shoes. Lorry tries to talk to Dr. Manette, but the doctor doesn't seem to understand him.
Dr. Manette does this for nine days. While the doctor is incapacitated, Lorry decides to keep his condition secret. He and Miss Pross watch over Dr. Manette every day, and they try to engage him in conversation as they all work. Lorry notices that Dr. Manette is starting to become very skilled in his shoemaking.
On the tenth morning after Lucie's wedding, Lorry learns that Dr. Manette has pushed aside the shoemaker's tools and bench. The doctor is sitting at the window, reading calmly. After a short conference with Miss Pross, Lorry plans to talk to the doctor after breakfast, if the doctor is able. Dr. Manette has regained his wits, so Lorry asks for his advice on something. Apparently "a friend" of Lorry's has received some shock that causes him to take up his blacksmith's work. Lorry wants to understand why his friend would do such a thing, and if his friend will ever suffer such a shock again. Dr. Manette is subdued as he makes the diagnosis. The doctor says that his friend expected the relapse, and that the relapse came from a remembrance recalled. Fortunately, the worst of the relapse is probably over. When Lorry suggests that getting rid of the old tools is just what his friend needs, Dr. Manette reluctantly agrees - though the object should not be removed until the friend is away. Three days later, Dr. Manette leaves to join Lucie and Darnay on their honeymoon. During that time, Lorry and Miss Pross burn the shoemaker's bench and tools, feeling as if they are committing a murder.
Sydney Carton is the first to call upon the newlyweds when they return. He wants to speak to Darnay alone, so he pulls him into a corner by a window. Carton then apologizes for being so rude to Darnay on the night they dined together. Darnay says it is forgotten, but Carton insists on Darnay's forgiveness and friendship. Darnay tries to tell Carton that he is not dissolute and worthless, but Carton continues to berate himself. After Carton leaves, the whole household talks about him. Darnay says Carton is reckless. Later that night, Lucie begs Charles to respect Carton. She believes in Carton's loving wounded heart. Charles agrees, blessing Lucie for her sweet compassion.
During her marriage, Lucie tries her best to be a loving wife to Darnay and daughter to Dr. Manette. In the beginning of her marriage, she had visions of her own death, and the pain that Darnay would experience as a result. Soon after, she has a daughter named Lucie, and all her energies are concentrated on the care of this child. After little Lucie comes a son, who dies in his youth. Little Lucie lives in good health, and she befriends Carton. Carton rarely visits anymore, and when he does, he is sober and silent. Stryver has married a widow with three unprepossessing boys. He tells his wife and his workers that Lucie tried to trap him into marriage, although no one really believes it. Soon it is little Lucie's sixth birthday. The year is 1789. During one visit to the Manettes' home, Lorry is worried about the events in France. Tellson's of Paris is being overrun by people who want to get their money to England in a hurry.
In the Saint Antoine district, people are gathering all sorts of weapons. Ernest is organizing the Jacques, while Madame Defarge stands at the head of the women's crowd. At the Defarges' urging, the angry mob heads for the Bastille. After four hours of combat, the mob breaks into the Bastille. As the others look at the jail and its contents, Ernest forces a man to take him to One Hundred and Five, North Tower. The three Jacques look around reverently, while Ernest searches for something in the cell. They burn all the wretched furniture, then leave to join Madame Defarge at the head of the mob. The mob has captured the Governor of the Bastille, and they beat him excitedly. When the Governor falls down, Madame Defarge calmly steps on his neck and cuts off his head. By the end of the raid, seven heads (of the Bastille guards) rest on pikes. The seven prisoners in the Bastille at the time of the raid are carried in celebration by the crowd.
A week after the storming of the Bastille, Madame Defarge hears the revolutionary talk in the wine shop with glee. Her friend, a knitting woman who is called The Vengeance, sits nearby. Suddenly Ernest enters. He announces that Foulon, a governor who spoke harshly to the poor and faked his death, is actually alive and well. Foulon was captured and taken to a prison. The revolutionaries quickly prepare themselves for the execution of Foulon. The crowd encounters the old, haggard Foulon bound and covered with grass. A ray of light engulfs the man, but immediately the Defarges begin dragging Foulon through the crowd. Foulon is beaten by the crowd until the Defarges hang him from a streetlight. Afterwards, Foulon's head is placed on a pike with much celebrating. Foulon's son-in-law comes to town with a large guard. The mob of Saint Antoine manages to grab him and place his head on a pike too. That night, life goes on as usual in Saint Antoine. The poor still hunger for bread and care for their children, even as they celebrate the day's bloodshed.
Everything in France is broken and ruined. The nobles of France are fleeing the country. In the same village near the Marquis' chateau, the mender of roads meets a man. The mender eagerly points him toward the Marquis' chateau, then passes much of the afternoon looking at the man in awe. At sunset the man leaves, and the mender joins the crowd gathering in the village. Monsieur Gabelle, the Marquis' old servant, watches the crowd uneasily.
Later that night, the chateau burns. As Gabelle and the other servants call for help, everyone in the village watches the chateau burn without moving. As it burns, four men ride away, planning to do the same in another village. Gabelle runs to his own house, with the townspeople on his heels. He plans to kill himself by jumping from his roof, but the crowd disperses in the morning. According to the narrator, events like this are happening every night in the French countryside.
Three more years have passed since the storming of the Bastille. By 1792, royalty and the courts no longer exist in France. Many French nobles have now come to London, and they all try to get funds from bank accounts that were lost in France. Inside Tellson's of London, Lorry tells Darnay that he is going off the work in the Paris branch. Although he is old, and the weather and situation will probably be horrible, Lorry thinks he will be all right. Darnay wishes that he could accompany Lorry. He thinks that he can help his fellow countrymen, and perhaps he can make the people see reason. However, Darnay turns his attentions back to Lorry, who is leaving that very night. Lorry says he will take Jerry with him. As Lorry talks, Darnay hears Stryver insulting the French poor and wants to say something to him.
Suddenly a messenger brings a letter to Lorry. It is addressed to the Marquis St. Evremonde. Since Dr. Manette told Darnay to keep his name a secret, no one knows who Darnay really is; however, the French nobles in Tellson's berate the Marquis for deserting his title. Darnay says he will make sure the Marquis gets the letter. When he leaves Tellson's, Darnay reads the letter from Gabelle. Gabelle is imprisoned in the Abbaye prison, and he asks Darnay to return to Paris and free him. Darnay believes that he has conducted his French business in a terrible manner, and he must go to Paris to save the faithful Gabelle. Darnay leaves a message for Lorry to take to Gabelle. Later that night, Darnay writes two letters to Lucie and Dr. Manette, explaining why he is leaving. After spending one last day with his family, he leaves at midnight, leaving the letters for Lucie and the doctor to find.
Darnay's trip to Paris is hampered several times by guards who must stop him for his traveling papers. Once during the trip, Darnay receives a mounted escort. He and his escort arrive in the town of Beauvais. Once they dismount, the crowd yells threats at him and says his life is forfeit to the people as an aristocrat. Darnay is allowed to continue to Paris, however. At Paris, the guards assume that Darnay is a prisoner.
An officer takes him to Defarge, who identifies him as Evremonde. The officer then assigns Darnay to the prison of La Force, saying that �migr�s have no rights. The confused Darnay is led away by Defarge. Darnay thinks Defarge will help him in some way because of his assistance to the Manettes; Defarge instantly refuses. As Darnay walks, the people take no regard of him, as if this is a common sight. Defarge leaves him at the Prison. He is greeted by several aristocratic prisoners, who are upset that he is "in secret." A guard takes him to a solitary cell, and says that Darnay can buy only food. Darnay paces the small cell, thinking of the doctor's prison experiences.
Tellson's of Paris happens to be located in the same building that formerly housed Monseigneur of the four chocolate servants. Lorry sits in his office, thankful that everyone he loves is out of danger. Suddenly, Lucie and Dr. Manette burst into his office. Lucie tells Lorry what she knows about Charles. Lorry panics, but Dr. Manette calms him. The doctor is a respected legend in France because of his Bastille days; through this influence he can help Darnay. After sending Lucie to his room, Lorry looks out the window with Dr. Manette. They watch two men at the grindstone. Many people sharpen their weapons at this stone, then run off in a bloodthirsty rage to kill the prisoners. Dr. Manette goes to the grindstone to tell these people who he is. Instantly the crowd at the grindstone cheers and demands that Manette's relation be freed form La Force. Dr. Manette does not return that night. Lucie frets, with Miss Pross and Little Lucie nearby.
The next morning, Lorry decides that he does not want to endanger Tellson's by having Lucie there, so he goes out to find lodgings for her and the family. He leaves Jerry with them for protection and returns to Tellson's. That night, Defarge presents himself to Lorry with a note from the Doctor. Lorry takes the Defarges and the Vengeance to Lucie's apartments. There he delivers a short note from Charles. Lucie is so relieved that she kisses the Defarges. Madame Defarge simply looks coldly at Lucie. Lorry presents everyone in the house to Madame Defarge; he believes that her knowledge of their looks will protect them. Madame Defarge looks, then begins to leave. Lucie stops her and begs for help in freeing Darnay, "as a wife and mother." Madame Defarge harshly describes all the wives and mothers she has seen, then leaves. Lorry tries to give Lucie hope, but Lucie thinks that Madame Defarge has placed a shadow over their lives. Lorry secretly feels the same.
After four days of absence, Dr. Manette returns to the apartments. In that time more than eleven hundred people have been killed in the prisons. Dr. Manette tells Lorry that he had seen a Tribunal court while at La Force. This court tried and convicted many prisoners in a short amount of time. After Dr. Manette presented himself and pleaded for Darnay's freedom, the President of the Tribunal said that Darnay could not be freed. However, he would be held in safe custody. Dr. Manette stayed to make sure the sentence would be carried out effectively. While he stayed in the prison, the Doctor had treated a man whom had mistakenly been attacked. The mob cared for the man tenderly, then headed into the streets for more carnage. The sight made Dr. Manette faint. Lorry hears the horrible story and is surprised that Dr. Manette has not reverted to his old mental state. Dr. Manette says that he does it for Lucie, who restored him to himself.
Eventually the doctor becomes the doctor for three prisons, including La Force. There he passes messages for Darnay from Lucie. Although the doctor works hard to make connections and use his influence, he cannot gain Darnay's freedom. In the year and three months that Darnay spends in prison, the king and queen are both executed, among countless others. It is all due to the new cross, La Guillotine. Despite all the terror happening around him, the doctor remains calm, using his skills as a physician and the influence of being the Bastille Captive to protect him.
In the year and three months that Lucie spends waiting for her husband's freedom, she worries that the Guillotine will kill her husband. She manages to remain dutiful to her father and husband by rigidly keeping the house as neat as it was in England. One day Dr. Manette says that Darnay has access to a certain window in the prison. Perhaps Lucie can stand outside and see him, though to acknowledge him would be dangerous. Every day, from two to four, Lucie goes to the isolated street and gazes at the window with a hopeful eye. One day she and little Lucie meet a wood sawyer who lives on the same street. This man was formerly the mender of roads in the Marquis' village. He greets the mother and daughter, and then talks about how his axe is a guillotine that will chop off all the heads of the wood family. Lucie shudders, and from that day onward, she tries to befriend the wood-sawyer.
On a snowy day in December, she meets a large crowd of people. They are led by the wood-sawyer and The Vengeance. The whole crowd is dancing the Carmagnole, a wild dance that appears to be a fit of madness. Dr. Manette follows the crowd, and he comforts Lucie. Madame Defarge passes the two swiftly and quietly. When she has passed, Dr. Manette tells Lucie that Darnay will be called before the Tribunal tomorrow. However, Dr. Manette knows he can save him. They meet Lorry and a mysterious man at Tellson's; they confirm that Charles' trial is tomorrow.
Darnay hears his name called at the reading of the Evening Paper. He knows that he will be called to the Tribunal tomorrow, just as he has seen several others go in his time here. He moves to another room and waits with the other twenty people called by the Tribunal. The next day, fifteen people are tried and convicted quickly before Darnay is called. As he goes forward, he notices the Defarges sitting in the audience, as well as Dr. Manette and Mr. Lorry. When he is questioned, Darnay speaks truthfully. When he mentions that Lucie is Dr. Manette's daughter, the crowd becomes pleased. The crowd cheers when Darnay says that he returned to save a life. Gabelle is called as a witness for Darnay. Then Dr. Manette is called. He says that Darnay was the first friend he made after his imprisonment, and that Darnay had been tried for treason in England. The Jury quickly says they are ready with the verdict. To the great rejoicing of the crowd, Darnay is set free. The crowd carries him and Dr. Manette home on its shoulders. Darnay is disoriented and believes he is riding in a tumbril. Lucie comes out to embrace Darnay, then embraces Dr. Manette. Dr. Manette repeats, "I have saved him."
Lucie still has a heavy heart, despite her father's assurance. She worries that something will go wrong. Meanwhile, Dr. Manette wants the family to lean on him, and they do so. After all, they are living off his meager income. Under this circumstance, Jerry and Miss Pross are not servants, but people who happen to help the Doctor and the Darnays when the need arises. One day, Miss Pross and Jerry plan to go grocery shopping. The very English Miss Pross scoffs at the French way of life, and asks if they can go home soon. Dr. Manette says it is dangerous to do so. Miss Pross and Jerry go to the store, telling everyone to stay put. Lucie feels more at rest than ever. Suddenly she springs up, crying that she has heard something on the stairs. Dr. Manette says he has saved Charles, and he can handle anything.
The door is opened. Four guards stand there, waiting to arrest Darnay again. Dr. Manette wants to know why Darnay is arrested. The guards tell him to ask no more. However, they do say that the Defarges have denounced him, along with one other. Dr. Manette wants to know the identity of the third. After a moment of confusion, the guards say that Dr. Manette will learn the name of the third plaintiff in court tomorrow.
Miss Pross and Jerry are grocery shopping, unaware of the events at the apartments. Miss Pross remembers that the family needs wine, so they step into a wine shop. Upon their entrance, a man leaves the wine shop and passes the twosome. Jerry looks amazed to see the man, and Miss Pross screams. She wraps her arms around the man and calls him her dear brother Solomon. The man quickly leads her out of the wine shop, and kisses her only when she begs for it. Jerry suddenly asks if the man's name is Solomon John, because John was his name in England. A random voice calls out the man's last name: Barsad. It is Sydney Carton, who has come secretly to France. He had followed Barsad for some time, and learned that he was a spy. Now Carton wants to talk to Barsad, and orders him to Tellson's Bank, with Jerry in tow.
At Tellson's Carton tells Lorry that Darnay has been arrested. Then Carton begins to badger Barsad, likening it to a game of cards. Carton's ace is the fact that Barsad could be guillotined for being an English spy, along with his accomplice, Roger Cly. Jerry affirms that Cly death 12 years ago was all a ruse. Barsad, of course, cannot challenge such a threat, and agrees to do whatever Carton wants. Carton asks if Barsad has access to the Conciergerie, and Barsad says yes. With that, Carton drags Barsad into another room to speak privately.
While Barsad and Carton are talking, Lorry scolds Jerry for snatching bodies at night, and says that he will no longer be employed at Tellson's. Jerry replies that even such respectable people as doctors and undertakers are involved, and if he loses his job at Tellson's he will be forced to steal bodies full time. Lorry only relents when Jerry says that he will never do it again. Barsad leaves, and Carton says that he has access to Darnay once. Lorry weeps, and Carton is affected. He comforts Lorry by saying that Lorry has been loved and will be mourned by "Her" (Lucie) and her child. Carton sends Lorry off to comfort the family. He then walks around the city all night, stopping only to pick up 2 poisons from the chemists. As he walks, the passage "I am the resurrection and the life" echoes through his mind.
The next morning Carton attends Darnay's trial. As the unruly crowd watches, the Public Prosecutor announces that Darnay is denounced by three people: the Defarges and Dr. Manette. Dr. Manette is confused, until Defarge explains that he found a certain paper in the walls of Dr. Manette's Bastille cell. The whole courtroom waits eagerly to hear the contents of the letter.
On December 22, 1757, the young Dr. Manette is riding home when a carriage passes him, then stops. Two men who look and act exactly alike step out of the carriage and ask him to get inside. The doctor is confused, but complies. After a while, they arrive at a large chateau. Dr. Manette is taken to an upper chamber, where a young woman is screaming, "My husband, my father, and my brother," counting to twelve, and saying "Hush!" over and over. The twins haughtily give the doctor some medicines. When the doctor is able to calm the woman, the twins take him to a stable, where a young man lies with a stab wound. The boy tells Dr. Manette that the girl is his sister. His family lived on the noble twins' land. When the younger twin saw his sister, he tried to coerce her, but she would not comply. In response, the brothers tortured the sister's husband until he died. Upon hearing the news, the boy's father died. The boy took his young sister away, then came back to seek revenge. However, the twin wounded the boy. Now, as the young man dies, he curses the race of Evremondes.
Dr. Manette sadly returns to the sister's bedside, hearing her cries over the whole week until they grow fainter. The woman dies, as the Marquis comes in and gazes at the body listlessly. The brothers offer Manette some money, but he refuses it. The next day the money is on his doorstep, and in alarm the doctor writes to the Minister for help. When he is finished, a woman arrives to see him. She is the Marquis' wife, and she hoped the doctor could help her make amends to the younger sister. She swears that her little son Charles (Darnay) will make amends to the sister. With that, she leaves.
Later that night, a man calls with an urgent case. The doctor follows him until they are away from the house. Then the doctor is bound and gagged, and the Marquis burns the letter that Manette has written. The doctor is taken to the Bastille and left there. Ten years later, Dr. Manette writes this history to curse the whole line of Evremondes. In the face of such a tale, Darnay is convicted to die the next day, and Madame Defarge laughs at the helplessness of the Doctor.
The crowd goes outside to celebrate another event, leaving the prisoner, his family, and the jailer (who is conveniently John Barsad), together. At Barsad's suggestion, Darnay and Lucie spend a brief moment together. Darnay thanks the now screaming doctor for all his help. Lucie faints under the strain, and Carton appears from nowhere to pick her up. They all return to the apartments, and Carton tenderly takes Lucie upstairs to bed. Little Lucie begs Carton for help. After comforting her, Carton kisses Lucie and murmurs, "A life you love." Carton then goes downstairs to talk to Lorry and Dr. Manette. Dr. Manette slowly plans to find anyone who can help. Lorry tells Carton that he thinks there is no hope. Before he leaves, Carton agrees.
After he leaves the family, Carton is unsure of his next destination. He finally decides to stop in the Defarges' wine shop, so people will be aware that he exists. Jacques Three and The Vengeance are there when Carton wanders in and pretends to be a non-fluent Englishman. Both the Defarges hurry over, and remark that the man looks very much like Evremonde. After a while, they leave him alone and begin talking in French. Madame Defarge says that she will next denounce Lucie. Defarge protests, but Madame Defarge says that she will not be stopped. Carton, who has understood all this, wants to kill Madame Defarge, but merely leaves the shop.
He meets Lorry, who is pacing restlessly while waiting for Dr. Manette. When Dr. Manette returns, he wildly cries for his shoemaker's bench, much to Lorry's chagrin. Carton picks up the doctor's coat, and reveals the traveling papers with relief. He gives the papers to Lorry, telling him to keep them for him until tomorrow. He then tells Lorry that there is a treat on Lucie's life, and they all must leave for England tomorrow. Lorry must not leave until Carton comes, and then they are all to drive away. Carton then leaves to visit Charles in the prison. As he leaves, he whispers a blessing to Lucie's window.
The fifty-two prisoners sentenced to die the next day wait for the morning to arrive. Darnay sits alone in the cell, hopeless, comforted by the thought that his loved ones would be safe. To pass the time, he writes letters to Lucie, Dr. Manette, and Lorry. Not once does he think of writing to Carton. He thinks on how he has never seen the guillotine, and how he will never hear the clocks again. Suddenly Carton enters his cell! Carton says that he has no time to talk, and orders Darnay to put on Carton's clothes. Darnay protests but does as he is told. Carton then orders Darnay to write the words that Carton dictates. As Darnay writes the words, Carton passes the two vials under Darnay's nose. Darnay passes out. Immediately afterward, Barsad comes to the door and nervously takes Darnay away. Carton remains in the cell.
When the clock strikes two, the jailer comes for Carton. Carton is taken to a large room with the other prisoners. A young seamstress begins talking to Carton, addressing him as Evremonde. Soon she realizes that Carton is not quite the same. Carton quiets her, and promises to hold her hand in the tumbril.
In the same hour, a coach hurries away from Paris. A guard asks for their papers, and sees Lucie, little Lucie and Lorry all awake, Dr. Manette mumbling incoherently, and "Carton" in a faint. He lets them pass without incident. The rest of the trip is spent making sure no one is following them.
Madame Defarge holds a meeting with Jacques Three, The Vengeance, the Wood-sawyer, and many other revolutionaries. Madame Defarge says that she doesn't care if the doctor dies, but Lucie and little Lucie must be killed as Evremondes. The wood-sawyer nervously agrees that he saw Lucie making signs to the prison window. Madame Defarge says that she must testify that the doctor was there too, to the wild agreement of all her followers. She then says that she will go to Lucie's apartments now, to catch her in the act of mourning. She sends The Vengeance ahead with her knitting. Madame Defarge heads onward without pity.
Miss Pross and Jerry have been left at the apartments to decrease suspicion. Miss Pross wants to meet Jerry at the cathedral at three with the coach, and Jerry agrees, leaving to change the arrangements. Miss Pross turns her back to wipe her face when she is startled by the figure of Madame Defarge. Madame Defarge demands to know where Lucie is. Miss Pross rushes to close the bedroom doors and stand against the one Lucie occupied. Both women face each other, though neither can understand anything the other is saying. Eventually Madame Defarge reveals a gun and points it at Miss Pross. The two women struggle for the gun. In the struggle the gun fires and Madame Defarge slumps to the floor. Miss Pross hurries to the cathedral to meet Jerry. She tells Jerry that she can no longer hear because of the gun's noise. We learn that she never regained her hearing.
The tumbrils roll through the Paris streets in s sort of parade. Everyone is out because they want to see which one is Evremonde. One man yells at Evremonde, but Barsad comes out of the crowd to hush the man. The Vengeance cries out for Madame Defarge, who still has not arrived. As the first heads are removed, Carton and the seamstress talk. The seamstress tells Carton about her cousin; she wonders if it will be long before she sees her again. Carton says that it will not be long. The young woman is comforted, and kisses Carton before she goes to the guillotine. Carton follows, and hears "I am the resurrection and the Life" before the deed is done.
Before he dies Carton has a vision of the family's fate. Barsad, Cly, the Defarges, and everyone else will fall before the Guillotine is stopped. France will eventually come out of this time of bloodshed. Dr. Manette will regain his mind, and Lorry will remain the faithful friend. Lucie will have a son, to the delight of everyone. This son will be named after Carton, and will have a promising career as a judge. In turn he will have a son named Sydney, who will hear the story of Carton's sacrifice from his father's lips.
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Charles Darnay - A French aristocrat by birth, Darnay chooses to live in England because he cannot bear to be associated with the cruel injustices of the French social system. Darnay displays great virtue in his rejection of the snobbish and cruel values of his uncle, the Marquis Evr�monde. He exhibits an admirable honesty in his decision to reveal to Doctor Manette his true identity as a member of the infamous Evr�monde family. So, too, does he prove his courage in his decision to return to Paris at great personal risk to save the imprisoned Gabelle.
Sydney Carton - An insolent, indifferent, and alcoholic attorney who works with Stryver. Carton has no real prospects in life and doesn't seem to be in pursuit of any. He does, however, love Lucie, and his feelings for her eventually transform him into a man of profound merit. At first the polar opposite of Darnay, in the end Carton morally surpasses the man to whom he bears a striking physical resemblance.
Doctor Manette - Lucie's father and a brilliant physician, Doctor Manette spent eighteen years as a prisoner in the Bastille. At the start of the novel, Manette does nothing but make shoes, a hobby that he adopted to distract himself from the tortures of prison. As he overcomes his past as a prisoner, however, he proves to be a kind, loving father who prizes his daughter's happiness above all things.
Lucie Manette - A young French woman who grew up in England , Lucie was raised as a ward of Tellson's Bank because her parents were assumed dead. Dickens depicts Lucie as an archetype of compassion. Her love has the power to bind her family together�the text often refers to her as "the golden thread." Furthermore, her love has the power to transform those around her. It enables her father to be "recalled to life," and it sparks Sydney Carton's development from a "jackal" into a hero.
Monsieur Defarge - A wine-shop owner and revolutionary in the poor Saint Antoine section of Paris , Monsieur Defarge formerly worked as a servant for Doctor Manette. Defarge proves an intelligent and committed revolutionary, a natural leader. Although he remains dedicated to bringing about a better society at any cost, he does demonstrate a kindness toward Manette. His wife, Madame Defarge, considers this consideration for Manette a weakness.
Madame Defarge - A cruel revolutionary whose hatred of the aristocracy fuels her tireless crusade, Madame Defarge spends a good deal of the novel knitting a register of everyone who must die for the revolutionary cause. Unlike her husband, she proves unrelentingly bloodthirsty, and her lust for vengeance knows no bounds.
Jarvis Lorry - An elderly businessman who works for Tellson's Bank, Mr. Lorry is a very business-oriented bachelor with a strong moral sense and a good, honest heart. He proves trustworthy and loyal, and Doctor Manette and Lucie come to value him as a personal friend.
Jerry Cruncher - An odd-job-man for Tellson's Bank, Cruncher is gruff, short-tempered, superstitious, and uneducated. He supplements his income by working as a "Resurrection-Man," one who digs up dead bodies and sells them to scientists.
Miss Pross - The servant who raised Lucie, Miss Pross is brusque, tough, and fiercely loyal to her mistress. Because she personifies order and loyalty, she provides the perfect foil to Madame Defarge, who epitomizes the violent chaos of the revolution.
Marquis Evr�monde - Charles Darnay's uncle, the Marquis Evr�monde is a French aristocrat who embodies an inhumanly cruel caste system. He shows absolutely no regard for human life and wishes that the peasants of the world would be exterminated.
Mr. Stryver - An ambitious lawyer, Stryver dreams of climbing the social ladder. Unlike his associate, Sydney Carton, Stryver acts bombastic, proud, and foolish.
John Barsad - Like Roger Cly, John Barsad is a British spy who swears that patriotism is his only motive. Barsad falsely claims to be a virtuous man of upstanding reputation.
Roger Cly - Like John Barsad, Roger Cly is a British spy who swears that patriotism alone inspires all of his actions. Cly feigns honesty but in fact constantly participates in conniving schemes.
Gabelle - The man charged with keeping up the Evr�monde estate after the Marquis's death, Gabelle is imprisoned by the revolutionaries. News of his internment prompts Darnay to travel to France to save him.
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