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PinkMonkey.com Digital Library - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens


156

“Not at all, but I hope to know it better. I am so profoundly
interested in its miserable inhabitants.” “Hah!” muttered Defarge.
“The pleasure of conversing with you, Monsieur Defarge, recalls to
me,” pursued the spy, “that I have the honour of cherishing some
interesting associations with your name.”

“Indeed!” said Defarge, with much indifference.
“Yes, indeed. When Doctor Manette was released, you, his old
domestic, had the charge of him, I know. He was delivered to you.
You see I am informed of the circumstances?” “Such is the fact,
certainly,” said Defarge. He had had it conveyed to him, in an
accidental touch of his wife’s elbow as she knitted and warbled,
that he would do best to answer, but always with brevity.

“It was to you,” said the spy, “that his daughter came; and it was
from your care that his daughter took him, accompanied by a neat
brown monsieur; how is he called?- in a little wig-Lorry-of the
bank of Tellson and Company-over to England.” “Such is the
fact,” repeated Defarge.

“Very interesting remembrances!” said the spy. “I have known
Doctor Manette and his daughter, in England.” “Yes?” said
Defarge.

“You don’t hear much about them now?” said the spy.
“No,” said Defarge.

“In effect,” madame struck in, looking up from her work and her
little song, “we never hear about them. We received the news of
their safe arrival, and per-haps another letter, or perhaps two; but,
since then, they have gradually taken their road in life-we, ours-
and we have held no correspondence.” “Perfectly so, madame,”
replied the spy. “She is going to be married.” “Going?” echoed
madame. “She was pretty enough to have been married long ago.
You English are cold, it seems to me.” “Oh! You know I am
English.” “I perceive your tongue is,” returned madame; “and
what the tongue is, I suppose the man is.” He did not take the
identification as a compliment; but he made the best of it, and
turned it off with a laugh. After sipping his cognac to the end, he
added: “Yes, Miss Manette is going to be married. But not to an
Englishman; to one who, like herself, is French by birth. And
speaking of Gaspard (ah, poor Gaspard! It was cruel, cruel!), it is a
curious thing that she is going to marry the nephew of Monsieur
the Marquis, for whom Gaspard was exalted to that height of so
many feet; in other words, the present Marquis. But he lives
unknown in England, he is no Marquis there; he is Mr. Charles
Darnay. D’Aulnais is the name of his mother’s family.” Madame
Defarge knitted steadily, but the intelligence had a palpable effect
upon her husband. Do what he would, behind the little counter, as
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