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


222

that it seemed as though it had been stamped upon her face
expressly to give force and power to it in this one passage of her
life.

“What is this?” cried Mr. Lorry, breathless and confused. “What is
the matter? Lucie! Manette! What has happened? What has brought
you here? What is it?” With the look fixed upon him, in her
paleness and wildness, she panted out in his arms, imploringly, “O
my dear friend! My husband!” “Your husband, Lucie?” “Charles.”
“What of Charles?” “Here.”

“Here, in Paris?” “Has been here some days-three or four-I don’t
know how many-I can’t collect my thoughts. An errand of
generosity brought him here unknown to us; he was stopped at the
barrier, and sent to prison.” The old man uttered an irrepressible
cry. Almost at the same moment, the bell of the great gate rang
again, and a loud noise of feet and voices came pouring into the
courtyard.

“What is that noise?” said the Doctor, turning towards the
window.

“Don’t look!” cried Mr. Lorry. “Don’t look out! Manette, for your
life, don’t touch the blind!” The Doctor turned, with his hand upon
the fastening of the window, and said, with a cool, bold smile: “My
dear friend, I have a charmed life in this city. I have been a Bastille
prisoner. There is no patriot in Paris-in Paris? In France-who,
knowing me to have been a prisoner in the Bastille, would touch
me, except to overwhelm me with embraces, or carry me in
triumph. My old pain has given me a power that has brought us
through the barrier, and gained us news of Charles there, and
brought us here. I knew it would be so; I knew I could help Charles
out of all danger; I told Lucie so.- What is that noise?” His hand
was again upon the window.

“Don’t look!” cried Mr. Lorry, absolutely desperate. “No, Lucie,
my dear, nor you!” He got his arm round her, and held her. “Don’t
be so terrified, my love. I solemnly swear to you that I know of no
harm having happened to Charles; that I had no suspicion even of
his being in this fatal place. What prison is he in?” “La Force!” “La
Force! Lucie, my child, if ever you were brave and serviceable in
your life-and you were always both-you will compose yourself
now, to do exactly as I bid you; for more depends upon it than you
can think, or I can say. There is no help for you in any action on
your part to-night; you cannot possibly stir out. I say this, because
what I must bid you to do for Charles’s sake, is the hardest thing to
do of all. You must instantly be obedient, still, and quiet. You must
let me put you in a room at the back here. You must leave your
father and me alone for two minutes, and as there are Life and
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