1: Five Years Later

It is now 1780. Tellsons Bank in London prides itself on being very small very dark very !gly very in"ommodio!s.# $ere it more wel"oming t%e banks partners believe it wo!ld lose its stat!s as a respe"table b!siness. It is lo"ated by Temple Bar t%e spot w%ere !ntil re"ently t%e government displayed t%e %eads of e&e"!ted "riminals. T%e narrator e&plains t%at at t%is time deat% was a re"ipe m!"% in vog!e # !sed against all manner of "riminals from forgers to %orse t%ieves to "o!nterfeiters. 'erry (r!n"%er employed by Tellsons as a r!nner and messenger wakes !p in %is small apartment lo"ated in an !nsavory London neig%bor%ood. )e begins t%e day by yelling at %is wife for praying against# %im* %e t%rows %is m!ddy boot at %er. +ro!nd nine o"lo"k (r!n"%er and %is yo!ng son "amp o!tside Tellsons Bank w%ere t%ey await t%e bankers instr!"tions. $%en an indoor messenger "alls for a porter (r!n"%er takes off to do t%e ,ob. +s yo!ng 'erry sits alone %e wonders w%y %is fat%ers fingers always %ave r!st on t%em.

Summary: Chapter 2: A Sight

T%e bank "lerk instr!"ts (r!n"%er to go to t%e -ld Bailey (o!rt%o!se and await orders from 'arvis Lorry. (r!n"%er arrives at t%e "o!rt w%ere (%arles .arnay a %andsome well/bred yo!ng man stands trial for treason. (r!n"%er !nderstands little of t%e legal ,argon b!t %e gleans t%at .arnay %as been "%arged wit% div!lging se"ret information to t%e king of 0ran"e 1Lo!is 23I45 namely t%at 6ngland

plans to send armed for"es to fig%t in t%e +meri"an "olonies. +s .arnay looks to a yo!ng lady and %er disting!is%ed fat%er a w%isper r!s%es t%ro!g% t%e "o!rtroom spe"!lating on t%e identity of t%e two. 6vent!ally (r!n"%er dis"overs t%at t%ey will serve as witnesses against t%e prisoner. (%apter57 disappointments
The attorney general opens the session with remarks condemning the young man as a traitor against England. He reiterates the accusations against him and declares that he will produce two unimpeachable witnesses, including the defendant's own servant, to testify against the defendant. After finishing his oration, he calls the first witness, John arsad, to the stand. !r. arsad recalls the attorney general's story almost verbatim, then receives "uestions from the defense. The defense attorney "uestions !r. arsad's character. !r. arsad admits he has been in a debtor's prison and admits he has been kicked for cheating at dice. However, he claims he did not cheat, and that he owes the prisoner money, but that he has seen him with lists of names of English soldiers #that the defendant planned to give to hostile forces$. Having chinked away at this witnesses' credibility, the defense ne%t "uestions&oger 'ly, !r. (arnay's former servant. !r. 'ly testifies that he volunteered to work as a servant for !r. (arnay strictly out of charity but that he became suspicious of him soon after, especially after seeing him present lists of names to )rench gentlemen. He admits under "uestioning that he had once stolen a mustard pot from his master, but that it only turned out to be a plated one #he denied ever having been suspected of stealing a silver tea pot$. *e%t, the attorney general calls !r. +orry to the stand. He asks him if he had had occasion to travel with the (over mail some five years ago, and !r. +orry states that he did. He asks him if one of the men traveling with him was the prisoner, and !r.

+orry replies that he cannot say, as the travelers were bundled up, and it was dark. !r. +orry testifies that he has seen the prisoner before, though, he says that when he was returning from )rance on that same trip, the prisoner came on board the ship sometime around midnight, and that he was the only person who boarded the ship at that time. He testifies that he, !r. +orry, was traveling with two other passengers, a gentleman and a lady, and that he did not converse with the prisoner, as he was tired. The attorney general then calls !iss !anette to the stand. The attorney asks her if she has ever seen him before, and she replies that she has. -ver the course of "uestioning, !iss !anette reveals that she conversed at length with the prisoner, and that he helped her father, who was in a state of weak health, and that he was e%ceedingly kind to them. .he also reveals that he had come on board with two )rench gentlemen, and that they had conferred together until the )renchmen had to board their boat, and that the men were passing around sheets of paper and conversing, and that they stood whispering about the papers. .he then e%claims with distress that she hopes her testimony will not do the man harm. .he adds that the prisoner told her he was traveling on business of a very delicate nature, and that the business could get people into trouble, and so he was traveling under an assumed name. .he adds that he told her the business might take him at intervals between England and )rance for long periods to come. The attorney asks her if the man said anything about America, and she replies that the prisoner told her how the "uarrel came about, and that it was a wrong and foolish one on England's part as far as he could determine. He added /okingly that 0eorge 1ashington might gain as great a name in history as 0eorge the Third. .he insists, however, that he meant this only as a /oke. *e%t, the attorney calls (r. !anette to the stand and asks him if he has seen the prisoner before. He says that he has, when the man was called to his lodgings in +ondon. The attorney then asks if he can identify him as the man who was aboard the ship in )rance, and (r. !anette replies that he can do neither, as he had /ust been released from prison at the time and had lost some of his memory.

*e%t, the attorney general calls a witness to attempt to prove that the prisoner had traveled with the (over mail, then e%ited the group and traveled somewhere else to gather information. A witness is called to state that the prisoner had been spotted at a particular locale at a particular time #a fact that would lend credence to the prosecution's argument that the prisoner was indeed collecting information$. The defense cross2e%amines the witness with little result, e%cept to establish that the witness has never seen the prisoner on any other occasion. Just then, the counsel asks the witness if he is certain that the man he saw is the prisoner, and that he could not possibly have seen someone else instead. The witness replies that he is certain he saw the prisoner and no one else. The attorney then points to another man in the courtroom and asks the man to remove his wig. 1hen the man removes it, the courtroom gasps, as he bears a surprising resemblance to the prisoner. The result is surprising enough to weaken the witness' testimony. 'hapter 34 'ongratulatory (r. !anette, +ucie, !r. +orry, the solicitor for the defense, and !r. .tryver all congratulate (arnay on his escape from death. (r. !anette's face is clouded over by the negative emotions caused by being cross2e%amined about being imprisoned. The !anettes depart in a hackney2coach, and a slightly drunk !r. 'arton asks to be allowed to speak to !r. (arnay. They dine in a tavern, and !r. 'arton proposes a toast to !iss !anette. After (arnay leaves, !r. 'arton looks at himself in a mirror and reflects that he does not like (arnay because he too much resembles what 'arton himself could have been, had 'arton not been so dissolute. He hates (arnay for inspiring !iss !anette to look at him with such compassion. 'hapter45 /akal !r. .tryver is prone to alcoholism, and he is a drinking companion of !r. 'arton's22they had been fellow students in 6aris. !r. .tryver, despite all of his capacity to push himself ahead, became a much more successful lawyer when !r. 'arton began working on and helping summari7e his documents for him. Thus 'arton became .tryver's /ackal. 1hen .tryver talks about how pretty !iss !anette is, 'arton denies it, claiming she is

nothing but a blond 8doll.8 'arton leaves .tryver's house and returns to his own, crying himself to sleep. He is haunted by the honorable glories that once were available to him but are now out of his reach.

A Tale of Two Cities Book 2, Chapter 6

!r. +orry drops in for a visit with (r. !anette and +ucie in the doctor's "uaint lodgings on a "uiet corner in .oho. He chats with !iss 6ross, the red2haired woman who rushed to +ucie's aid in the hotel five years ago. !iss 6ross tells him she constantly has to attend to the 8hundreds8 of visitors dropping by to ask about or visit with +ucie #she calls +ucie her 8+adybird8$, which she claims only began to happen after (r. !anette reentered her life. (r. !anette and +ucie arrive, and they all sit down to dinner. After the meal, they retire to the back yard to sit under the plane tree, and (arnay and 'arton drop by to visit. !r. +orry notes to himself with amusement that the 8hundreds of people8 !iss 6ross promised were nowhere to be found. After a time, they return to the house, and rain begins to fall. They notice the sound of footsteps as people outside begin to rush toward shelter. The sounds spark a philosophical discussion. They sit, listening to the rain and thunderstorm, and contemplate +ucie's thought. After a time, !r. +orry leaves, escorted by Jerry. He remarks to Jerry, 8'1hat a night it has been9 Almost a night, Jerry, to bring the dead out of their graves.'8 ook :, 'hapter ;, pg. <==. (arnay wonders if such a night will ever occur again.

Summary CH 7

A reception at the 6arisian suite of !onseigneur, a )rench lord, showcases the e%cesses and superficiality of the )rench aristocracy. The !ar"uis .t. Evr>monde angrily leaves the reception after being snubbed by the other guests and treated coldly by !onseigneur. As his driver carouses

recklessly through the 6aris streets, the carriage accidentally runs over a child. The !ar"uis shows no remorse for the child's death, and when 0aspard, the child's grief2stricken father, approaches the carriage, the !ar"uis throws him a coin. (efarge emerges from the crowd to comfort 0aspard, and the !ar"uis throws him a coin as well. The carriage begins to move on, and one of the peasants throws a coin back into the carriage. Angered, the !ar"uis threatens the crowd and then drives away.

Summary Ch8 As the !ar"uis travels from 6aris to the Evr>monde country estate, he rides through a landscape of sparse and withered crops. 1hen his carriage stops in a village near his home, the !ar"uis "uestions a road2mender who claims he saw a man riding under the carriage, but the man is no longer there. Having alerted the village official, 0abelle, to be on the lookout for the mystery man, the !ar"uis drives on. efore he can reach his estate, however, a grief2stricken woman stops him at the graveyard and begs him for a marker for the grave of her dead husband. ?gnoring her pleas, the !ar"uis continues on to his chateau. 1hen he arrives, he asks if 8!onsieur 'harles8has arrived from England yet.

'hapter @4 The 0orgon's Head The chateau is all stone, as if a 0orgon's head had looked at it. !onseigneur sits down to dinner after complaining that his nephew has not yet arrived. 1hen 'harles (arnay does arrive, !onseigneur observes that he has taken a long time coming from +ondon. (arnay accuses !onseigneur of an effort to have him imprisoned in )rance with a letter de cachet. !onseigneur does not deny this, but he complains about the inaccessibility of such measures and the privileges that the aristocracy has lost. He considers repression to be the only effective and lasting policy, (arnay replies that their family has done wrong and will pay the conse"uences. (arnay renounces his property and )rance. !onseigneur mocks him for having not been more successful in England, then mentions the doctor and his daughter but ominously refuses to say more. -wls howl through the night, and when the sun rises its slanting angle makes the chateau fountain seem full of blood. The villagers wake up first to start their toil, and the occupants of the chateau awake later, but when they do arise, they engage in fren7ied activity. !onseigneur was murdered during the night. There is a knife through his heart, containing a piece of paper on which it is written4 8(rive him fast to his tomb. This, from Jac"ues.8

'hapter <=4 Two 6romises A year later, 'harles (arnay is back in England, happily working as a tutor of )rench. He has been in love with +ucie since he met her, and he finally asks her father for permission to make his feelings known to her. (espite (r. !anette's hesitations, (arnay convinces him that his intentions are honorable and sincere. He does not wish to come between +ucie and her father, he wishes, if possible, to bind them closer. There is always a touch of reserve in (r.

!anette's reception of (arnay, and this struggle is evident in his e%pression of dread, and although he gives his blessing to (arnay, something is not "uite right. (arnay tells the doctor that he is using an assumed name and tries to tell him why he is in England and what his real name is, but the doctor stops him. He says that if 'harles does marry +ucie, he should tell him these secrets on the marriage morning. 1hen +ucie returns to the house that night, she hears him working on his shoemaking again for the first time since 6aris and is very distressed. .he knocks on his door and he stops.

'hapter <<4 A 'ompanion 6icture !r. .tryver and !r. 'arton are drinking together while the latter prepares the former's legal papers. !r. .tryver, after claiming that his own gallantry is superior to his friend's, announces that he intends to marry +ucie !anette. This causes 'arton to drink his punch more rapidly although he claims to have no ob/ections. .tryver feels that he is doing +ucie a good turn and marvels at his own economic disinterestedness in his choice. .tryver recommends that 'arton find a woman with some money or property and marry her.

'hapter <:4 The )ellow of (elicacy -n his way to +ucie's house in .oho to declare his intentions, !r. .tryver passes Tellson's and decides to step inside to ask !r. +orry's opinion of the matter. !r. +orry e%presses some politic confusion, and .tryver asks what could possibly be wrong with his proposal. After all, he is eligible, prosperous, and advancing. He considers that if +ucie recogni7ed these "ualities and turned him down, she would be a fool.

(espite the fact that he is at Tellson's and must act properly, !r. +orry grows angry at this disparagement of +ucie. !r. +orry suggests that because it might be painful for .tryver, the doctor, and +ucie if the former were to make an unwelcome suit, perhaps +orry himself should go to .oho and feel out the sub/ect. !r. .tryver agrees. 1hen !r. +orry arrives at .tryver's house later that evening with a confirmation that a proposal would be unwelcome, he gets a strange response from the would2be suitor. .tryver pretends to have forgotten the sub/ect. 1hen he is reminded, he professes to be sorry for both the doctor and !r. +orry, insinuating that +ucie has gotten herself into trouble and is no longer fit to be engaged. +orry is so surprised that he merely leaves.

'hapter <A4 The )ellow of *o (elicacy !r. 'arton had never spoken well or made himself agreeable at the !anette household, but he used to haunt their street at night, dreaming of +ucie. -ne day he visits her and she asks him what the matter is. He claims that he is beyond help in his profligate ways, but he says his familiarity with the !anettes' family scene has given him the desire to be a good man again. +ucie tries to convince him that this is a possibility, but 'arton declares that it is only a dream, however happy. He merely wants to open his heart to her and have her remember that he did so. efore he leaves he promises that he would do anything for her or for anyone close to her.

Summary ch 15

The mender of roads who spotted the man under the !ar"uis .t. Evr>monde's carriage accompanies (efarge to the wine2shop. ?n the garret where (octor Ale%andre !anette stayed, (efarge and Jac"ues -ne, Two, and Three listen to the road2mender describe what happened to 0aspard, the man who killed the !ar"uis. 0aspard, who murdered the !ar"uis for running down his child, went into hiding for nearly a year after the killing. The )rench authorities recently captured, /ailed, and hanged him, and left his corpse dangling by the village fountain, with his shadow poisoning the atmosphere of the town. !onsieur and !adame (efarge later take the road2mender to Bersailles, where the splendor of the court da77les him. 'aught up in the emotion of the e%perience, the road2 mender cheers the Cing, Dueen, and other nobles. The (efarges commend his behavior, feeling that it will fuel the courtiers' arrogance and ignorance of the revolutionary movement. Additionally, the (efarges believe that the sight of such lu%ury and finery will supply the road2mender with a focus for his hatred and violence in the future.