Page 12 - A Tale of Two Cities

‘Be careful, the stairs are very steep,’ said Defarge, and they
A Tale of Two Cities

followed him as he went up several floors to the very top of the
house. They came at last to a door, and Defarge took a key from his
pocket.

‘Do you lock his door?’ asked Mr Lorry, surprised.

Defarge was a dark, thick-necked man, and he frowned as he
turned to Mr Lorry. ‘He has lived so long, locked up, that he would
be frightened – terrified – if I did not lock it,’ he said.

They had spoken quietly so that Lucie could not hear, but she was
trembling as Defarge unlocked the door.
‘Don’t be afraid, Miss Manette,’ said Mr Lorry. ‘Soon you can care
for him and make him happy once again.’

As the door opened, Lucie and Mr Lorry saw a small dark room,
in the corner of which a white-haired man was sitting on a bench.
He had his back towards the door, but they could see that he was
working busily, and that on a table in front of him there was a box of
tools and pieces of leather. He was making shoes.

‘Good day!’ Defarge said to the old man. ‘You are still hard at
work, I see?’
After a long silence, Doctor Manette replied, ‘Yes – I am working.’

His voice was like a voice under the ground – it was the weak
echo of a voice that had not been used for many years.
‘You have a visitor,’ said Defarge. The old man looked up for a
moment, but without taking his hand from his work. His face was
thin and empty, and his skin was yellowed like old paper.

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