a tale of two cities(双城记)-第59部分

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　‘My　dear；'　said　Mr。　Lorry；　striking　in　to　explain；　‘there　are　frequent　risings　in　the　streets；　and；　although　it　is　not　likely　they　will　ever　trouble　you；　Madame　Defarge　wishes　to　see　those　whom　she　has　the　power　to　protect　at　such　times；　to　the　end　that　she　may　know　themthat　she　may　identify　them。　I　believe；'　said　Mr。　Lorry；　rather　halting　in　his　reassuring　words；　as　the　stony　manner　of　all　the　three　impressed　itself　upon　him　more　and　more；　‘I　state　the　case；　Citizen　Defarge？'　
　Defarge　looked　gloomily　at　his　wife；　and　gave　no　other　answer　than　a　gruff　sound　of　acquiescence。　
　‘You　had　better；　Lucie；'　said　Mr。　Lorry；　doing　all　he　could　to　propitiate；　by　tone　and　manner；　‘have　the　dear　child　here；　and　our　good　Pross。　Our　good　Pross；　Defarge；　is　an　English　lady；　and　knows　no　French。'　
　The　lady　in　question；　whose　rooted　conviction　that　she　was　more　than　a　match　for　any　foreigner；　was　not　to　be　shaken　by　distress　and　danger；　appeared　wish　folded　arms；　and　observed　in　English　to　The　Vengeance；　whom　her　eyes　first　encountered；　‘Well；　I　am　sure；　Boldface！　I　hope　you　are　pretty　well！'　She　also　bestowed　a　British　cough　on　Madame　Defarge；　but；　neither　of　the　two　took　much　heed　of　her。　
　‘Is　that　his　child？'　said　Madame　Defarge；　stopping　in　her　work　for　the　first　time；　and　pointing　her　knitting…needle　at　little　Lucie　as　if　it　were　the　finger　of　Fate。　
　‘Yes；　madame；'　answered　Mr。　Lorry；　‘this　is　our　poor　prisoner's　darling　daughter；　and　only　child。'　
　The　shadow　attendant　on　Madame　Defarge　and　her　party　seemed　to　fall　so　threatening　and　dark　on　the　child；　that　her　mother　instinctively　kneeled　on　the　ground　beside　her；　and　held　her　to　her　breast。　The　shadow　attendant　on　Madame　Defarge　and　her　party　seemed　then　to　fall；　threatening　and　dark；　on　both　the　mother　and　the　child。　
　‘It　is　enough；　my　husband；'　said　Madame　Defarge。　‘I　have　seen　them。　We　may　go。　
　But；　the　suppressed　manner　had　enough　of　menace　in　itnot　visible　and　presented；　but　indistinct　and　withheldto　alarm　Lucie　into　saying；　as　she　laid　her　appealing　hand　on　Madame　Defarge's　dress：　
　‘You　will　be　good　to　my　poor　husband。　You　will　do　him　no　harm。　You　will　help　me　to　see　him　if　you　can？'　
　‘Your　husband　is　not　my　business　here；'　returned　Madame　Defarge；　looking　down　at　her　with　perfect　composure。　‘It　is　the　daughter　of　your　father　who　is　my　business　here。'　
　‘For　my　sake；　then；　be　merciful　to　my　husband。　For　my　child's　sake！　She　will　put　her　hands　together　and　pray　you　to　be　merciful。　We　are　more　afraid　of　you　than　of　these　others。'　
　Madame　Defarge　received　it　as　a　compliment；　and　looked　at　her　husband。　Defarge；　who　had　been　uneasily　biting　his　thumb…nail　and　looking　at　her；　collected　his　face　into　a　sterner　expression。　
　‘What　is　it　that　your　husband　says　in　that　little　letter？'　asked　Madame　Defarge；　with　a　lowering　smile。　‘Influence；　he　says　something　touching　influence？'　
　‘That　my　father；'　said　Lucie；　hurriedly　taking　the　paper　from　her　breast；　but　with　her　alarmed　eyes　on　her　questioner　and　not　on　it；　‘has　much　influence　around　him。'　
　‘Surely　it　will　release　him！'　said　Madame　Defarge。　‘Let　it　do　so。'　
　‘As　a　wife　and　mother；'　cried　Lucie；　most　earnestly；　‘I　implore　you　to　have　pity　on　me　and　not　to　exercise　any　power　that　you　possess；　against　my　innocent　husband；　but　to　use　it　in　his　behalf。　O　sister…woman；　think　of　me。　As　a　wife　and　mother！'　
　Madame　Defarge　looked；　coldly　as　ever；　at　the　suppliant；　and　said；　turning　to　her　friend　The　Vengeance：　
　‘The　wives　and　mothers　we　have　been　used　to　see；　since　we　were　as　little　as　this　child；　and　much　less；　have　not　been　greatly　considered？　We　have　known　their　husbands　and　fathers　laid　in　prison　and　kept　from　them；　often　enough？　All　our　lives；　we　have　seen　our　sister…women　suffer；　in　themselves　and　in　their　children；　poverty；　nakedness；　hunger；　thirst。　sickness；　misery；　oppression　and　neglect　of　all　kinds？'　
　‘We　have　seen　nothing　else；'　returned　The　Vengeance。　
　‘We　have　borne　this　a　long　time；'　said　Madame　Defarge；　turning　her　eyes　again　upon　Lucie。　‘Judge　you！　Is　it　likely　that　the　trouble　of　one　wife　and　mother　would　be　much　to　us　now？'　
　She　resumed　her　knitting　and　went　out。　The　Vengeance　followed。　Defarge　went　last；　and　closed　the　door。　
　‘Courage；　my　dear　Lucie；'　said　Mr。　Lorry；　as　he　raised　her。　‘Courage；　courage！　So　far　all　goes　well　with　usmuch；　much　better　than　it　has　of　late　gone　with　many　poor　souls。　Cheer　up；　and　have　a　thankful　heart。'　
　‘I　am　not　thankless；　I　hope；　but　that　dreadful　woman　seems　to　throw　a　shadow　on　me　and　on　all　my　hopes。'　
　‘Tut；　tut！'　said　Mr。　Lorry；　‘what　is　this　despondency　in　the　brave　little　breast？　A　shadow　indeed！　No　substance　in　it；　Lucie。'　
　But　the　shadow　of　the　manner　of　these　Defarges　was　dark　upon　himself；　for　all　that；　and　in　his　secret　mind　it　troubled　him　greatly。　


CHAPTER　IV
Calm　in　Storm
DOCTOR　MANETTE　did　not　return　until　the　morning　of　the　fourth　day　of　his　absence。　So　much　of　what　had　happened　in　that　dreadful　time　as　could　be　kept　from　the　knowledge　of　Lucie　was　so　well　concealed　from　her；　that　not　until　long　afterwards；　when　France　and　she　were　far　apart；　did　she　know　that　eleven　hundred　defenceless　prisoners　of　both　sexes　and　all　ages　had　been　killed　by　the　populace；　that　four　days　and　nights　had　been　darkened　by　this　deed　of　horror；　and　that　the　air　around　her　had　been　tainted　by　the　slain。　She　only　knew　that　there　had　been　an　attack　upon　the　prisons；　that　all　political　prisoners　had　been　in　danger；　and　that　some　had　been　dragged　out　by　the　crowd　and　murdered。　
　To　Mr。　Lorry；　the　Doctor　communicated　under　an　injunction　of　secrecy　on　which　he　had　no　need　to　dwell；　that　the　crowd　had　taken　him　through　a　scene　of　carnage　to　the　prison　of　La　Force。　That；　in　the　prison　he　had　found　a　self…appointed　Tribunal　sitting；　before　which　the　prisoners　were　brought　singly；　and　by　which　they　were　rapidly　ordered　to　be　put　forth　to　be　massacred；　or　to　be　released；　or　（in　a　few　cases）　to　be　sent　back　to　their　cells。　That；　presented　by　his　conductors　to　this　Tribunal；　he　had　announced　himself　by　name　and　profession　as　having　been　for　eighteen　years　a　secret　and　unaccused　prisoner　in　the　Bastille；　that；　one　of　the　body　so　sitting　in　judgment　had　risen　and　identified　him；　and　that　this　man　was　Defarge。　
　That；　hereupon　he　had　ascertained；　through　the　registers　on　the　table；　that　his　son…in…law　was　among　the　living　prisoners；　and　had　pleaded　hard　to　the　Tribunalof　whom　some　members　were　asleep　and　some　awake；　some　dirty　with　murder　and　some　clean；　some　sober　and　some　notfor　his　life　and　liberty。　That；　in　the　first　frantic　greetings　lavished　on　himself　as　a　notable　sufferer　under　the　over…thrown　system；　it　had　been　accorded　to　him　to　have　Charles　Darnay　brought　before　the　lawless　Court；　and　examined。　That；　he　seemed　on　the　point　of　being　at　once　released；　when　the　tide　in　his　favour　met　with　some　unexplained　check　（not　intelligible　to　the　Doctor）；　which　led　to　a　few　words　of　secret　conference。　That；　the　man　sitting　as　President　had　then　informed　Doctor　Manette　that　the　prisoner　must　remain　in　custody；　but　should　for　his　sake；　be　held　inviolate　in　safe　custody。　That；　immediately；　on　a　signal；　the　prisoner　was　removed　to　the　interior　of　the　prison　again；　but；　that　lie；　the　Doctor；　had　then　so　strongly　pleaded　for　permission　to　remain　and　assure　himself　that　his　son…in…law　was；　through　no　malice　or　mischance；　delivered　to　the　concourse　whose　murderous　yells　outside　the　gate　had　often　drowned　the　proceedings；　that　lie　had　obtained　the　permission；　and　had　remained　in　that　Hall　of　Blood　until　the　danger　was　over。　
　The　sights　he　had　seen　there；　with　brief　snatches　of　food　and　sleep　by　intervals；　shall　remain　untold。　The　mad　job　over　the　prisoners　who　were　saved；　had　astounded　him　scarcely　less　than　the　mad　ferocity　against　those　who　were　cut　to　pieces。　One　prisoner　there　was；　lie　said；　who　had　been　discharged　into　the　street　free；　but　at　whom　a　mistaken　savage　had　thrust　a　pike　as　lie　passed　out。　Being　besought　to　go　to　him　and　dress　the　wound；　the　Doctor　had　passed　out　at　the　same　gate；　and　had　found　him　in　the　arms　of　a　company　of　Samaritans；　who　were　seated　on　the　bodies　of　their　victims。　With　an　inconsistency　as　monstrous　as　anything　in　this　awful　nightmare；　they　had　helped　the　healer；　and　tended　the　wounded　man　with　the　gentlest　solicitudehad　made　a　litter　for　him　and　escorted　him　carefully　from　the　spothad　then　caught　up　their　weapons　and　plunged　anew　into　a　butchery　so　dreadful；　that　the　Doctor　had　covered　his　eyes　with　his　hands；　and　swooned　away　in　the　midst　of　it。　
　As　Mr。　Lorry　received　these　confidences；　and　as　he　watched　the　face　of　his　friend　now　sixty…two　years　of　age；　a　misgiving　arose　within　him　that　such　dread　experiences　would　revise　the　old　danger。　But；　he　had　never　seen　his　friend　in　hi；　present　aspect：　he　had　never　at　all　known　him　in　his　present　character。　For　the　first　time　the　Doctor　felt；　now；　that　his　suffering　was　strength　and　power。　For　the　first　time　he　left　that　in　that　sharp　fire；　lie　had　slowly　forged　the　iron　which　could　break　the　prison　door　of　his　daughter's　husband；　and　deliver　him。　‘It　all　tended　to　a　good　end；　my　friend；　it　was　not　mere　waste　and　ruin。　As　my　beloved　child　was　helpful　in　restoring　me　to　myself；　I　will　be　helpful　now　in