After reading · Part I · Chapter 2
Part I · Chapter 2A Message on the Dover Road
Reading boundary
Start: It was the Dover road that lay, on a Friday night late in November,
Stop after: if recalling to life was to come into fashion, Jerry!
Summary
On a misty Friday night in November 1775, the Dover mail struggles up Shooter’s Hill. Its passengers walk beside it through deep mud, each suspecting the others of possible robbery. The coach guard is heavily armed, and the exhausted horses can barely manage the climb.
At the summit, an approaching rider alarms everyone. The guard threatens to shoot before allowing Jerry, a muddy messenger, to approach Jarvis Lorry. Jerry delivers Tellson’s Bank’s instruction, “Wait at Dover for Mam’selle.” Lorry sends back the cryptic answer “Recalled to life” and resumes his journey. Left on the road, Jerry puzzles over the phrase and remarks that being recalled to life would be bad for him.
Who’s who
- Jarvis Lorry — A Tellson’s Bank representative traveling to Dover.
- Jerry — Tellson’s hoarse, mud-covered messenger.
- Joe — The Dover mail’s armed and suspicious guard.
- Tom — The coachman struggling to get the horses over Shooter’s Hill.
- The other passengers — Two wary travelers who conceal their valuables and distrust everyone nearby.