Preview: Part II, Chapter 16
Reading boundary
Start: Madame Defarge and monsieur her husband returned amicably
Stop after: counting dropping heads.
The Defarges return from Versailles to their wine-shop, where a police informer is expected. Because Madame Defarge’s knitting carries information others cannot read, ordinary gestures can become both surveillance and judgment.
After the visitor leaves, husband and wife reveal different temperaments. Their shared purpose is clear, but patience, pity, and certainty do not have exactly the same meaning for each.