After reading · Part II · Chapter 18
Part II · Chapter 18Nine Days at the Shoemaker’s Bench
Reading boundary
Start: The marriage-day was shining brightly
Stop after: in the dusk of the ninth evening.
Summary
Before the wedding, Darnay privately tells Doctor Manette the promised truth. Manette emerges deathly pale but controls himself through the ceremony and farewell. After Lucie and Darnay leave, he relapses completely into shoemaking; he can identify the kind of shoe he is making but gives no meaningful answer to Lorry or Miss Pross.
They protect his privacy and cancel patients while quietly watching him. For nine days he works with prison-like skill and routine; reasoning and gentle reminders do not reach him. Lorry postpones joining the couple rather than abandon his friend.
Who’s who
- Doctor Manette — Overcome after Darnay’s disclosure.
- Charles Darnay — Keeps his promise to reveal his identity on the wedding morning.
- Lucie Darnay — Departs unaware of her father’s relapse.
- Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross — Caregivers concealing and monitoring his condition.