After reading · Part III · Chapter 2

Part III · Chapter 2The Grindstone

Reading boundary Start: Tellson’s Bank, established in the Saint Germain Quarter of Paris Stop after: with a red upon it that the sun had never given, and would never take away.

Summary

At Tellson’s in Paris, Mr. Lorry is startled when Doctor Manette and Lucie arrive with little Lucie and Miss Pross. They tell him Darnay is imprisoned at La Force. Doctor Manette, emboldened by his status as a former Bastille prisoner, goes out into the turbulent city to seek his son-in-law.

That night armed, bloodstained crowds repeatedly enter the courtyard to sharpen weapons at a huge grindstone between attacks on prisoners. Lorry keeps Lucie from the window and conceals the purpose of the noise. At dawn an exhausted participant sleeps in a nobleman’s carriage, while the stained grindstone remains as evidence of the night’s violence.

Who’s who

Jarvis Lorry — Tellson’s trusted agent, trying to protect Lucie while preserving the bank’s duty.
Lucie Manette — Darnay’s wife, newly arrived in Paris to seek him.
Doctor Manette — Lucie’s father, who believes his history can influence the revolutionaries.
Little Lucie and Miss Pross — Lucie’s daughter and loyal companion.