After reading · Part III · Chapter 5

Part III · Chapter 5Lucie beneath the Prison Wall

Summary

During Darnay’s fifteen-month imprisonment, Lucie preserves the household as if he might soon return. Doctor Manette tells her of a corner where Darnay may sometimes glimpse her from a high prison window. In every weather she stands there for two hours, offering a sign of constancy though she cannot see him.

A wood-sawyer working nearby calls himself “Samson,” jokes about guillotining his billets, and treats Lucie’s vigil as a spectacle; she gives him small gifts to retain his goodwill. On a December evening the Carmagnole surrounds Lucie and then sweeps away; Manette appears afterward. They then go to Tellson’s, where Mr. Lorry has just learned that Darnay has been moved to the Conciergerie and summoned for trial the next day.

Who’s who

• Lucie Manette — Keeps her family’s routines and waits daily beneath Darnay’s window.
• Doctor Manette — Sustains hope and brings Lucie news of the prison.
• The wood-sawyer — A former road-mender who notices Lucie’s repeated visits.
• Mr. Lorry — Receives urgent news about Darnay’s transfer and trial.