out of Tellson’s. He was detained two hours. When he came back,

he ascended the old staircase alone, having asked no question of

the servant; going thus into the Doctor’s rooms, he was stopped by

a low sound of knocking. “Good God!” he said, with a start.

“What’s that?”

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Miss Pross, with a terrified face, was at his ear. “O me, O me!

All is lost!” cried she, wringing her hands. “What is to be told to

Ladybird? He doesn’t know me, and is making shoes!”

Mr. Lorry said what he could to calm her, and went himself into

the Doctor’s room. The bench was turned towards the light, as it

had been when he had seen the shoemaker at his work before, and

his head was bent down, and he was very busy.

“Doctor Manette. My dear friend, Doctor Manette!”

The Doctor looked at him for a momenthalf inquiringly, half

as if he were angry at being spoken toand bent over his work

again.

He had laid aside his coat and waistcoat; his shirt was open at

the throat, as it used to be when he did that work; and even the old

haggard, faded surface of face had come back to him. He worked

hardimpatientlyas if in some sense of having been

interrupted.

Mr. Lorry glanced at the work in his hand, and observed that it

was a shoe of the old size and shape. He took up another that was

lying by him, and asked what it was?

“A young lady’s walking shoe,” he muttered, without looking

up. “It ought to have been finished long ago. Let it be.”

“But, Doctor Manette. Look at me!”

He obeyed, in the old mechanically submissive manner, without

pausing in his work.

“You know me, my dear friend? Think again. This is not your

proper occupation. Think, dear friend!”

Nothing would induce him to speak more. He looked up, for an

instant at a time, when he was requested to do so; but, no

persuasion would extract a word from him. He worked, and

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worked, and worked, in silence, and words fell on him as they

would have fallen on an echoless wall, or on the air. The only ray

of hope that Mr. Lorry could discover, was, that he sometimes

furtively looked up without being asked. In that, there seemed a

faint expression of curiosity or perplexityas though he were

trying to reconcile some doubts in his mind.

Two things at once impressed themselves on Mr. Lorry, as

important above all others; the first, that this must be kept secret

from Lucie; the second that it must be kept secret from all who

knew him. In conjunction with Miss Pross, he took immediate

steps towards the latter precaution, by giving out that the Doctor

was not well, and required a few days of complete rest. In aid of

the kind deception to be practised on his daughter, Miss Pross was

to write, describing his having been called away professionally,