boldest people afraid to speak of in a whisper, across the water

there; for instance, the privilege of filling up blank forms of the

consignment of any one to the oblivion of a prison for any length of

time; if his wife had implored the king, the queen, the court, the

clergy, for any tidings of him, and all quite in vain;then the

history of your father would have been the history of this

unfortunate gentleman, the Doctor of Beauvais.”

“I entreat you to tell me more, sir.”

“I will. I am going to. You can bear it?”

“I can bear anything but the uncertainty you leave me in at this

moment.”

“You speak collectedly, and youare collected. That’s good!”

(Though his manner was less satisfied than his words.) “A matter

of business. Regard it as a matter of businessbusiness that must

be done. Now if this doctor’s wife, though a lady of great courage

and spirit, had suffered so intensely from this cause before her

little child was born”

“The little child was a daughter, sir.”

“A daughter. Aamatter of businessdon’t be distressed.

Miss, if the poor lady had suffered so intensely before her little

child was born, that she came to the determination of sparing the

poor child the inheritance of any part of the agony she had known

the pains of, by rearing her in the belief that her father was dead

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

37

No, don’t kneel! In Heaven’s name why should you kneel to me!”

“For the truth. O dear, good, compassionate sir, for the truth!”

“Aa matter of business. You confuse me, and how can I

transact business if I am confused? Let us be clear-headed. If you

could kindly mention now, for instance, what nine times

ninepence are, or how many shillings in twenty guineas, it would

be so encouraging. I should be so much more at my ease about

your state of mind.”

Without directly answering to this appeal, she sat so still when

he had very gently raised her, and the hands that had not ceased

to clasp his wrists were so much more steady than they had been,

that she communicated some reassurance to Mr. Jarvis Lorry.

“That’s right, that’s right. Courage! Business! You have

business before you; useful business. Miss Manette, your mother

took this course with you. And when she diedI believe broken-

heartedhaving never slackened her unavailing search for your

father, she left you, at two years old, to grow to be blooming,

beautiful, and happy, without the dark cloud upon you of living in

uncertainty whether your father soon wore his heart out in prison,

or wasted there through many lingering years.”

As he said the words he looked down, with an admiring pity, on

the flowing golden hair; as if he pictured to himself that it might

have been already tinged with grey.

“You know that your parents had no great possession, and that

what they had was secured to your mother and to you. There has