Madame Defarge’s head) of having his small individual fears for

his own personal safety, every hour in the day.

“I,” said madame, “am equally engaged at the same place. After

it is oversay at eight tonightcome you to me, in Saint Antoine,

and we will give information against these people at my Section.”

The wood-sawyer said he would be proud and flattered to

attend the citizeness. The citizeness looking at him, he became

embarrassed, evaded her glance as a small dog would have done,

retreated among his wood, and hid his confusion over the handle

of his saw.

Madame Defarge beckoned the Juryman and The Vengeance a

little nearer to the door, and there expounded her further views to

them thus:

“She will now be at home, awaiting the moment of his death,

She will be mourning and grieving. She will be in a state of mind

to impeach the justice of the Republic, She will be full of sympathy

with its enemies, I will go to her.”

“What an admirable woman; what an adorable woman!”

exclaimed Jacques Three, rapturously. “Ah, my cherished!” cried

The Vengeance; and embraced her.

“Take you my knitting,” said Madame Defarge, placing it in her

lieutenant’s hands, “and have it ready for me in my usual seat,

Keep me my usual chair, Go you there, straight, for there will

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

probably be a greater concourse than usual, today,” “I willingly

obey the orders of my Chief,” said The Vengeance with alacrity,

and kissing her cheek. “You will not be late?”

“I shall be there before the commencement.”

“And before the tumbrils arrive. Be sure you are there, my

soul,” said The Vengeance, calling after her, for she had already

turned into the street, “before the tumbrils arrive!”

Madame Defarge slightly waved her hand, to imply that she

heard, and might be relied upon to arrive in good time, and so

went through the mud, and round the corner of the prison wall.

The Vengeance and the Juryman, looking after her as she walked

away, were highly appreciative of her fine figure, and her superb

moral endowments.

There were many women at that time upon whom the time laid

a dreadfully disfiguring hand; but there was not one among them

more to be dreaded than this ruthless woman, now taking her way

along the streets. Of a strong and fearless character, of shrewd

sense and readiness, of great determination, of that kind of beauty

which not only seems to impart to its possessor firmness and

animosity, but seems to strike into others an instinctive

recognition of those qualities; the troubled time would have

heaved her up, under any circumstances. But, imbued from her

childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate

hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress. She

was absolutely without pity, If she had ever had the virtue in her,

it had quite gone out of her.