who formed the staff of domestics regarded her as quite a

Sorceress, or Cinderella’s Godmother: who would send out for a

fowl, a rabbit, a vegetable or two from the garden, and change

them into anything she pleased.

On Sundays, Miss Pross dined at the Doctor’s table, but on

other days persisted in taking her meals at unknown periods,

either in the lower regions, or in her own room on the second

floora blue chamber, to which no one but her Ladybird ever

gained admittance. On this occasion, Miss Pross, responding to

Ladybird’s pleasant face and pleasant efforts to please her, unbent

exceedingly; so the dinner was very pleasant, too.

It was an oppressive day, and, after dinner, Lucie proposed that

the wine should be carried out under the plane-tree, and they

should sit there in the air. As everything turned upon her, and

revolved about her, they went out under the plane-tree, and she

carried the wine down for the special benefit of Mr. Lorry. She

had installed herself, some time before, as Mr. Lorry’s cupbearer;

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and while they sat under the plane-tree, talking, she kept his glass

replenished. Mysterious backs and ends of houses peeped at them

as they talked, and the plane-tree whispered to them in its own

way above their heads.

Still, the Hundreds of people did not present themselves. Mr.

Darnay presented himself while they were sitting under the planetree,

but he was only One.

Doctor Manette received him kindly, and so did Lucie. But Miss

Pross suddenly became afflicted with a twitching in the head and

body, and retired into the house. She was not unfrequently the

victim of this disorder, and she called it, in familiar conversation,

“a fit of the jerks.”

The Doctor was in his best condition, and looked specially

young. The resemblance between him and Lucie was very strong

at such times, and as they sat side by side, she leaning on his

shoulder, and he resting his arm on the back of her chair, it was

very agreeable to trace the likeness.

He had been talking all day, on many subjects, and with

unusual vivacity. “Pray, Doctor Manette,” said Mr. Darnay, as they

sat under the plane-treeand he said it in the natural pursuit of

the topic in hand, which happened to be the old buildings of

London”have you seen much of the Tower?”

“Lucie and I have been there; but only casually. We have seen

enough of it, to know that it teems with interest; little more.”

“I have been there, as you remember,” said Darnay, with a

smile, though reddening a little angrily, “in another character, and

not in a character that gives facilities for seeing much of it. They

told me a curious thing when I was there.”

“What was that?” Lucie asked.

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“In making some alterations, the workmen came upon an old

dungeon, which had been, for many years, built up and forgotten.