Page 167 - A TALE OF TWO CITIES

A Tale of Two Cities

‘All sorts of people who are not in the least degree
worthy of the pet, are always turning up,’ said Miss Pross.
‘When you began it—‘
‘I began it, Miss Pross?’

‘Didn’t you? Who brought her father to life?’
‘Oh! If THAT was beginning it—’ said Mr. Lorry.
‘It wasn’t ending it, I suppose? I say, when you began
it, it was hard enough; not that I have any fault to find
with Doctor Manette, except that he is not worthy of such
a daughter, which is no imputation on him, for it was not
to be expected that anybody should be, under any
circumstances. But it really is doubly and trebly hard to
have crowds and multitudes of people turning up after
him (I could have forgiven him), to take Ladybird’s
affections away from me.’
Mr. Lorry knew Miss Pross to be very jealous, but he
also knew her by this time to be, beneath the service of
her eccentricity, one of those unselfish creatures—found
only among women—who will, for pure love and
admiration, bind themselves willing slaves, to youth when
they have lost it, to beauty that they never had, to
accomplishments that they were never fortunate enough
to gain, to bright hopes that never shone upon their own
sombre lives. He knew enough of the world to know that

166 of 670