A Tale of Two Cities

by Charles Dickens

totally unfit for their several callings,

Doctors who made great fortunes out of dainty remedies for imaginary disorders

Projectors who had discovered every kind of remedy for the little evils with which the State was touched, except the remedy of setting to work in earnest to root out a single sin, poured their distracting babble into any ears they could lay hold of, at the reception of Monseigneur.

this wonderful gathering accumulated by Monseigneur.

The leprosy of unreality

disfigured every human creature in attendance upon Monseigneur.

half of the half-dozen had become members of a fantastic sect of Convulsionists,

another sect, which mended matters with a jargon about "the Centre of Truth:" holding that Man had got out of the Centre of Truth—which did not need much demonstration—but had not got out of the Circumference, and that he was to be kept from flying out of the Circumference, and was even to be shoved back into the Centre, by fasting and seeing of spirits. Among these, accordingly, much discoursing with spirits went on—and it did a world of good which never became manifest. But, the comfort was, that all the company at the grand hotel of Monseigneur were perfectly dressed. If the Day of Judgment had only been ascertained to be a dress day, everybody there would have been eternally correct. Such frizzling and powdering and sticking up of hair, such delicate complexions artificially preserved and mended,

with that ringing, and with the rustle of silk and brocade and fine linen, there was a flutter in the air

Dress

used for keeping all things in their places. Everybody

was d...

for a Fancy Ball that was never t...

Fancy Ball descended to the Common Executioner: who, in pursuance of the charm, was required to officiate

"frizzled, powdered, in a gold-laced coat, pumps, and white silk stockings."

who among the company at

Monseigneur's reception in that seventeen hundred and eightieth year of our Lord, could possibly doubt, that a system rooted in a frizzled hangman, powdered, gold-laced, pumped, and white-silk stockinged, would see the very stars out!

Not many people had talked with him at the reception; he had stood in a little space apart,

rather agreeable to him to see the common people dispersed before his horses, and often barely escaping from being run down.

common wretches were left to get out of their difficulties as they could.

"What has gone wrong?"

"it is a child."

"Why does he make that abominable noise?

"Killed!"

"Dead!"

Monsieur the Marquis ran his eyes over them all, as if they had been mere rats come out of their holes.

"It is extraordinary to me," said he, "that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is for ever in the way.

How do I know what injury you have done my horses. See! Give him that."

He threw out a g...

"Be a brave man, my Gaspard! It is better for the poor little plaything to die so, than to live. It has died in a moment without pain. Could it have lived an hour as happily?"

Defarge."

vendor of wine."

the wretched father was grovelling on his face on the pavement

beside him was the figure of a dark stout

"You ...

would ride over any of you very willingly, and exterminate you from the earth.

the woman who stood knitting looked up steadily, and looked the Marquis in the face.

still knitted on with the steadfastness of Fate.

time and tide waited for no man,

what made them poor,

the tax for the state, the tax for the church, the tax for the lord, tax local and tax general,

slow sure filing down of misery-worn face and figure,

grizzled mender of the roads

Monsieur Gabelle was the Postmaster,

he had come out with great obsequiousness

My petition is, that a morsel of stone or wood, with my husband's name, may be placed over him to show

where he lies.

there is so much want.

The valet had put her away from the door, the carriage had broken into a brisk trot,

she was left far...