`Come, then! You shall see the apartment
that I told you you could occupy. It will suit you to a marvel.'
Out of the wine-shop into the street, out
of the street into a courtyard, out of the courtyard up a steep staircase, out
of the staircase into a garret--formerly the garret where a white-haired man
sat on a low bench, stooping forward and very busy, making shoes.
No white-haired man was there now; but, the
three men were there who had gone out of the wine-shop singly. And between them
and the white-haired man afar off, was the one small link, that they had once
looked in at him through the chinks in the wail.
Defarge closed the door carefully, and
spoke in a subdued voice:
`Jacques One, Jacques Two, Jacques Three!
This is the witness encountered by appointment, by me, Jacques Four.
He will tell you all. Speak, Jacques Five!
The mender of roads, blue cap in hand,
wiped his swarthy forehead with it, and said, `Where shall I commence,
monsieur?'
`Commence,' was Monsieur Defarge's not
unreasonable reply, `at the commencement.'
`I saw him then, messieurs,' began the
mender of roads, a year ago this running summer, underneath the carriage of the
Marquis, hanging by the chain. Behold the manner of it. I leaving my work on
the road, the sun going to bed, the carriage of the Marquis slowly ascending
the hill, he hanging by the chain--like this.'
Again the mender of roads went through the
whole performance; in which he ought to have been perfect by that time, seeing
that it had been the infallible resource and indispensable entertainment of his
village during a whole year.
Jacques One struck in, and asked if he had
ever seen the man before?
`Never,' answered the mender of roads,
recovering his perpendicular.
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