A Tale of Two Cities
Book 2, Chapter 14: The Honest Tradesman: Page 8
Original Text | Modern Text |
| Mr. Cruncher came to a stop on the pavement before he answered, “How should I know?” | Mr. Cruncher stopped on the sidewalk before he answered. “How should I know?” |
| “I thought you knowed everything, father,” said the artless boy. | “I thought you knew everything, Father,” said Young Jerry pretending unconvincingly. |
| “Hem! Well,” returned Mr. Cruncher, going on again, and lifting off his hat to give his spikes free play, “he’s a tradesman.” | “Hmm. Well,” answered Mr. Cruncher, starting to walk again and taking his hat off to let his spiked hair out. “He’s a businessman.” |
| “What’s his goods, father?” asked the brisk Young Jerry. | “What merchandise does he trade in, Father?” asked the quick Young Jerry. |
| “His goods,” said Mr. Cruncher, after turning it over in his mind, “is a branch of Scientific goods.” | “His merchandise,” said Mr. Cruncher after thinking it over, “is of a scientific kind.” |
| “Persons’ bodies, ain’t it, father?” asked the lively boy. | “People’s bodies, isn’t it, Father?” asked the boy, excited. |
| “I believe it is something of that sort,” said Mr. Cruncher. | “I think it’s something like that,” said Mr. Cruncher. |
| “Oh, father, I should so like to be a Resurrection-Man when I’m quite growed up!” | “Oh, Father, I want to be a resurrection man when I grow up!” |
| Mr. Cruncher was soothed, but shook his head in a dubious and moral way. “It depends upon how you dewelop your talents. Be careful to dewelop your talents, and never to say no more than you can help to nobody, and there’s no telling at the present time what you may not come to be fit for.” As Young Jerry, thus encouraged, went on a few yards in advance, to plant the stool in the shadow of the Bar, Mr. Cruncher added to himself: “Jerry, you honest tradesman, there’s hopes wot that boy will yet be a blessing to you, and a recompense to you for his mother!” | Mr. Cruncher felt better, but he shook his head in a doubtful and moralizing way. “That depends on how you develop your skills. If you work at developing your skills, and you don’t say anymore to anybody than you have to, there’s no telling what you might be good at.” Young Jerry was encouraged by this and walked a few yards ahead to place the stool in the shadow of Temple Bar. Mr. Cruncher said to himself, “Jerry, you honest businessman, there’s a chance that the boy will be good luck to you after all and will make up for his mother!” |
