A Tale of Two Cities
Book 2, Chapter 19: An Opinion: Page 6
Original Text | Modern Text |
| On the night of the day on which he left the house, Mr. Lorry went into his room with a chopper, saw, chisel, and hammer, attended by Miss Pross carrying a light. There, with closed doors, and in a mysterious and guilty manner, Mr. Lorry hacked the shoemaker’s bench to pieces, while Miss Pross held the candle as if she were assisting at a murder—for which, indeed, in her grimness, she was no unsuitable figure. The burning of the body (previously reduced to pieces convenient for the purpose) was commenced without delay in the kitchen fire; and the tools, shoes, and leather, were buried in the garden. So wicked do destruction and secrecy appear to honest minds, that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross, while engaged in the commission of their deed and in the removal of its traces, almost felt, and almost looked, like accomplices in a horrible crime. | On the night of the day that Dr. Manette left, Mr. Lorry went into his room with an axe, saw, chisel, and hammer. Miss Pross went with him and carried a light. There, behind closed doors, and in a mysterious, guilty way, Mr. Lorry hacked the shoemaker’s bench into pieces. Miss Pross held the candle as if she were helping with a murder, which, with her seriousness, she was suited for. They cut it up into small pieces and burned it right away in the kitchen fire. The tools, shoes, and leather were buried in the garden. Destruction and secrecy bother honest people so much that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross, while they destroyed the bench and tools and got rid of the evidence, looked like accomplices in a horrible crime. |
