Previous Next
 

Continue reading with a SparkNotes PLUS trial

Original Text

Modern Text

“Can I do anything for you, Mr. Stryver?” asked Mr. Lorry, in his business character. “Can I do anything for you, Mr. Stryver?” asked Mr. Lorry, in his business character.
“Why, no, thank you; this is a private visit to yourself, Mr. Lorry; I have come for a private word.” “Why, no, thank you; this is a private visit to yourself, Mr. Lorry; I have come for a private word.”
“Oh indeed!” said Mr. Lorry, bending down his ear, while his eye strayed to the House afar off. “Oh indeed!” said Mr. Lorry, bending down his ear, while his eye strayed to the House afar off.
“I am going,” said Mr. Stryver, leaning his arms confidentially on the desk: whereupon, although it was a large double one, there appeared to be not half desk enough for him: “I am going to make an offer of myself in marriage to your agreeable little friend, Miss Manette, Mr. Lorry.” “I am going,” said Mr. Stryver, leaning his arms confidentially on the desk: whereupon, although it was a large double one, there appeared to be not half desk enough for him: “I am going to make an offer of myself in marriage to your agreeable little friend, Miss Manette, Mr. Lorry.”
“Oh dear me!” cried Mr. Lorry, rubbing his chin, and looking at his visitor dubiously. “Oh dear me!” cried Mr. Lorry, rubbing his chin, and looking at his visitor dubiously.
“Oh dear me, sir?” repeated Stryver, drawing back. “Oh dear you, sir? What may your meaning be, Mr. Lorry?” “Oh dear me, sir?” repeated Stryver, drawing back. “Oh dear you, sir? What may your meaning be, Mr. Lorry?”
“My meaning,” answered the man of business, “is, of course, friendly and appreciative, and that it does you the greatest credit, and—in short, my meaning is everything you could desire. But—really, you know, Mr. Stryver—” Mr. Lorry paused, and shook his head at him in the oddest manner, as if he were compelled against his will to add, internally, “you know there really is so much too much of you!” “My meaning,” answered the man of business, “is, of course, friendly and appreciative, and that it does you the greatest credit, and—in short, my meaning is everything you could desire. But—really, you know, Mr. Stryver—” Mr. Lorry paused, and shook his head at him in the oddest manner, as if he were compelled against his will to add, internally, “you know there really is so much too much of you!”
“Well!” said Stryver, slapping the desk with his contentious hand, opening his eyes wider, and taking a long breath, “if I understand you, Mr. Lorry, I’ll be hanged!” “Well!” said Stryver, slapping the desk with his contentious hand, opening his eyes wider, and taking a long breath, “if I understand you, Mr. Lorry, I’ll be hanged!”
Mr. Lorry adjusted his little wig at both ears as a means towards that end, and bit the feather of a pen. Mr. Lorry adjusted his little wig at both ears as a means towards that end, and bit the feather of a pen.
“D—n it all, sir!” said Stryver, staring at him, “am I not eligible?” “D—n it all, sir!” said Stryver, staring at him, “am I not eligible?”
“Oh dear yes! Yes. Oh yes, you’re eligible!” said Mr. Lorry. “If you say eligible, you are eligible.” “Oh dear yes! Yes. Oh yes, you’re eligible!” said Mr. Lorry. “If you say eligible, you are eligible.”
“Am I not prosperous?” asked Stryver. “Am I not prosperous?” asked Stryver.
“Oh! if you come to prosperous, you are prosperous,” said Mr. Lorry. “Oh! if you come to prosperous, you are prosperous,” said Mr. Lorry.
“And advancing?” “And advancing?”
“If you come to advancing you know,” said Mr. Lorry, delighted to be able to make another admission, “nobody can doubt that.” “If you come to advancing you know,” said Mr. Lorry, delighted to be able to make another admission, “nobody can doubt that.”
“Then what on earth is your meaning, Mr. Lorry?” demanded Stryver, perceptibly crestfallen. “Then what on earth is your meaning, Mr. Lorry?” demanded Stryver, perceptibly crestfallen.
“Well! I—Were you going there now?” asked Mr. Lorry. “Well! I—Were you going there now?” asked Mr. Lorry.
“Straight!” said Stryver, with a plump of his fist on the desk. “Straight!” said Stryver, with a plump of his fist on the desk.
“Then I think I wouldn’t, if I was you.” “Then I think I wouldn’t, if I was you.”
“Why?” said Stryver. “Now, I’ll put you in a corner,” forensically shaking a forefinger at him. “You are a man of business and bound to have a reason. State your reason. Why wouldn’t you go?” “Why?” said Stryver. “Now, I’ll put you in a corner,” forensically shaking a forefinger at him. “You are a man of business and bound to have a reason. State your reason. Why wouldn’t you go?”
“Because,” said Mr. Lorry, “I wouldn’t go on such an object without having some cause to believe that I should succeed.” “Because,” said Mr. Lorry, “I wouldn’t go on such an object without having some cause to believe that I should succeed.”
“D—n ME!” cried Stryver, “but this beats everything.” “D—n ME!” cried Stryver, “but this beats everything.”
Mr. Lorry glanced at the distant House, and glanced at the angry Stryver. Mr. Lorry glanced at the distant House, and glanced at the angry Stryver.
“Here’s a man of business—a man of years—a man of experience—IN a Bank,” said Stryver; “and having summed up three leading reasons for complete success, he says there’s no reason at all! Says it with his head on!” Mr. Stryver remarked upon the peculiarity as if it would have been infinitely less remarkable if he had said it with his head off. “Here’s a man of business—a man of years—a man of experience—IN a Bank,” said Stryver; “and having summed up three leading reasons for complete success, he says there’s no reason at all! Says it with his head on!” Mr. Stryver remarked upon the peculiarity as if it would have been infinitely less remarkable if he had said it with his head off.

Original Text

Modern Text

“Can I do anything for you, Mr. Stryver?” asked Mr. Lorry, in his business character. “Can I do anything for you, Mr. Stryver?” asked Mr. Lorry, in his business character.
“Why, no, thank you; this is a private visit to yourself, Mr. Lorry; I have come for a private word.” “Why, no, thank you; this is a private visit to yourself, Mr. Lorry; I have come for a private word.”
“Oh indeed!” said Mr. Lorry, bending down his ear, while his eye strayed to the House afar off. “Oh indeed!” said Mr. Lorry, bending down his ear, while his eye strayed to the House afar off.
“I am going,” said Mr. Stryver, leaning his arms confidentially on the desk: whereupon, although it was a large double one, there appeared to be not half desk enough for him: “I am going to make an offer of myself in marriage to your agreeable little friend, Miss Manette, Mr. Lorry.” “I am going,” said Mr. Stryver, leaning his arms confidentially on the desk: whereupon, although it was a large double one, there appeared to be not half desk enough for him: “I am going to make an offer of myself in marriage to your agreeable little friend, Miss Manette, Mr. Lorry.”
“Oh dear me!” cried Mr. Lorry, rubbing his chin, and looking at his visitor dubiously. “Oh dear me!” cried Mr. Lorry, rubbing his chin, and looking at his visitor dubiously.
“Oh dear me, sir?” repeated Stryver, drawing back. “Oh dear you, sir? What may your meaning be, Mr. Lorry?” “Oh dear me, sir?” repeated Stryver, drawing back. “Oh dear you, sir? What may your meaning be, Mr. Lorry?”
“My meaning,” answered the man of business, “is, of course, friendly and appreciative, and that it does you the greatest credit, and—in short, my meaning is everything you could desire. But—really, you know, Mr. Stryver—” Mr. Lorry paused, and shook his head at him in the oddest manner, as if he were compelled against his will to add, internally, “you know there really is so much too much of you!” “My meaning,” answered the man of business, “is, of course, friendly and appreciative, and that it does you the greatest credit, and—in short, my meaning is everything you could desire. But—really, you know, Mr. Stryver—” Mr. Lorry paused, and shook his head at him in the oddest manner, as if he were compelled against his will to add, internally, “you know there really is so much too much of you!”
“Well!” said Stryver, slapping the desk with his contentious hand, opening his eyes wider, and taking a long breath, “if I understand you, Mr. Lorry, I’ll be hanged!” “Well!” said Stryver, slapping the desk with his contentious hand, opening his eyes wider, and taking a long breath, “if I understand you, Mr. Lorry, I’ll be hanged!”
Mr. Lorry adjusted his little wig at both ears as a means towards that end, and bit the feather of a pen. Mr. Lorry adjusted his little wig at both ears as a means towards that end, and bit the feather of a pen.
“D—n it all, sir!” said Stryver, staring at him, “am I not eligible?” “D—n it all, sir!” said Stryver, staring at him, “am I not eligible?”
“Oh dear yes! Yes. Oh yes, you’re eligible!” said Mr. Lorry. “If you say eligible, you are eligible.” “Oh dear yes! Yes. Oh yes, you’re eligible!” said Mr. Lorry. “If you say eligible, you are eligible.”
“Am I not prosperous?” asked Stryver. “Am I not prosperous?” asked Stryver.
“Oh! if you come to prosperous, you are prosperous,” said Mr. Lorry. “Oh! if you come to prosperous, you are prosperous,” said Mr. Lorry.
“And advancing?” “And advancing?”
“If you come to advancing you know,” said Mr. Lorry, delighted to be able to make another admission, “nobody can doubt that.” “If you come to advancing you know,” said Mr. Lorry, delighted to be able to make another admission, “nobody can doubt that.”
“Then what on earth is your meaning, Mr. Lorry?” demanded Stryver, perceptibly crestfallen. “Then what on earth is your meaning, Mr. Lorry?” demanded Stryver, perceptibly crestfallen.
“Well! I—Were you going there now?” asked Mr. Lorry. “Well! I—Were you going there now?” asked Mr. Lorry.
“Straight!” said Stryver, with a plump of his fist on the desk. “Straight!” said Stryver, with a plump of his fist on the desk.
“Then I think I wouldn’t, if I was you.” “Then I think I wouldn’t, if I was you.”
“Why?” said Stryver. “Now, I’ll put you in a corner,” forensically shaking a forefinger at him. “You are a man of business and bound to have a reason. State your reason. Why wouldn’t you go?” “Why?” said Stryver. “Now, I’ll put you in a corner,” forensically shaking a forefinger at him. “You are a man of business and bound to have a reason. State your reason. Why wouldn’t you go?”
“Because,” said Mr. Lorry, “I wouldn’t go on such an object without having some cause to believe that I should succeed.” “Because,” said Mr. Lorry, “I wouldn’t go on such an object without having some cause to believe that I should succeed.”
“D—n ME!” cried Stryver, “but this beats everything.” “D—n ME!” cried Stryver, “but this beats everything.”
Mr. Lorry glanced at the distant House, and glanced at the angry Stryver. Mr. Lorry glanced at the distant House, and glanced at the angry Stryver.
“Here’s a man of business—a man of years—a man of experience—IN a Bank,” said Stryver; “and having summed up three leading reasons for complete success, he says there’s no reason at all! Says it with his head on!” Mr. Stryver remarked upon the peculiarity as if it would have been infinitely less remarkable if he had said it with his head off. “Here’s a man of business—a man of years—a man of experience—IN a Bank,” said Stryver; “and having summed up three leading reasons for complete success, he says there’s no reason at all! Says it with his head on!” Mr. Stryver remarked upon the peculiarity as if it would have been infinitely less remarkable if he had said it with his head off.
Previous page Book 2: The Golden Thread, Chapter 12: The Fellow of Delicacy, Page 1 Next page Book 2: The Golden Thread, Chapter 12: The Fellow of Delicacy, Page 3
Test your knowledge

Take the Book the Second: The Golden Thread Chapters 10-13 Quick Quiz
Read the Summary

Read the Summary of Book the Second: The Golden Thread Chapters 10-13.
Take a study break

Every Literary Reference Found in Taylor Swift's Lyrics

Popular pages: A Tale of Two Cities

Take a Study Break