A Tale Of Two Cities

Chapter 95 BOOK THE THIRD: THE TRACK OF A STORM (10)
Greater things than the Doctor had at that time to contend with，would have yielded before his persevering purpose. While he kept himself in his place，as a physician，whose business was withall degrees of mankind，bond and free，rich and poor，bad and good，he used his personal influence so wisely，that he was soon the inspecting physician of three prisons，and among them of La Force.He could now assure Lucie that her husband was no longer confined alone，but was mixed with the general body of prisoners；he saw her husband weekly，and brought sweet messages to her，straight from his lips；sometimes her husband himself sent a letter to her（though never by the Doctor's hand），but she was not permitted to write to him：for，among the many wild suspicions of plots in the prisons，the wildest of all pointed at emigrants who were known to have made friends or permanent connections abroad.
This new life of the Doctor's was an anxious life，no doubt；still，the sagacious Mr. Lorry saw that there was a new sustaining pride in it.Nothing unbecoming tinged the pride；it was a natural and worthy one；but he observed it as a curiosity.The Doctor knew，that up to that time，his imprisonment had been associated in the minds of his daughter and his friend，with his personal affliction，deprivation，and weakness.Now that this was changed，and he knew himself to be invested through that old trial with forces to which they both looked for Charles's ultimate safety and deliverance，he became so far exalted by the change，that he took the lead and direction，and required them as the weak，to trust to him as the strong.The preceding relative positions of himself and Lucie were reversed，yet only as the liveliest gratitude and affection could reverse them，for he could have had no pride but in rendering some service to her who had rendered so much to him.'All curious to see，'thought Mr.Lorry，in his amiably shrewd way，'but all natural and right；so，take the lead，my dear friend，and keep it；it couldn't be in better hands.'
But，though the Doctor tried hard，and never ceased trying，to get Charles Darnay set at liberty，or at least to get him brought to trial，the public current of the time set too strong and fast for him. The new era began；the king was tried，doomed and beheaded；the Republic of Liberty，Equality，Fraternity，or Death，declared for victory or death against the world in arms；the black flag waved night and day from the great towers of Notre Dame；three hundred thousand men，summoned to rise against the tyrants of the earth，rose from all the varying soils of France，as if the dragon's teeth had been sown broadcast，and had yielded fruit equally on hill and plain，on rock，in gravel，and alluvial mud，under the bright sky of the South and under the clouds of the North，in fell and forest，in the vineyards and the olive-grounds and among the cropped grass and the stubble of the corn，along the fruitful banks of the broad rivers，and in the sand of the seashore.What private solicitude could rear itself against the deluge of the Year One of Liberty—the deluge rising from below，not falling from above，and with the windows of Heaven shut，not opened！

There was no pause，no pity，no peace，no interval of relenting rest，no measurement of time. Though days and nights circled as regularly as when time was young，and the evening and morning were the first day，other count of time there was none.Hold of it was lost in the raging fever of a nation，as it is in the fever of one patient.Now，breaking the unnatural silence of a whole city，the executioner showed the people the head of the king—and now，it seemed almost in the same breath，the head of his fair wife which had had eight weary months of imprisoned widowhood andmisery，to turn it grey.
And yet，observing the strange law of contradiction which obtains in all such cases，the time was long，while it flamed by so fast. A revolutionary tribunal in the capital，and forty or fifty thousand revolutionary committees all over the land；a law of the Suspected，which struck away all security for liberty or life，and delivered over any good and innocent person to any bad and guilty one；prisons gorged with people who had committed no offence，and could obtain no hearing；these things became the established order and nature of appointed things，and seemed to be ancient usage before they were many weeks old.Above all，one hideous figure grew as familiar as if it had been before the general gaze from the foundations of the world—the figure of the sharp female called La Guillotine.
It was the popular theme for jests；it was the best cure for headache，it infallibly prevented the hair from turning grey，it imparted a peculiar delicacy to the complexion，it was the National Razor which shaved close：who kissed La Guillotine，looked through the window and sneezed into the sack. It was the sign of the regeneration of the human race.It superseded the Cross.Models of it were worn on breasts from which the Cross was discarded，and it was bowed down to and believed in where the Cross was denied.
It sheared off heads so many，that it，and the ground it most polluted，were a rotten red. It was taken to pieces，like a toy-puzzle for a young Devil，and was put together again when the occasion wanted it.It hushed the eloquent，struck down the powerful，abolished the beautiful and good.Twenty-two friends of high public mark，twenty-one living and one dead，it had lopped theheads off，in one morning，in as many minutes.The name of the strong man of Old Scripture had descended to the chief functionary who worked it；but，so armed，he was stronger than his namesake，and blinder，and tore away the gates of God's own Temple every day.
(End of this chapter)