"The two stand in the fast-thinning throng of victims" — Illustration for "A Tale of Two Cities," Book III, chapter 15, "The Footsteps Die Out Forever," by John McLenan (original) (raw)

"The two stand in the fast-thinning throng of victims"

John McLenan

Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities, Book III, 15, "The Footsteps Die Out Forever"

The thirtieth installment of the novel appeared in Harper's Weekly (26 November 1859): 765; it had originally appeared in the UK on Saturday, 19 November in All the Year Round

[See below for passage illustrated]

Scanned image by Philip V. Allingham; text by PVA and George P. Landow.

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. .]

Passage Illustrated

Carton comforts his fellow-victim, the little seamstress, after their arrival by tumbrel at La Place de Sainte Guillotine:

"But for you, dear stranger, I should not be so composed, for I am naturally a poor little thing, faint of heart; nor should I have been able to raise my thoughts to Him who was put to death, that we might have hope and comfort here to-day. I think you were sent to me by Heaven."

"Or you to me," says Sydney Carton. "Keep your eyes upon me, dear child, and mind no other object."

"I mind nothing while I hold your hand. I shall mind nothing when I let it go, if they are rapid."

"They will be rapid. Fear not!"

The two stand in the fast-thinning throng of victims, but they speak as if they were alone. Eye to eye, voice to voice, hand to hand, heart to heart, these two children of the Universal Mother, else so wide apart and differing, have come together on the dark highway, to repair home together, and to rest in her bosom.

References

Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities: A story of the French Revolution. Project Gutenberg e-text by Judith Boss, Omaha, Nebraska. Release Date: September 25, 2004 [EBook #98].

Last modified 25 November 2007