A Tale of Two Cities

What does Barsad tell the Defarge about the Manettes? What were the reactions of Ernest Defarge to this?

a tale of two cities

chapter17 book2

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Barsad tells the Defarges that Lucy is to be married. Mrs. Defarge seems unaffected. Mr. Defarge is visibly shaken.

“Yes, Miss Manette is going to be married. But not to an Englishman; to one who, like herself, is French by birth. And speaking of Gaspard (ah, poor Gaspard! It was cruel, cruel!), it is a curious thing that she is going to marry the nephew of Monsieur the Marquis, for whom Gaspard was exalted to that height of so many feet; in other words, the present Marquis. But he lives unknown in England, he is no Marquis there; he is Mr. Charles Darnay. D’Aulnais is the name of his mother’s family.”

Madame Defarge knitted steadily, but the intelligence had a palpable effect upon her husband. Do what he would, behind the little counter, as to the striking of a light and the lighting of his pipe, he was troubled, and his hand was not trustworthy. The spy would have been no spy if he had failed to see it, or to record it in his mind.

Note, Barsad isn't mentioned in Chapter 17. The above text can be found in Chapter 16.

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A Tale of Two Cities