farge

was the family’s malevolent enemy.

“On my way yonder,” said Madame Defarge, with a slight

movement of her hand towards the fatal spot, “where they reserve

my chair and my knitting for me, I am come to make my

compliments to her in passing. I wish to see her.”

“I know that your intentions are evil,” said Miss Pross, “and

you may depend upon it, I’ll hold my own against them.”

Each spoke in her own language; neither understood the

other’s words; both were very watchful, and intent to deduce from

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

look and manner, what the unintelligible words meant.

“It will do her no good to keep herself concealed from me at this

moment,” said Madame Defarge. “Good patriots will know what

that means. Let me see her. Go tell her that I wish to see her. Do

you hear?”

“If those eyes of yours were bed-winches,” returned Miss Pross,

“and I was an English four-poster, they shouldn’t loose a splinter

of me. No, you wicked foreign woman; I am your match.”

Madame Defarge was not likely to follow these idiomatic

remarks in detail; but, she so far understood them as to perceive

that she was set at naught.

“Woman imbecile and pig-like!” said Madame Defarge,

frowning. “I take no answer from you. I demand to see her. Either

tell her that I demand to see her, or stand out of the way of the

door and