A Tale of Two Cities-CHAPTER 8 A HAND AT CARDS

A HAND AT CARDS,Happily unconscious of the new calamity ¹ at home, Miss Pross threaded her way along the narrow streets and crossed the river by the bridge of the Pont-Neuf, reckoning in her mind the number of indispensable purchases she had to make. Mr. Cruncher, with the basket, walked at her side. They both looked to the right and to the left into most of the shops they passed, had a wary ² eye for all gregarious ³ assemblages of people, and turned out of their road to avoid any very excited group of talkers. It was a raw evening, and the misty ⁴ river, blurred ⁵ to the eye with blazing lights and to the ear with harsh noises, showed where the barges ⁶ were stationed in which the smiths worked, making guns for the Army of the Republic. Woe ⁷ to the man who played tricks with that Army, or got undeserved promotion ⁸ in it! Better for him that his beard had never grown, for the National Razor shaved him close.,Having purchased a few small articles of grocery, and a measure of oil for the lamp, Miss Pross bethought herself of the wine they wanted. After peeping into several wine-shops, she stopped at the sign of The Good Republican Brutus of Antiquity ⁹, not far from the National Palace, once (and twice) the Tuileries, where the aspect of things rather took her fancy. It had a quieter look than any other place of the same description they had passed, and though red with patriotic ¹¹ caps, was not so red as the rest. Sounding Mr. Cruncher, and finding him of her opinion, Miss Pross resorted to The Good Republican Brutus of Antiquity, attended by her cavalier.,Slightly observant of the smoky lights; of the people pipe in mouth, playing with limp cards and yellow dominoes; of the one bare-breasted, bare-armed, soot-begrimed workman reading a journal aloud, and of the others listening to him; of the weapons worn, or laid aside to be resumed; of the two or three customers fallen forward asleep, who in the popular high-shouldered shaggy black spencer looked, in that attitude, like slumbering ¹² bears or dogs; the two outlandish customers approached the counter, and showed what they wanted.,As their wine was measuring out, a man parted from another man in a corner, and rose to depart. In going, he had to face Miss Pross. No sooner did he face her, than Miss Pross uttered a scream, and clapped her hands.,In a moment, the whole company were on their feet. That somebody was assassinated ¹³ by somebody vindicating ¹⁴ a difference of opinion was the likeliest occurrence. Everybody looked to see somebody fall, but only saw a man and a woman standing ¹⁵ staring at each other; the man with all the outward aspect of a Frenchman and a thorough Republican; the woman, evidently English.,“What is the matter? ” said the man who had caused Miss Pross to scream; speaking in a vexed ¹⁹, abrupt ²⁰ voice (though in a low tone), and in English.,“Oh, Solomon, dear Solomon!
” cried Miss Pross, clapping her hands again. “After not setting eyes upon you or hearing of you for so long a time, do I find you here!”,“Don’t call me Solomon. Do you want to be the death of me? ” asked the man, in a furtive ²¹, frightened way.,“Brother, brother!” cried Miss Pross, bursting into tears. “Have I ever been so hard with you that you ask me such a cruel question?
”,“Then hold your meddlesome ²² tongue,” said Solomon, “and come out, if you want to speak to me. Pay for your wine, and come out. Who’s this man? ”,The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难 。,He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密
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