A Tale of Two Cities—A Trail in London(1780)

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Tellson's Bank in the City of London was an old，dark，and ugly building.It smelt of dust and old papers，and the people who worked there all seemed old and dusty，too.Outside the building sat Jerry Cruncher，who carried messages for people in the bank.

One morning in March 1780，Jerry had to go to the Old Bailey to collect an important message from Mr Lorry.Trials at the Old Bailey were usually for very dangerous criminals，and the prisoner that morning was a young man of about twenty-five，well dressed and quite calm.

“What's he done” Jerry asked the doorman quietly.

“He's a spy!A French spy! ”the doorman told him.“He travels from England to France and tells the French King secret information about our English army.”

“What'll happen if he'sguity？ ” asked Jerry.

“Oh， he'll have to die， no question of that， ”replied the doormanenthusiastically.“They'll hang him.”

“What's his name?”

“Darnay， Charles Darnay.Notan English name， is it?”

While Jerry waited，helooked aroundat the crowd inside the Old Bailey and noticed a young lady of about twenty years， and her father， a gentleman with very white hair.The young lady seemed very sad when she looked at the prisoner，and held herself close to her father.

Then the trial began，and the first person who spokeagainstCharlesDarnaywascalledJohn Barsad.He was an honest man，he said，and proud to be an Englishman.Yes， he was， or had been， a friend of the prisoner's.And in the prisoner's pockets he had seen important plans and lists about the English armies.No，of course he had not put the lists there himself.And no， he was not a spy himself， he was not someone paid to make traps for innocent people.

Next the young lady spoke.She said that she had met the prisoner on the boat which had carried her and her father from France to England.“He was very good and kind to my father and to me， ”she said.

“Was he travelling alone on the ship?”

“No， he was with two French gentlemen.”

“Now， Miss Manette， did you see him show them any papers， or anything that looked like a list?”

“No， I didn't see anything like that.”

Questions，questions，questions!The trial went on， and finally， a small， red－haired man spoke.He told the judge that he had seen Mr Darnay at a hotel in a town where there were many soldiers and ships.Then one of the lawyers，a man called Sydney Carton， wrote some words on a piece of paper， and gave it to Mr Stryver，the lawyer who was speaking for Mr Darnay.

“Are you quite sure that the prisoner is the man you saw？”Mr Stryver asked the red-haired man.

“Quite sure，” said the man.

“Have you ever seen anyone like the prisoner？ ”asked Mr Stryver.

“I'd always be able to recognize him.” The redhaired man was veryconfident.

“Then I must ask you to look at the gentleman over there，” said Mr Stryver，pointing toSydney Carton.“Don't you think that he is very like the prisoner?”

Everyone in the court could see that Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay were indeed very similar.

“Well then，” said Mr Stryver， “it is so easy to find a man like the prisoner that we can even find one in this room.So how can you be so sure that it was the prisoner you saw in that hotel?”

And the red－haired man said not another word.

The lawyers talked and argued，and when at last the trialcame to an end，Jerry Cruncher had fallen asleep.

But Mr Lorry woke him up and gave him a piece of paper.“NOT GUILTY” were the words written on it，and Jerry hurried back to Tellson's Bank with the message.

Sydney Carton seemed to be a man who did not care about anyone or anything.He was Mr Stryver's assistant.In fact，he did most of the real work for Mr Stryver.Stryver was good at speaking at a trial，but he was not good at discovering important facts and details，especially when these details were hidden in a lot of papers.Every night Carton studied the many papers that lawyers have to read，and he wrote down the questions which Stryver should ask at the next day's trial.And every day Stryver asked these questions，and people thought how clever he was.

Outside the Old Bailey Mr Darnay，now a free man，met his friends:Dr Manette and his daughter Lucie， Mr Jarvis Lorry， Mr Stryver， and Mr Carton.

Dr Manette no longer looked like the man in the room above Defarge's wine-shop five years ago.His hair was white，but his eyes were bright and he stood straight and strong.Sometimes his face became dark and sad when he remembered the years in the Bastille prison；at these times only his daughter Lucie，whom he loved so much，could help him.

As they stood there talking，a strange expression came over Dr Manette's face.He was staring at Charles Darnay，but he did not seem to see him.For a few moments there was dislike，even fear in his eyes.

“My father，” said Lucie softly， putting her hand on his arm，“shall we go home now?”

“Yes，” he answered slowly.

Soon theydrove offin a coach，and then Mr Stryver and Mr Lorry walked away，leavingMr Darnay and Mr Cartonalone.

“It must be strange for you， ” said Carton， “to be a free man again，and to be standing here，talk-ing to a man who looks just like you.Let us go out and eat together.”

After they had eaten， Carton said softly， “How sad and worried Miss Manette was for you today!She's a very beautiful young woman，don't you think so?”

Darnay did not reply to what Carton had said，but he thanked him for his help at the trial.

“I don't want your thanks， ”replied Carton. “I have done nothing.And I don't think I like you.”

“Well，''Said Darnay， “You have no reason to like me.But I hope that you will allow me to pay the bill for both of us.”

“Of course.And as you are paying for me， I'll have another bottle of wine.”

After Darnay had left，Carton drank some more wine andlooked at himself in the mirror.He was angry because Darnay looked so much like him，but was so different.Carton knew that he was a clever lawyer， and that he was a good and honest man，but he had never been successful for himself.He drank too much，and his life was unhappy and friendless.His cleverness and his hard work in the law only made others， like Mr Stryver， successful and rich.He remembered Lucie Manette's worried face when she watched Darnay in court.

“If I changed places with Darnay， ” hewhispered to himself， “would those blue eyes of Miss Manette look at me，in the same way？ No，no，it's too late now.”

He drank another bottle of wine and fell asleep.

In a quiet street not far away was the house where Dr Manette and Lucie lived.They had one servant， Miss Pross， who had taken care of Lucie since she was a child.Miss Pross had red hair and a quick， sharp voice， and seemed at first sight a very alarming person.But everybody knew that she was in fact a warm-hearted and unselfish friend，who would do anything to guard her darling Lucie from trouble or danger.

Dr Manette was now well enough towork asa doctor， and he， Lucie， and Miss Prossled aquiet，comfortablelife.Mr Lorry，who had become a close family friend， came regularly to the house， and in the months after the trial，Mr Darnay and Mr Carton were also frequent visitors.This did not please Miss Pross at all，who always looked very cross when they came.

“Nobody is good enough for my darling Lucie， ”she told Mr Lorry one day， “and I don't like all these hundreds of visitors.”

Mr Lorry had a very high opinion of Miss Pross，but he wasn't brave enough to argue that two visitors were not“hundreds.” Nobodyargued withMiss Pross if they could avoid it.

巧笔妙记

Ⅰ.词汇积累

1.guilty adj.有罪的；内疚的

2.enthusiastically adv.热情地

3.confident adj.自信的

4.look around环顾

5.point to指向

6.come to an end结束

7.drive off驶去

8.leave sb alone不管某人；对某人听之任之

9.look at oneself in the mirror照镜子

10.whisper to sb对某人耳语

11.in the same way同样

12.work as担任；充当

13.lead a...life过……生活

14.argue with sb和某人争论

Ⅱ.难句分析

1.Outside the building sat Jerry Cruncher，who carried messages for people in the bank.

翻译：____________________________________

【点石成金】Outside the building sat Jerry Cruncher为全部倒装，who引导定语从句，先行词为Jerry Cruncher，在从句中作主语。

2.It is so easy to find a man like the prisoner that we can even find one in this room.很容易就能找到一个与罪犯相像的人，乃至在这间屋子里我们就能找出一个和罪犯长得酷似的人。

【点石成金】句中含有It is+adj.+to do sth表示“做某事是……”，so...that...，引导结果状语从句表示“如此……，以至于……”。

句式仿写

对他来说找一份适合的工作太难，以至于他不知道接下来该做什么。

It was ___________for him to ___________that he ___________.

3.Darnay did not reply to what Carton had said，but he thanked him for his help at the trial.达尔内没有回答卡尔顿所说的话，但他感谢他在审判中的帮助。

【点石成金】句中reply to...回答……，what引导介词宾语从句，在从句中作宾语，but连接并列句，thank sb for sth表示“因某事感谢某人”。

句式仿写

为了对他所做的一切表示感激，我请他吃了一顿饭。

In order to thank _____________，I treated him to a meal.

译文助读

伦敦城里的台尔森银行是一座古老、灰暗而且丑陋的建筑。这里充斥着灰尘和废纸的气味，就连在里面工作的人似乎也都古旧和灰头土脸的。负责为银行里的人传书送信的杰里·克拉彻坐在银行的外面。

1780年3月的一天早晨，杰里要去旧巴勒从劳里先生那儿获取一条重要信息。在旧巴勒的审判往往都是对那些非常危险的犯人进行的，而那天早上的罪犯是一个大约25岁左右的年轻人。他穿着体面，人也很沉着。

“他犯了什么罪？”杰里轻声地问看门人。

“他是一个间谍！一个法国间谍！”看门人告诉他。“他从英国赶到法国，然后把英国军队的动向秘报给了法国国王。”

“如果判他有罪的话他会受什么样的惩罚？”杰里问。

“哦，得判死刑，这是无疑的。”看门人情绪高昂地回答说。“他们会绞死他的。”

“他叫什么名字？”

“代尔那，查尔斯·代尔那。不是一个英国名字，是吧？”

杰里一边等着，一边朝旧巴勒里的人群巡视。他注意到一位20岁左右的年轻女子和她的父亲——一位白发苍苍的绅士。当年轻女子看着罪犯时显得很悲伤，并紧紧地搂住了她的父亲。

审判开始了。第一个起诉查尔斯·代尔那的人名叫约翰·巴萨德。他自称是一个诚实的人，并以自己是英国人而自豪。他承认自己是或曾经是罪犯的一个朋友，而且他曾见过罪犯的衣袋里有一些关于英国军队的重要计划和图表。他否认是他本人把图表放进去的，也否认自己是间谍，他也不是受人收买而去陷害无辜的那种人。

接下来是那个年轻女子发言。她说在她和父亲从法国来英国的船上曾遇到过这个犯人。“他对我父亲和我都很友善。”她说。

“他当时是只身一人乘船旅行的吗？”

“不，他和两个法国人在一起。”

“那么，马内特小姐，你看到他给他们看了什么文件或任何类似表格一样的东西吗？”

“没有，我没有看见过任何这类的东西。”

问题一个接着一个地提出来！审判继续进行着。最后，一位矮小，红头发的男人说话了。他告诉法官说他曾在一个小镇的一家旅馆见到过代尔那先生，那儿有很多的士兵和船只。接下来一位名叫西得尼·卡登的律师在一张纸上写了几个字并把它递给代尔那先生的辩护律师史太弗先生。

“你能肯定这个犯人就是你见过的那个人吗？”史太弗先生问那个红头发男人。

“非常肯定。”他说。

“你曾见过和这个罪犯长得相像的人吗”史太弗先生问。

“无论如何我都能把他认出来的。”红头发男人非常自信。

“那么我得请您看看那边的那位先生，”史太弗先生指着西得尼·卡登说。“您不认为他长得非常像这位犯人吗？”

法庭上的每一个人都能看出西得尼·卡登和查尔斯·代尔那长得的确很相像。

“那么说，”史太弗先生说道，“很容易就能找到一个与罪犯相像的人，乃至在这间屋子里我们就能找出一个和罪犯长得酷似的人，那你又怎么能确信你在旅馆里看到的就是罪犯呢？”

红头发男人再也说不出话来了。

律师们开始争辩讨论。当审判最后结束时，杰里·克拉彻都已睡着了。

但是劳里先生叫醒他并且给了他一张纸条，上面写着“无罪”的字样，杰里便急急忙忙地带着这条消息回了银行。

西得尼·卡登似乎对任何人或任何事都不在乎。他是史太弗先生的助手，实际上，多数实际工作是他代劳的。史太弗先生在法庭上能言善辩，但却不擅长于发现重要的事实和细节，尤其是当这些细节隐藏在一大堆文件中的时候。每天晚上卡登都要研读那些律师必读的文件，然后写下史太弗在第二天的审判中所要问的问题。每天史太弗问到这些问题时，人们都会赞叹他的机智。

在旧巴勒的外面，现在已是自由人的代尔那先生和他的朋友们在一起：有马内特医生和他的女儿路茜、贾维斯·劳里先生、史太弗先生和卡登先生。

马内特医生看上去已不再是五年前在得法热酒店楼上房间里的那个样子了。他的头发白了，但眼睛炯炯有神。他站姿笔直，显得很矍铄。有时当他想起在巴士底狱的日子，脸上就会显出阴沉和悲伤。这时只有他所钟爱的女儿路茜能让他快活起来。

在他们站着谈话时，一种奇怪的表情掠过医生的脸。他盯着查尔那·代尔那，但又似乎并没有看他。有好一阵儿他的眼中都显出反感甚至是恐惧的神情。

“爸爸，”路茜柔声地说着并把手放在了他的胳膊上。“我们回家好吗？”

“好吧。”他慢慢地答道。

很快他们就坐上马车走了。然后，史太弗先生和劳里先生也走开了，剩下代尔那和卡登先生单独在一起。

“你一定感到奇怪。”卡登说。“你又自由了，而且站在这儿和一个长得酷似你的人谈话。我们一起出去吃一顿吧。”

饭后，卡登轻声地说，“瞧，今天马内特小姐为你多么伤心着急呀！她可是个漂亮的姑娘，你不这么认为吗？”

代尔那没有回应卡登的话，而是对他在法庭上的帮助表示感谢。

“我不要你的感谢。”卡登说。“我没做什么。我想我也并不喜欢你。”

“好吧，”代尔那说。“你没有理由要喜欢我，但是我希望你要允许我为我们两个人付账。”

“当然。而且既然你要为我付账，那么我就再来一瓶葡萄酒吧。”

代尔那走后，卡登又喝了些酒，并照了照镜子。让他恼火的是代尔那长得和他如此相像，但是他们又如此不同。卡登明白自己是一个精明的律师，又是一个诚实的好人，但他自己却从未成功过。他酗酒，生活不幸且没有朋友。他在法律方面的聪明才智和辛勤工作仅仅使得他人，比如史太弗先生，名利双收。路茜·马内特在法庭上看着代尔那时的焦急面容仍在他的脑海中。

“如果我和代尔那换个位置，”他悄声对自己说，“马内特小姐的那双蓝眼睛也会那样看着我吗？不，不，现在已经太晚了。”

他又喝了一瓶酒，然后就睡着了。

马内特医生和路茜所住的房子就在不远处的一条宁静的街上。他们有一个仆人普罗斯小姐。路茜从小就是由她带大的。普罗斯小姐有一头红发，说话急促而尖利。第一眼看上去她会让人感到害怕。但每个人都知道她实际上是个热心而无私的朋友。她会不惜一切地保护她亲爱的路茜免遭麻烦和危险。

马内特医生现在已恢复得很好，已经可以胜任医生的工作了。他、路茜和普罗斯小姐过着宁静而舒适的生活。劳里先生已成为这个家的亲密朋友，经常来这里作客。同时在那个审判会过后几个月，代尔那先生和卡登先生也成了这里的常客，这让普罗斯小姐一点儿都不高兴。每次他们来时她都显得很生气。

“没有人能配得上我亲爱的路茜。”她有一天对劳里先生说，“而且我也不喜欢这成百个的客人。”

劳里先生很看重普罗斯小姐，可他却没有足够的勇气去和她争论说两个客人够不上“成百个”。只要能避免就没人愿意去和普罗斯小姐争吵。