Three more years have passed, and the French Revolution has succeeded in removing the royalty and aristocracy from power. France is still unsettled, however, and many members of the French upper classes who have fled to England use Tellson's as an information hub. One afternoon at Tellson's, Darnay and Mr. Lorry discuss Mr. Lorry's impending trip to France, where he will manage Tellson's Paris office and try to salvage some property and papers for Tellson customers. Amidst the activity in the bank, Stryver loudly commiserates with French nobles. When a letter for the Marquis St. Evrémonde surfaces, several Frenchmen and Stryver make disparaging comments about the current Marquis St. Evrémonde, unaware that they are speaking of Darnay. Darnay offers to deliver the letter to the Marquis. When Darnay reads the letter, he is troubled to find it is from Gabelle, who has been imprisoned for acting as Darnay's steward. Feeling guilty about Gabelle's imprisonment and about leaving some matters unfinished, Darnay resolves to go to France. Idealistically, he even imagines that he might be able to calm some of the revolutionary fervor. Consequently, he writes letters explaining the situation to Lucie and Doctor Manette and then departs for France alone.
Connect with CliffsNotes
