As the carts carrying the fifty-two prisoners roll through the Paris streets, people crowd to see Evrémonde go to his death. In his cart, Carton ignores the yelling crowds, focusing instead on the seamstress. When they reach the guillotine, they discuss the afterlife, taking no notice of prisoners steadily being executed ahead of them. They exchange a kiss before she ascends the guillotine, and he then follows her in a tranquil mood, remembering the resurrection passage from the Bible. Meanwhile, The Vengeance wonders why Madame Defarge is not there to witness Evrémonde's execution.
Before he dies, Carton has a vision of the future in which many of the revolutionaries go to the guillotine and the evil of the Revolution gives way to goodness and true freedom. In his vision, he foresees long and happy lives for Mr. Lorry, Doctor Manette, and the Darnay family, all of whom remember him lovingly. He also pictures Lucie and Darnay having a son, whom they name after him and who will become the man Carton always wanted to be. With this vision in mind, Carton goes to his death thinking, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
