Book II - Chapter X. Two Promises Practice Quiz — A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Book II - Chapter X. Two Promises
What profession has Charles Darnay established for himself in England?
He is a tutor of French language and literature, reading with young men at Cambridge and working as a translator in London.
How long has it been since the Marquis was assassinated when the chapter opens?
Twelve months — "More months, to the number of twelve, had come and gone."
When did Darnay first fall in love with Lucie?
He loved her "from the hour of his danger" — during his trial, when her compassionate voice and her face "confronted with his own on the edge of the grave" moved him deeply.
Why does Darnay visit Doctor Manette when Lucie is away from home?
He deliberately chooses a time when Lucie is out with Miss Pross so he can speak privately to her father about his feelings without embarrassing Lucie.
How does Doctor Manette respond when Darnay first raises the topic of Lucie?
With visible constraint and pain. He says: "It is hard for me to speak of her at any time. It is very hard for me to hear her spoken of in that tone of yours, Charles Darnay."
Why does the Doctor cry out "Not that, sir! Let that be!" during the conversation?
Darnay appeals to Manette's own experience of love ("You have loved yourself; let your old love speak for me!"), which painfully reminds the Doctor of his wife and his years of suffering in the Bastille.
What is the first promise made in this chapter, and who makes it?
Doctor Manette promises that if Lucie ever tells him Darnay is essential to her perfect happiness, he will give her to Darnay and urge no influence against him.
What is the second promise, and who makes it?
Darnay promises to reveal his true name and reasons for being in England — but only on his wedding morning, as Doctor Manette insists.
What does Doctor Manette mean by "fancies, reasons, apprehensions" against the man Lucie might love?
He is alluding to his suspicion that Darnay is connected to the Evremonde family, who were responsible for his imprisonment. He says these should be "obliterated for her sake" if the responsibility does not lie directly on Darnay.
Why does Darnay feel his hand "turn cold" in the Doctor's hand?
The Doctor's cryptic words about "fancies" and "apprehensions" against the suitor create a chilling moment, and the Doctor's hand slowly releases Darnay's, reflecting the inner turmoil and dark memories stirred by the conversation.
How does Darnay describe his relationship to France?
He tells Manette: "Like you, a voluntary exile from France; like you, driven from it by its distractions, oppressions, and miseries; like you, striving to live away from it by my own exertions."
What does Darnay promise regarding Lucie's relationship with her father?
He promises not to divide Lucie's privilege as Manette's child, companion, and friend, but rather to "come in aid of it, and bind her closer" to her father.
Why does Doctor Manette stop Darnay from revealing his true name?
Manette likely suspects Darnay's connection to the Evremondes and does not want to know the truth before Lucie's feelings are certain, lest his hatred for the family compel him to oppose the match.
How does Manette physically prevent Darnay from speaking his real name?
He puts his hands at his ears and then lays both hands on Darnay's lips, crying "Stop!" — an urgency that suggests the revelation could destabilize him.
Who are the two other potential suitors for Lucie mentioned in this chapter?
Mr. Stryver and Sydney Carton. The Doctor mentions that both visited recently and were expecting Darnay's return.
What does Lucie discover when she returns home after Darnay's visit?
She finds her father's reading-chair empty and hears "a low hammering sound" from his bedroom — he is making shoes, his compulsive coping behavior from the Bastille.
What is the significance of the shoemaking tools at the chapter's end?
They represent Manette's trauma response from eighteen years of imprisonment. His return to shoemaking shows that Darnay's declaration has deeply disturbed him and triggered memories of the Bastille.
What does Lucie do after she hears her father hammering?
She hurries back, taps at his door, and softly calls to him. The noise ceases at the sound of her voice, and they walk up and down together for a long time. She also checks on him in his sleep that night.
How does Dickens describe the change in Doctor Manette since his rescue?
He has been gradually restored to "great firmness of purpose, strength of resolution, and vigour of action," though occasionally "a little fitful and sudden" — a tendency that has grown increasingly rare.
What literary device does Dickens use in the opening passage about Darnay's love?
An allusion to the Garden of Eden: "Now, from the days when it was always summer in Eden, to these days when it is mostly winter in fallen latitudes, the world of a man has invariably gone one way — the way of the love of a woman."