A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 18 summary
Chapter 18 of 45 · Book 2: The Golden Thread · 10 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 18, Lucie Manette marries Charles Darnay and leaves with him, while Doctor Manette becomes withdrawn and returns to making shoes. Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross hide his condition from Lucie and watch over him for nine days, but his growing skill at shoemaking deepens Mr. Lorry’s fears.
What happens
- Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross prepare for Lucie’s wedding, while Doctor Manette emerges pale from a private conversation with Charles Darnay.
- Lucie and Charles marry, share breakfast with their companions, and leave together after a painful farewell to her father.
- Mr. Lorry returns from Tellson’s to find Doctor Manette making shoes and failing to recognize Miss Pross.
- Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross conceal the illness, protect Lucie from the news, and arrange to watch the Doctor.
- Quiet company and invitations to walk produce small signs of awareness, but the Doctor continues working.
- By the ninth evening, the Doctor’s increasing skill and absorption leave Mr. Lorry increasingly afraid.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Miss Pross’s alarm identifies both the loss of recognition and the return to shoemaking. It marks the change from wedding happiness to secret, anxious care.
Quick check
What do Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross plan to tell Lucie about her father’s absence?
Cite this page
“A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 18 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-18-summary.
Library of Alexandria. (2026). A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 18 summary. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-18-summary
“A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 18 summary.” Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-18-summary.
@misc{a_tale_of_two_cities_chapter_18_summary_2026,
title = {A Tale of Two Cities, Chapter 18 summary},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/pages/a-tale-of-two-cities-chapter-18-summary}
}
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