Chapter 5 of A Tale of Two Cities, entitled "The Wine Shop," ends with Monsieur Defarge, the wine shop owner and ardent revolutionary, showing Mr. Lorry and Lucie Manette the sad, pathetic figure of Dr. Manette, Lucie's father. The good doctor has just been released from the stinking hell-hole of the notorious Bastille jail, where he was falsely imprisoned for eighteen long years. During that time, to avoid going out of his mind, Dr. Manette kept himself busy making shoes. And when M. Defarge opens the door to reveal Dr. Manette to Lucie and Mr. Lorry, he's beavering away at his last, making what he believes to be women's shoes in the latest fashion.
Before opening the door, Defarge tells Lucie and Mr. Lorry that he only shows Dr. Manette to people to whom the sight is likely to do good. Even though Dr. Manette is no longer in the Bastille, he was only released because the revolutionaries stormed the place. According to the law, he's still a convict and so Defarge figures that it's best to keep him safely hidden away from the prying eyes of the authorities.
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