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The pen dropped from Darnay's fingers on the table, and he looked

about him vacantly.

"What vapour is that?" he asked.

"Vapour?"

"Something that crossed me?"

"I am conscious of nothing; there can be nothing here. Take up

the pen and finish. Hurry, hurry!"

As if his memory were impaired, or his faculties disordered, the

prisoner made an effort to rally his attention. As he looked at

Carton with clouded eyes and with an altered manner of breathing,

Carton--his hand again in his breast--looked steadily at him.

"Hurry, hurry!"

The prisoner bent over the paper, once more.

"'If it had been otherwise;'" Carton's hand was again watchfully

and softly stealing down; "'I never should have used the longer

opportunity. If it had been otherwise;'" the hand was at the

prisoner's face; "'I should but have had so much the more to

answer for. If it had been otherwise--'" Carton looked at the pen

and saw it was trailing off into unintelligible signs.