Nighthawks Hopper

Nighthawks Hopper
Nude on the Beach
One Moment in Time
precious time
A second man got up and went out. Madame Defarge set wine before the mender of roads called Jacques, who doffed his blue cap to the company, and drank. In the breast of his blouse he carried some coarse dark bread; he ate of this between whiles, and sat munching and drinking near Madame Defarge's counter. A third man got up and went out. ¡¡¡¡Defarge refreshed himself with a draught of wine- but, he took less than was given to the stranger, as being himself a man to whom it was no rarity- and stood waiting until the countryman had made his breakfast. He looked at no one present, and no one now looked at him; not even Madame Defarge, who had taken up her knitting, and was at work. ¡¡¡¡"Have you finished your repast, friend?" he asked, in due season. ¡¡¡¡"Yes, thank you." ¡¡¡¡"Come, then! You shall see the apartment that I told you you occupy. It will suit you to a marvel." ¡¡¡¡Out of the wine-shop into the street, out of the street into a courtyard, out of the courtyard up a steep staircase, out of the staircase into a garret,- formerly the garret where a white-haired man sat on a low bench, stooping forward and very busy, making shoes. ¡¡¡¡No white-haired man was there now; but, the three men were there who had gone out of the wine-shop singly. And between them and the white-haired man afar off, was the one small link, that they had once looked in at him through the chinks in the wall. ¡¡¡¡Defarge closed the door carefully, and spoke in a subdued voice: ¡¡¡¡"Jacques One, Jacques Two, Jacques Three! This is the witness encountered by appointment, by me, Jacques Four. He will tell you all. Speak, Jacques Five!" ¡¡¡¡The mender of roads, blue cap in hand, wiped his swarthy forehead with it, and said, "Where shall I commence, monsieur?" ¡¡¡¡"Commence," was Monsieur Defarge's not unreasonable reply, "at the commencement."