In Chapter 6 of Book the Second, Dr. Manette has a "quiet
lodging" on the corner of a street far from Soho-square. On a Sunday afternoon, the
mild-mannered Mr. Lorry comes to dine with the Doctor. When Mr. Lorry, a symbol of
England's middle-class virtue, enters and looks around and spots the Doctor's old
workbench. His conversation with Miss Pross at first seems rather
contentious:
"I should have thought--" Mr. Lorry
began.
"Pooh! You'd have thought!" said Miss Pross; and Mr.
Lorry left off.
"How do you do?" inquired that lady
then--sharply, and yet as if to express that she bore him no
malice.
Miss Pross is rather
abrupt, but beneath her eccentric surface, she has a faithful heart that is totally
devoted to her "Ladybird," Lucie Manette. In fact it is this "fidelity of belief" that
causes Miss Pross to blame Mr. Lorry for the "hundreds of people" who come to the
Manette house. When Mr. Lorry asks, "I began it, Mrs. Pross?" as the "safest remark" he
can make, she replies, "Who brought her father to life?" Here, again, she lauches into
statements that reflect her complete devotion to
Lucy.
Clearly, Miss Pross with her "wild looks" and red
hair overpowers Mr. Lorry, who is mild and diplomatic. But, Mr. Lorry understands that
Miss Pross, while jealous, is very unselfish as she lives for her "Ladybird." She also
is quite perceptive despite her curt remarks. For, in their conversation although Miss
Pross professes to have no imagination, she perspicaciously understands Dr. Manette's
delicate mental condition. Her treatment of such conditions is simply practical rather
than sentimental, however--a trait that is accord with her being a servant just as Mr.
Lorry's businesslike personality befits his middle-class
stature.
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