Book 1, Chapter 2 Summary

Along Dover road, the Dover mail, a carriage carrying the mail, must make it to the top of the mud-drenched Shooter's Hill. The load is so heavy and the mud so thick, the passengers must assist the coach in getting up the hill. A horseman, by the name of Jerry, mounts the hill at a fast gallop and intrudes in the scene, asking for Mr. Jarvis Lorry. The guards, who are heavily armed, are suspicious of the horseman but they are reassured by the passenger. Mr. Lorry, from Tellson's Bank in London, reads the dispatch and tells Jerry to relay a peculiar message to a lady at Dover. The message- "Recalled to Life."

Book 1, Chapter 2 Analysis

This is a very atmospheric scene, with the dark night, the wayward carriage and the trudging passengers making their way in a dangerous, highwaymen-infested England...