In this short scene, we are introduced to Mr. Lorry, a young man who has just returned from a trip to China. He is a little confused by the fact that he has not yet been able to communicate with his friend, Mr. Manette. He asks Lorry to be his first friend, but Lorry refuses, saying that he is not yet ready to make a formal declaration of friendship to his new friend. He then tells Lorry that he cannot respond to his affection for him because he has received it. He tells him that he will never give up on his friendship with Manette, and that the relationship they have maintained for many years is "unbreakable." Lorry is not convinced that the friendship is truly unbreakable, but he does not deny that Manette does not need him either.