Jerry Cruncher is the porter at Tellson's Bank, London. In Ch.2 he is dispatched with an urgent message to be delivered to Mr. Jarvis Lorry who is on his way to Paris on the coach-The Dover Mail-and to take Mr.Jarvis Lorry's reply back to the bank.
It's 11.10 on a dark, damp foggy night when Jerry Cruncher catches up with The Dover Mail at Shooter's Hill. He completes his mission successfully and receives Mr.Jarvis Lorry's cryptic reply, "Recalled to life" to be conveyed to the people at Tellson's Bank.
After he sees The Dover Mail trundle down Shooter's Hill on its way to Dover, Jerry Cruncher takes a breather. He has been travelling at break neck speed to catch up with The Dover Mail and he is covered with mud from top to toe and the brim of his hat is full of water:
The rider's horse was blown, and both horse and rider were covered with mud, from the hoofs of the horse to the hat of the man.
He refreshes himself as any normal person would who is covered with mud by wiping off the mud on his face and shaking out the water from the brim of his hat before he returns to London.
What the reader has to take note of is Dickens' eye for the minute details when describing even the minor characters. The fact that Jerry Cruncher has been riding so fast to somehow accomplish his mission in such awful weather conditions tells us how duty conscious he is. He could have paused on his way from London to wipe the mud off his face, but he knew that that would entail a loss of precious seconds which would result in not being able to convey the letter to Mr. Jarvis Lorry. So, the fact that Jerry Cruncher wipes the mud off his face ONLY AFTER he has accomplished his mission and not a moment before clearly testifies to his sincerity in accomplishing his mission.
It is attention to minute details like these even in the case of minor characters that testifies to Dickens' talent and genius.
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