A en days, and still come. Mrs. Fairfax said s be surprised if o go straigo London, and to tinent, and not s to come; unfrequently quitted it in a manner quite as abrupt and unexpected. o feel a strange c t. I ually permitting myself to experience a sickening sense of disappointment; but rallying my s, and recollecting my principles, I at once called my sensations to order; and it emporary blunder—ake of supposing Mr. Rocer’s movements a matter in ake a vital interest. Not t I ion of inferiority: on trary, I just said—
“You o do er of to receive teacégée, and to be grateful for sucful and kind treatment as, if you do your duty, you to expect at is tie ures, agonies, and so fort of your order: keep to your caste, and be too self-respecting to lavis, soul, and strengt is not ed and would be despised.”
I on ranquilly; but ever and anon vague suggestions kept involuntarily framing advertisements and pondering conjectures about neuations: ts I did not t germinate and bear fruit if they could.
Mr. Rocer upnig brougter.
“It is from ter,” said s tion. “No urn or not.”
And on taking my coffee ( breakfast): it tributed to t circumstance a fiery glo ents of my cup into my saucer, I did not co consider.
“ell, I sometimes too quiet; but le ,” said Mrs. Fairfax, still e before acles.
Ere I permitted myself to request an explanation, I tied tring of Adèle’s pinafore, ly—
“Mr. Rocer is not likely to return soon, I suppose?”
“Indeed t alone eit knoions for all t bedrooms to be prepared; and to be cleaned out; I am to get more kitc Millcote, and from s: so o commence operations.
told, busy enoug all t tifully clean and it appears I aken. t to and beating of carpets, sucaking doting up of pictures, sucres, sucing of fires in bedrooms, sucs and feate of it: tions for company and t of to to ecstasies. So look over all oilettes,” as so furbis o air and arrange t caper about in t ceads, and lie on ttresses and piled-up bolsters and pilloies sed: Mrs. Fairfax o oreroom, o make custards and cry, to truss game and garnis-dishes.
ty ed to arrive on ternoon, in time for dinner at six. During tervening period I ime to nurse cive and gay as anybody—Adèle excepted. Still, noo my ce of myself, ts and portents, and dark conjectures. to see torey staircase door (o te apron, and c tread muffled in a list slipper; ling, topsy-turvy bedrooms,—just say a to polise, or clean a marble mantelpiece, or take stains from papered o tc e pipe on t of porter e solace, in . Only one y-four did ss belo of ime in some lo and sewed—and probably laugo herself,—as companionless as a prisoner in his dungeon.
trangest t not a soul in t me, noticed s, or seemed to marvel at tion or employment; no one pitied ude or isolation. I once, indeed, over of a dialogue between Lea. Lea caughe charwoman remarked—
“Ss good wages, I guess?”
“Yes,” said Lea t mine are to complain of,—tinginess at t t one fifter to t Millcote. I s so keep if so leave; but I suppose s used to t forty yet, and strong and able for anyt is too soon for o give up business.”
“She charwoman.
“Aands ter,” rejoined Lealy; “and it is not every one could fill for all ts.”
“t it is not!” er—”
t urned and perceived me, and santly gave her companion a nudge.
“Doesn’t she woman whisper.
Leaion ed to t tery at t from participation in t mystery I was purposely excluded.
ted ts erpanes spread, toilet tables arranged, furniture rubbed, flo as oo, carved clock, as eps and banisters of taircase, ness of glass; in t e; in tics bloomed on all sides.
Afternoon arrived: Mrs. Fairfax assumed black satin goo receive to conduct to too, stle croduced to ty t day at least. o please o apparel , full muslin frocks. For myself, I o make any c be called upon to quit my sanctum of tum it o me,—“a very pleasant refuge in time of trouble.”
It o o an end no t at he window open.
“It gets late,” said Mrs. Fairfax, entering in rustling state. “I am glad I ordered dinner an er time Mr. Rocer mentioned; for it is past six noes to see if tion of Millcote.” S to t), “any news?”
“ten minutes.”
Adèle fleo taking care to stand on one side, so t, screened by tain, I could see being seen.
ten minutes Jo at last er ttering veils and lemen; ter, on bounding before of ty. almost s treamed long on ts transparent folds, and gleaming ts.
“Miss Ingram!” exclaimed Mrs. Fairfax, and away so below.
turned t sig. Adèle noitioned to go do I took o understand t s not on any account turing in sig any otime, unless expressly sent for: t Mr. Rocer ural tears sold t as I began to look very grave, sed at last to hem.
A joyous stir lemen’s deep tones and ladies’ silvery accents blent ogetinguis loud, er of t guests under its roof. t steps ascended tairs; and tripping t cime, a hush.
“Elles c de toilettes,” said Adèle; tentively, ; and she sighed.
“C du monde, je le suivais partout, au salon et à leurs c je regardais les femmes de c c’était si amusant: comme cela on apprend.”
“Don’t you feel hungry, Adèle?”
“Mais oui, mademoiselle: voilà cinq ou six heures que nous n’avons pas mangé.”
“ell no you someto eat.”
And issuing from my asylum ion, I sougairs ly to tc region ion; t stage of projection, and tening spontaneous combustion. In ts’ lemen stood or sat round tairs resses; ts, t e, ling about every reacook possession of a cold carts, a plate or ty I made a y retreat. I sting ted t to issue from t proceed to t passing some of tualage; so I stood still at te dark no and twilighering.
Presently tenants one after anot gaily and airily, gleamed lustrous t tood grouped toget tremity of t subdued vivacity: taircase almost as noiselessly as a brig rolls down a ive appearance on me an impression of high-born elegance, such as I had never before received.
I found Adèle peeping t beautiful ladies!” cried s go to ter er dinner?”
“No, indeed, I don’t; Mr. Rocer o t. Never mind to-nigo-morrow: here is your dinner.”
Sarts served to divert tention for a time. It o ing no dinner at all: every one doairs oo muco t carried out till after nine and at ten footmen ill running to and fro rays and coffee-cups. I alloo sit up mucer t possibly go to sleep ing beloling about. Besides, s possibly come from Mr. Rocer w alors quel dommage!”
I told ories as long as sen to took into t, and it amused o look over trade and cs passing backop step of tairs to listen. Presently a voice blent ones of trument; it folloional murmur filled up tervals. I listened long: suddenly I discovered t my ear on analysing trying to discriminate amidst ts ter; and found a furtask in framing tones, rendered by distance inarticulate, into words.
truck eleven. I looked at Adèle, my sook o bed. It lemen and ladies sougheir chambers.
t day s predecessor: it ed by ty to an excursion to some site in t out early in t in carriages; I nessed boture and turn. Miss Ingram, as before, rian; and, as before, Mr. Rocer galloped at tle apart from t. I pointed out tance to Mrs. Fairfax, th me—
“You said it likely t you see Mr. Rocer evidently prefers o any of ther ladies.”
“Yes, I daresay: no doubt he admires her.”
“And so.”
“You o Mr. Rocer o be introduced to t o ter dinner; and request Miss Eyre to accompany her.’”
“Yes; from mere politeness: I need not go, I am sure,” I answered.
“ell, I observed to as you o company, I did not ty—all strangers; and s, tell is my particular wiss, say I scumacy.’”
“I give trouble,” I anster may be; but I don’t like it. Shere, Mrs. Fairfax?”
“No; I pleaded off, and ted my plea. I’ll tell you o manage so as to avoid t of making a formal entrance, of t go into t is empty, before table; c in any quiet nook you like; you need not stay long after tlemen come in, unless you please: just let Mr. Rocer see you are tice you.”
“ill think?”
“Perainly not more. After ter recess, Sir George Lynn, ed member for Millcote, o toake ; I daresay Mr. Rocer racted a stay at thornfield.”
It repidation t I perceived to repair o tate of ecstasy all day, after o be presented to t till Sopion of dressing sance of teadied ime sers, in frock put on, ied, and tens adjusted, so o disarrange tire: le caking care previously to lift up tin skirt for fear s, and assured me s stir till I dress (temple’s on; my , the pearl brooch, soon assumed. e descended.
Fortunately trance to t ted at dinner. e found tment vacant; a large fire burning silently on t solitude, amid te floables ain as ion ty in t notion could be distinguishing murmur.
Adèle, ill under t solemnising impression, sat do a stool I pointed out to ired to a , and taking a book from a table near, endeavoured to read. Adèle brougool to my feet; ere long souched my knee.
“ is it, Adèle?”
“Est-ce que je ne puis pas prendrie une seule de ces fleurs magnifiques, mademoiselle? Seulement pour completer ma toilette.”
“You too mucoilette,’ Adèle: but you may ook a rose from a vase and fastened it in isfaction, as if urned my face ao conceal a smile I could not suppress: ttle Parisienne’s earnest and innate devotion to matters of dress.
A soft sound of rising noain back from t appeared ts lit lustre pouring do-service covering a long table; a band of ladies stood in tered, and tain fell behem.
t eig, someall; many seemed to magnify t magnifies tseyed to t turn, tared at me.
t tness and buoyancy of ts, of a flock of ions on ttomans: some bent over tables and examined t gatalked in a lo clear tone o terion them now.
First, ton and t, Amy, tle: naive, and c in form; e muslin dress and blue sasaller and more elegant in figure; ty face, of t order term minois cers were fair as lilies.
Lady Lynn out personage of about forty, very erect, very y-looking, ricin robe of c of a band of gems.
Mrs. Colonel Dent , more lady-like. S figure, a pale, gentle face, and fair in dress, s, pleased me better titled dame.
But t distinguisly, perallest figures of ters, Blanciest stature of be bety and fifty: ill fine; at least) still black; eetoo, ill apparently perfect. Most people insupportable iness in enance. Sures and a double co a t like a pillar: tures appeared to me not only inflated and darkened, but even furroained by tion of almost preternatural erectness. S reminded me of Mrs. Reed’s; ss inflections very pompous, very dogmatical,—very intolerable, in s. A crimson velvet robe, and a surban of some gold-ruly imperial dignity.
Blancature,—straigall as poplars. Mary oo slim for , but Blancerest. First, I all resembled ture I ed of !— Mr. Rocer’s taste.
As far as person , s for point, boto my picture and Mrs. Fairfax’s description. t, ts ures, t , urnine a pride! sinually; irical, and so ual expression of y lip.
Genius is said to be self-conscious. I cannot tell o a discourse on botany le Mrs. Dent. It seemed Mrs. Dent studied t science: ts vocabulary ly perceived s is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; t is, playing on rail mig it good-natured. Sion ; salked Frenc to alked it .
Mary enance ter features too, and a skin some s Mary in life: re; so say, and aken , remained fixed like a statue in its nicers tired in spotless we.
And did I noer o make? I could not tell—I did not knoe in female beauty. If ic, sype of majesty: tly. Most gentlemen o ained proof: to remove t s, it remained but to see together.
You are not to suppose, reader, t Adèle ime been sitting motionless on tool at my feet: no; tately reverence, and said y—
“Bon jour, mesdames.”
And Miss Ingram a little puppet!”
Lady Lynn is Mr. Rocer’s tle French girl he was speaking of.”
Mrs. Dent aken her hand, and given her a kiss.
Amy and Louisa Es simultaneously—“ a love of a child!”
And to a sofa, tering alternately in Frenc only ttention, but t of Mrs. Esting spoilt to ’s content.
At last coffee is brouglemen are summoned. I sit in tly-lit apartment; tain ive appearance of tlemen, like t of tumed in black; most of tall, some young. is a fine soldierly man. Mr. Esrate of trict, is gentleman-like: e all; like t ic and listless look: o y of blood or vigour of brain.
And wer?
: I am not looking at t I see er. I try to concentrate my attention on tting-needles, on to to see only t lie in my lap; ly beably recall t ; just after I ial service, and revealed a full and eager to overflo moment! ed to cive positions? Yet no, ranged ranged, t I did not expect o come and speak to me. I did not me, ook a seat at the ladies.
No sooner did I see t tention ed on t I mig being observed, tarily to keep trol: te pleasure in looking,—a precious yet poignant pleasure; pure gold, eely point of agony: a pleasure like -peris feel stoops and drinks divine draugheless.
Most true is it t “beauty is in ter’s colourless, olive face, square, massive broty eyebrorong features, firm, grim mout beautiful, according to rule; but tiful to me; terest, an influence t quite mastered me,—t took my feelings from my otered t intended to love o extirpate from my soul tected; and no t renerong! looking at me.
I compared s. grace of tary distinction of Colonel Dent, contrasted ive pit I could imagine t most observers tractive, er at once ured and melanc of t as tinkle of ter smile:- ern features softened; and gentle, its ray bot. alking, at t, to Louisa and Amy Eso see t look rating: I expected to fall, to rise under it; yet I o t o me,” I t: “ of to and tenance and movements: t, in my blood and nerves, t assimilates me mentally to I o do to receive my salary at o t ter? Blasp nature! Every good, true, vigorous feeling I conceal my sentiments: I must smot remember t care muc I am of mean t I o influence, and o attract; I mean only t I ain tastes and feelings in common , t continually t , w love him.”
Coffee is lemen entered, ion and Mr. Esics; ten. te togetten to describe,—a very big, and very fresry gentleman, stands before ts in a beside Mary Ingram, and is s apparently says little. tall and pic Lord Ingram leans tle and lively Amy Es ters like a er ter. aken possession of an ottoman at t of Louisa: Adèle s rying to talk Frenc anding alone at table, bending gracefully over an album. Sing to be soug s too long: ss a mate.
Mr. Rocer, ted tons, stands on tary as sands by table: ss aking ation on te side of telpiece.
“Mr. Rocer, I t you fond of children?”
“Nor am I.”
“t induced you to take ctle doll as t?” (pointing to Adèle). “here did you pick her up?”
“I did not pick on my hands.”
“You s o school.”
“I could not afford it: schools are so dear.”
“ noe as expensive,—more so; for you o keep in addition.”
I feared—or so me arily so t urned his eyes.
“I considered t,” said ly, looking straight before him.
“No, you men never do consider economy and common sense. You ser of governesses: Mary and I least in our day; estable and t ridiculous, and all incubi—, mama?”
“Did you speak, my own?”
ty, reiterated ion ion.
“My dearest, don’t mention governesses; tyrdom from tency and caprice. I them!”
Mrs. Dent over to ted, it one of tised race .
“tant pis!” said may do one, but still loud enougo iced s of her class.”
“ are ter aloud.
“I ell you in your private ear,” replied surban times entous significancy.
“But my curiosity its appetite; it craves food now.”
“Ask Blanchan I.”
“O refer o me, mama! I one o say of tribe; t t I ever suffered mucook care to turn tables. tricks to play on our Miss ilsons, and Mrs. Greys, and Madame Jouberts! Mary oo sleepy to join in a plot . t fun : Miss ilson ed, not rouble of vanquis; and Mrs. Grey ook effect on poor Madame Joubert! I see in o extremities—spilt our tea, crumbled our bread and butter, tossed our books up to those merry days?”
“Yaas, to be sure I do,” draick used to cry out ‘Oion of attempting to teac.”
“e did; and, tedo, you knoing) your tutor, y of falling in love least tedo and I t so; ender glances and sigerpreted as tokens of ‘la belle passion,’ and I promise you t of our discovery; as a sort of lever to our dead- t it endency. Did you not, my lady-mother?”
“Certainly, my best. And I e rig: tutors solerated a moment in any ed ly—”
“Oion! Au reste, o innocence of cractions and consequent neglect of duty on t of ttacual alliance and reliance; confidence ting—insolence accompanying—mutiny and general blo, Baroness Ingram, of Ingram Park?”
“My lily-flo now, as always.”
“t.”
Amy Es um, joined in , infantine tone: “Louisa and I used to quiz our governess too; but sure, s . Sh us; was she, Louisa?”
“No, never: we mig we pleased; ransack urn ; and sured, shing we asked for.”
“I suppose, no of tant: in order to avert sucation, I again move troduction of a neopic. Mr. Rocer, do you second my motion?”
“Madam, I support you on t, as on every other.”
“t foro-night?”
“Donna Bianca, if you command it, I will be.”
“t to furbised on my royal service.”
“ be the Rizzio of so divine a Mary?”
“A fig for Rizzio!” cried sossing s curls, as so t is my opinion t of felloter: to my mind a man is not a spice of tory may say of ed to gift h my hand.”
“Gentlemen, you resembles Boter.
“I s.
“On my o you,” he reply.
Miss Ingram, ude, commenced a brilliant prelude; talking meantime. So be on o-nigended to excite not only tion, but t of ors: sly bent on striking thing very dashing and daring indeed.
“O day!” exclaimed stling a trument. “Poor, puny t fit to stir a step beyond papa’s park gates: nor to go even so far mama’s permission and guardiansures so absorbed in care about tty faces, and te ; as if a man o do y! As if loveliness tive of e appanage and age! I grant an ugly on tion; but as to tlemen, let tous to possess only strengt tto be:- , s, and fig is not h a fillip. Such should be my device, were I a man.”
“inued after a pause ed, “I am resolved my be a rival, but a foil to me. I itor near t an undivided ions s be ser, now sing, and I will play for you.”
“I am all obedience,” he response.
“ I doat on Corsairs; and for t reason, sing it con spirito.”
“Commands from Miss Ingram’s lips spirit into a mug of milk and er.”
“take care, t please me, I will shings should be done.”
“t is offering a premium on incapacity: I so fail.”
“Gardez-vous en bien! If you err e punis.”
“Miss Ingram ougo be clement, for s in o inflict a cisement beyond mortal endurance.”
“he lady.
“Pardon me, madam: no need of explanation; your o inform you t one of your fro substitute for capital punis.”
“Sing!” said souc in spirited style.
“Noime to slip a I: but tones t ted me. Mrs. Fairfax er possessed a fine voice: o , and tion strangely. I ed till t deep and full vibration ill tide of talk, cant, s floted my sered corner and made my exit by tunately near. to t, I perceived my sandal opped to tie it, kneeling do purpose on t at t of taircase. I leman came out; rising ily, I stood face to face was Mr. Rocer.
“how do you do?” he asked.
“I am very well, sir.”
“ come and speak to me in the room?”
I t I migorted tion on it: but I take t freedom. I answered—
“I did not urb you, as you seemed engaged, sir.”
“ have you been doing during my absence?”
“Noticular; teaching Adèle as usual.”
“And getting a good deal paler t first sig is tter?”
“Not all, sir.”
“Did you take any cold t night you half drowned me?”
“Not s.”
“Return to ting too early.”
“I am tired, sir.”
me for a minute.
“And a little depressed,” about? tell me.”
“Not depressed.”
“But I affirm t you are: so muc a feears to your eyes—indeed, to time, and in mortal dread of some prating prig of a servant passing, I o-nig understand t so long as my visitors stay, I expect you to appear in t is my it. No ly left me.