第11章

“Nevermind，—waitaminute:Adèleisnotreadytogotobedyet。Myposition，MissEyre，withmybacktothefire，andmyfacetotheroom，favoursobservation。Whiletalkingtoyou，IhavealsooccasionallywatchedAdèle（Ihavemyownreasonsforthinkingheracuriousstudy，—reasonsthatImay，nay，thatIshall，imparttoyousomeday）。Shepulledoutofherbox，abouttenminutesago，alittlepinksilkfrock;rapturelitherfaceassheunfoldedit;coquetryrunsinherblood，blendswithherbrains，andseasonsthemarrowofherbones。‘Ilfautquejel’essaie！’criedshe，‘etàl’instantmême！’andsherushedoutoftheroom。SheisnowwithSophie，undergoingarobingprocess:inafewminutesshewillre—enter;andIknowwhatIshallsee，—aminiatureofCélineVarens，assheusedtoappearontheboardsattherisingof—Butnevermindthat。However，mytenderestfeelingsareabouttoreceiveashock:suchismypresentiment;staynow，toseewhetheritwillberealised。”

Erelong，Adèle’slittlefootwasheardtrippingacrossthehall。Sheentered，transformedasherguardianhadpredicted。Adressofrose—colouredsatin，veryshort，andasfullintheskirtasitcouldbegathered，replacedthebrownfrockshehadpreviouslyworn;awreathofrosebudscircledherforehead;herfeetweredressedinsilkstockingsandsmallwhitesatinsandals。

“Est—cequemarobevabien？”criedshe，boundingforwards;“etmessouliers？etmesbas？Tenez，jecroisquejevaisdanser！”

Andspreadingoutherdress，shechasséedacrosstheroomtill，havingreachedMr。Rochester，shewheeledlightlyroundbeforehimontip—toe，thendroppedononekneeathisfeet，exclaiming—

“Monsieur，jevousremerciemillefoisdevotrebonté;”thenrising，sheadded，“C’estcommecelaquemamanfaisait，n’est—cepas，monsieur？”

“Pre—cise—ly！”wastheanswer;“and，‘commecela，’shecharmedmyEnglishgoldoutofmyBritishbreeches’pocket。Ihavebeengreen，too，MissEyre，—ay，grassgreen:notamorevernaltintfreshensyounowthanoncefreshenedme。MySpringisgone，however，butithasleftmethatFrenchfloweretonmyhands，which，insomemoods，Iwouldfainberidof。Notvaluingnowtherootwhenceitsprang;havingfoundthatitwasofasortwhichnothingbutgolddustcouldmanure，Ihavebuthalfalikingtotheblossom，especiallywhenitlookssoartificialasjustnow。IkeepitandrearitratherontheRomanCatholicprincipleofexpiatingnumeroussins，greatorsmall，byonegoodwork。I’llexplainallthissomeday。Good—night。”

Chapter15

Mr。Rochesterdid，onafutureoccasion，explainit。Itwasoneafternoon，whenhechancedtomeetmeandAdèleinthegrounds:andwhilesheplayedwithPilotandhershuttlecock，heaskedmetowalkupanddownalongbeechavenuewithinsightofher。

HethensaidthatshewasthedaughterofaFrenchopera—dancer，CélineVarens，towardswhomhehadoncecherishedwhathecalleda“grandepassion。”ThispassionCélinehadprofessedtoreturnwithevensuperiorardour。Hethoughthimselfheridol，uglyashewas:hebelieved，ashesaid，thatshepreferredhis“tailled’athlète”totheeleganceoftheApolloBelvidere。

“And，MissEyre，somuchwasIflatteredbythispreferenceoftheGallicsylphforherBritishgnome，thatIinstalledherinanhotel;gaveheracompleteestablishmentofservants，acarriage，cashmeres，diamonds，dentelles，&c。Inshort，Ibegantheprocessofruiningmyselfinthereceivedstyle，likeanyotherspoony。Ihadnot，itseems，theoriginalitytochalkoutanewroadtoshameanddestruction，buttrodetheoldtrackwithstupidexactnessnottodeviateaninchfromthebeatencentre。Ihad—asIdeservedtohave—thefateofallotherspoonies。HappeningtocalloneeveningwhenCélinedidnotexpectme，Ifoundherout;butitwasawarmnight，andIwastiredwithstrollingthroughParis，soIsatdowninherboudoir;happytobreathetheairconsecratedsolatelybyherpresence。No，—Iexaggerate;Ineverthoughttherewasanyconsecratingvirtueabouther:itwasratherasortofpastilleperfumeshehadleft;ascentofmuskandamber，thananodourofsanctity。Iwasjustbeginningtostiflewiththefumesofconservatoryflowersandsprinkledessences，whenIbethoughtmyselftoopenthewindowandstepoutontothebalcony。Itwasmoonlightandgaslightbesides，andverystillandserene。Thebalconywasfurnishedwithachairortwo;Isatdown，andtookoutacigar，—Iwilltakeonenow，ifyouwillexcuseme。”

Hereensuedapause，filledupbytheproducingandlightingofacigar;havingplacedittohislipsandbreathedatrailofHavannahincenseonthefreezingandsunlessair，hewenton—

“Ilikedbonbonstoointhosedays，MissEyre，andIwascroquant—（overlookthebarbarism）—croquantchocolatecomfits，andsmokingalternately，watchingmeantimetheequipagesthatrolledalongthefashionablestreetstowardstheneighbouringopera—house，wheninanelegantclosecarriagedrawnbyabeautifulpairofEnglishhorses，anddistinctlyseeninthebrilliantcity—night，Irecognisedthe‘voiture’IhadgivenCéline。Shewasreturning:ofcoursemyheartthumpedwithimpatienceagainsttheironrailsIleantupon。Thecarriagestopped，asIhadexpected，atthehoteldoor;myflame（thatistheverywordforanoperainamorata）alighted:thoughmuffedinacloak—anunnecessaryencumbrance，by—the—bye，onsowarmaJuneevening—Iknewherinstantlybyherlittlefoot，seenpeepingfromtheskirtofherdress，assheskippedfromthecarriage—step。Bendingoverthebalcony，Iwasabouttomurmur‘Monange’—inatone，ofcourse，whichshouldbeaudibletotheearoflovealone—whenafigurejumpedfromthecarriageafterher;cloakedalso;butthatwasaspurredheelwhichhadrungonthepavement，andthatwasahattedheadwhichnowpassedunderthearchedportecochèreofthehotel。

“Youneverfeltjealousy，didyou，MissEyre？Ofcoursenot:Ineednotaskyou;becauseyouneverfeltlove。Youhavebothsentimentsyettoexperience:yoursoulsleeps;theshockisyettobegivenwhichshallwakenit。Youthinkallexistencelapsesinasquietaflowasthatinwhichyouryouthhashithertoslidaway。Floatingonwithclosedeyesandmuffledears，youneitherseetherocksbristlingnotfaroffinthebedoftheflood，norhearthebreakersboilattheirbase。ButItellyou—andyoumaymarkmywords—youwillcomesomedaytoacraggypassinthechannel，wherethewholeoflife’sstreamwillbebrokenupintowhirlandtumult，foamandnoise:eitheryouwillbedashedtoatomsoncragpoints，orliftedupandborneonbysomemaster—waveintoacalmercurrent—asIamnow。

“Ilikethisday;Ilikethatskyofsteel;Ilikethesternnessandstillnessoftheworldunderthisfrost。IlikeThornfield，itsantiquity，itsretirement，itsoldcrow—treesandthorn—trees，itsgreyfacade，andlinesofdarkwindowsreflectingthatmetalwelkin:andyethowlonghaveIabhorredtheverythoughtofit，shunneditlikeagreatplague—house？HowIdostillabhor—”

Hegroundhisteethandwassilent:hearrestedhisstepandstruckhisbootagainstthehardground。Somehatedthoughtseemedtohavehiminitsgrip，andtoholdhimsotightlythathecouldnotadvance。

Wewereascendingtheavenuewhenhethuspaused;thehallwasbeforeus。Liftinghiseyetoitsbattlements，hecastoverthemaglaresuchasIneversawbeforeorsince。Pain，shame，ire，impatience，disgust，detestation，seemedmomentarilytoholdaquiveringconflictinthelargepupildilatingunderhiseboneyebrow。Wildwasthewrestlewhichshouldbeparamount;butanotherfeelingroseandtriumphed:somethinghardandcynical:self—willedandresolute:itsettledhispassionandpetrifiedhiscountenance:hewenton—

“DuringthemomentIwassilent，MissEyre，Iwasarrangingapointwithmydestiny。Shestoodthere，bythatbeech—trunk—ahaglikeoneofthosewhoappearedtoMacbethontheheathofForres。‘YoulikeThornfield？’shesaid，liftingherfinger;andthenshewroteintheairamemento，whichraninluridhieroglyphicsallalongthehouse—front，betweentheupperandlowerrowofwindows，‘Likeitifyoucan！Likeitifyoudare！’

“‘Iwilllikeit，’saidI;‘Idarelikeit;’and”（hesubjoinedmoodily）“Iwillkeepmyword;Iwillbreakobstaclestohappiness，togoodness—yes，goodness。IwishtobeabettermanthanIhavebeen，thanIam;asJob’sleviathanbrokethespear，thedart，andthehabergeon，hindranceswhichotherscountasironandbrass，Iwillesteembutstrawandrottenwood。”

Adèlehereranbeforehimwithhershuttlecock。“Away！”hecriedharshly;“keepatadistance，child;orgointoSophie！”Continuingthentopursuehiswalkinsilence，Iventuredtorecallhimtothepointwhencehehadabruptlydiverged—

“Didyouleavethebalcony，sir，”Iasked，“whenMdlle。Varensentered？”

Ialmostexpectedarebuffforthishardlywell—timedquestion，but，onthecontrary，wakingoutofhisscowlingabstraction，heturnedhiseyestowardsme，andtheshadeseemedtoclearoffhisbrow。“Oh，IhadforgottenCéline！Well，toresume。WhenIsawmycharmerthuscomeinaccompaniedbyacavalier，Iseemedtohearahiss，andthegreensnakeofjealousy，risingonundulatingcoilsfromthemoonlitbalcony，glidedwithinmywaistcoat，andateitswayintwominutestomyheart’score。Strange！”heexclaimed，suddenlystartingagainfromthepoint。“StrangethatIshouldchooseyoufortheconfidantofallthis，younglady;passingstrangethatyoushouldlistentomequietly，asifitwerethemostusualthingintheworldforamanlikemetotellstoriesofhisopera—mistressestoaquaint，inexperiencedgirllikeyou！Butthelastsingularityexplainsthefirst，asIintimatedoncebefore:you，withyourgravity，considerateness，andcautionweremadetobetherecipientofsecrets。Besides，IknowwhatsortofamindIhaveplacedincommunicationwithmyown:Iknowitisonenotliabletotakeinfection:itisapeculiarmind:itisauniqueone。HappilyIdonotmeantoharmit:but，ifIdid，itwouldnottakeharmfromme。ThemoreyouandIconverse，thebetter;forwhileIcannotblightyou，youmayrefreshme。”Afterthisdigressionheproceeded—

“Iremainedinthebalcony。‘Theywillcometoherboudoir，nodoubt，’thoughtI:‘letmeprepareanambush。’Soputtingmyhandinthroughtheopenwindow，Idrewthecurtainoverit，leavingonlyanopeningthroughwhichIcouldtakeobservations;thenIclosedthecasement，allbutachinkjustwideenoughtofurnishanoutlettolovers’whisperedvows:thenIstolebacktomychair;andasIresumeditthepaircamein。Myeyewasquicklyattheaperture。Céline’schamber—maidentered，litalamp，leftitonthetable，andwithdrew。Thecouplewerethusrevealedtomeclearly:bothremovedtheircloaks，andtherewas‘theVarens，’shininginsatinandjewels，—mygiftsofcourse，—andtherewashercompanioninanofficer’suniform;andIknewhimforayoungroueofavicomte—abrainlessandviciousyouthwhomIhadsometimesmetinsociety，andhadneverthoughtofhatingbecauseIdespisedhimsoabsolutely。Onrecognisinghim，thefangofthesnakeJealousywasinstantlybroken;becauseatthesamemomentmyloveforCélinesankunderanextinguisher。Awomanwhocouldbetraymeforsucharivalwasnotworthcontendingfor;shedeservedonlyscorn;less，however，thanI，whohadbeenherdupe。

“Theybegantotalk;theirconversationeasedmecompletely:frivolous，mercenary，heartless，andsenseless，itwasrathercalculatedtowearythanenragealistener。Acardofminelayonthetable;thisbeingperceived，broughtmynameunderdiscussion。Neitherofthempossessedenergyorwittobelabourmesoundly，buttheyinsultedmeascoarselyastheycouldintheirlittleway:especiallyCéline，whoevenwaxedratherbrilliantonmypersonaldefects—deformitiesshetermedthem。Nowithadbeenhercustomtolaunchoutintoferventadmirationofwhatshecalledmy‘beautémale:’whereinshediffereddiametricallyfromyou，whotoldmepoint—blank，atthesecondinterview，thatyoudidnotthinkmehandsome。Thecontraststruckmeatthetimeand—”

Adèleherecamerunningupagain。

“Monsieur，Johnhasjustbeentosaythatyouragenthascalledandwishestoseeyou。”

“Ah！inthatcaseImustabridge。Openingthewindow，Iwalkedinuponthem;liberatedCélinefrommyprotection;gavehernoticetovacateherhotel;offeredherapurseforimmediateexigencies;disregardedscreams，hysterics，prayers，protestations，convulsions;madeanappointmentwiththevicomteforameetingattheBoisdeBoulogne。NextmorningIhadthepleasureofencounteringhim;leftabulletinoneofhispooretiolatedarms，feebleasthewingofachickeninthepip，andthenthoughtIhaddonewiththewholecrew。ButunluckilytheVarens，sixmonthsbefore，hadgivenmethisfiletteAdèle，who，sheaffirmed，wasmydaughter;andperhapsshemaybe，thoughIseenoproofsofsuchgrimpaternitywritteninhercountenance:Pilotismorelikemethanshe。SomeyearsafterIhadbrokenwiththemother，sheabandonedherchild，andranawaytoItalywithamusicianorsinger。IacknowledgednonaturalclaimonAdèle’sparttobesupportedbyme，nordoInowacknowledgeany，forIamnotherfather;buthearingthatshewasquitedestitute，Ie’entookthepoorthingoutoftheslimeandmudofParis，andtransplantedithere，togrowupcleaninthewholesomesoilofanEnglishcountrygarden。Mrs。Fairfaxfoundyoutotrainit;butnowyouknowthatitistheillegitimateoffspringofaFrenchopera—girl，youwillperhapsthinkdifferentlyofyourpostandprotégée:youwillbecomingtomesomedaywithnoticethatyouhavefoundanotherplace—thatyoubegmetolookoutforanewgoverness，&c。—Eh？”

“No:Adèleisnotanswerableforeitherhermother’sfaultsoryours:Ihavearegardforher;andnowthatIknowsheis，inasense，parentless—forsakenbyhermotheranddisownedbyyou，sir—Ishallclingclosertoherthanbefore。HowcouldIpossiblypreferthespoiltpetofawealthyfamily，whowouldhatehergovernessasanuisance，toalonelylittleorphan，wholeanstowardsherasafriend？”

“Oh，thatisthelightinwhichyouviewit！Well，Imustgoinnow;andyoutoo:itdarkens。”

ButIstayedoutafewminuteslongerwithAdèleandPilot—ranaracewithher，andplayedagameofbattledoreandshuttlecock。Whenwewentin，andIhadremovedherbonnetandcoat，Itookheronmyknee;keptherthereanhour，allowinghertoprattleassheliked:notrebukingevensomelittlefreedomsandtrivialitiesintowhichshewasapttostraywhenmuchnoticed，andwhichbetrayedinherasuperficialityofcharacter，inheritedprobablyfromhermother，hardlycongenialtoanEnglishmind。Stillshehadhermerits;andIwasdisposedtoappreciateallthatwasgoodinhertotheutmost。IsoughtinhercountenanceandfeaturesalikenesstoMr。Rochester，butfoundnone:notrait，noturnofexpressionannouncedrelationship。Itwasapity:ifshecouldbuthavebeenprovedtoresemblehim，hewouldhavethoughtmoreofher。

ItwasnottillafterIhadwithdrawntomyownchamberforthenight，thatIsteadilyreviewedthetaleMr。Rochesterhadtoldme。Ashehadsaid，therewasprobablynothingatallextraordinaryinthesubstanceofthenarrativeitself:awealthyEnglishman’spassionforaFrenchdancer，andhertreacherytohim，wereevery—daymattersenough，nodoubt，insociety;buttherewassomethingdecidedlystrangeintheparoxysmofemotionwhichhadsuddenlyseizedhimwhenhewasintheactofexpressingthepresentcontentmentofhismood，andhisnewlyrevivedpleasureintheoldhallanditsenvirons。Imeditatedwonderinglyonthisincident;butgraduallyquittingit，asIfounditforthepresentinexplicable，Iturnedtotheconsiderationofmymaster’smannertomyself。Theconfidencehehadthoughtfittoreposeinmeseemedatributetomydiscretion:Iregardedandaccepteditassuch。Hisdeportmenthadnowforsomeweeksbeenmoreuniformtowardsmethanatthefirst。Ineverseemedinhisway;hedidnottakefitsofchillinghauteur:whenhemetmeunexpectedly，theencounterseemedwelcome;hehadalwaysawordandsometimesasmileforme:whensummonedbyformalinvitationtohispresence，IwashonouredbyacordialityofreceptionthatmademefeelIreallypossessedthepowertoamusehim，andthattheseeveningconferencesweresoughtasmuchforhispleasureasformybenefit。

I，indeed，talkedcomparativelylittle，butIheardhimtalkwithrelish。Itwashisnaturetobecommunicative;helikedtoopentoamindunacquaintedwiththeworldglimpsesofitsscenesandways（Idonotmeanitscorruptscenesandwickedways，butsuchasderivedtheirinterestfromthegreatscaleonwhichtheywereacted，thestrangenoveltybywhichtheywerecharacterised）;andIhadakeendelightinreceivingthenewideasheoffered，inimaginingthenewpicturesheportrayed，andfollowinghiminthoughtthroughthenewregionshedisclosed，neverstartledortroubledbyonenoxiousallusion。

Theeaseofhismannerfreedmefrompainfulrestraint:thefriendlyfrankness，ascorrectascordial，withwhichhetreatedme，drewmetohim。Ifeltattimesasifheweremyrelationratherthanmymaster:yethewasimperioussometimesstill;butIdidnotmindthat;Isawitwashisway。Sohappy，sogratifieddidIbecomewiththisnewinterestaddedtolife，thatIceasedtopineafterkindred:mythincrescent—destinyseemedtoenlarge;theblanksofexistencewerefilledup;mybodilyhealthimproved;Igatheredfleshandstrength。

AndwasMr。Rochesternowuglyinmyeyes？No，reader:gratitude，andmanyassociations，allpleasurableandgenial，madehisfacetheobjectIbestlikedtosee;hispresenceinaroomwasmorecheeringthanthebrightestfire。YetIhadnotforgottenhisfaults;indeed，Icouldnot，forhebroughtthemfrequentlybeforeme。Hewasproud，sardonic，harshtoinferiorityofeverydescription:inmysecretsoulIknewthathisgreatkindnesstomewasbalancedbyunjustseveritytomanyothers。Hewasmoody，too;unaccountablyso;Imorethanonce，whensentfortoreadtohim，foundhimsittinginhislibraryalone，withhisheadbentonhisfoldedarms;and，whenhelookedup，amorose，almostamalignant，scowlblackenedhisfeatures。ButIbelievedthathismoodiness，hisharshness，andhisformerfaultsofmorality（Isayformer，fornowheseemedcorrectedofthem）hadtheirsourceinsomecruelcrossoffate。Ibelievedhewasnaturallyamanofbettertendencies，higherprinciples，andpurertastesthansuchascircumstanceshaddeveloped，educationinstilled，ordestinyencouraged。Ithoughttherewereexcellentmaterialsinhim;thoughforthepresenttheyhungtogethersomewhatspoiledandtangled。IcannotdenythatIgrievedforhisgrief，whateverthatwas，andwouldhavegivenmuchtoassuageit。

ThoughIhadnowextinguishedmycandleandwaslaiddowninbed，Icouldnotsleepforthinkingofhislookwhenhepausedintheavenue，andtoldhowhisdestinyhadrisenupbeforehim，anddaredhimtobehappyatThornfield。

“Whynot？”Iaskedmyself。“Whatalienateshimfromthehouse？Willheleaveitagainsoon？Mrs。Fairfaxsaidheseldomstayedherelongerthanafortnightatatime;andhehasnowbeenresidenteightweeks。Ifhedoesgo，thechangewillbedoleful。Supposeheshouldbeabsentspring，summer，andautumn:howjoylesssunshineandfinedayswillseem！”

IhardlyknowwhetherIhadsleptornotafterthismusing;atanyrate，Istartedwideawakeonhearingavaguemurmur，peculiarandlugubrious，whichsounded，Ithought，justaboveme。IwishedIhadkeptmycandleburning:thenightwasdrearilydark;myspiritsweredepressed。Iroseandsatupinbed，listening。Thesoundwashushed。

Itriedagaintosleep;butmyheartbeatanxiously:myinwardtranquillitywasbroken。Theclock，fardowninthehall，strucktwo。Justthenitseemedmychamber—doorwastouched;asiffingershadsweptthepanelsingropingawayalongthedarkgalleryoutside。Isaid，“Whoisthere？”Nothinganswered。Iwaschilledwithfear。

AllatonceIrememberedthatitmightbePilot，who，whenthekitchen—doorchancedtobeleftopen，notunfrequentlyfoundhiswayuptothethresholdofMr。Rochester’schamber:Ihadseenhimlyingtheremyselfinthemornings。Theideacalmedmesomewhat:Ilaydown。Silencecomposesthenerves;andasanunbrokenhushnowreignedagainthroughthewholehouse，Ibegantofeelthereturnofslumber。ButitwasnotfatedthatIshouldsleepthatnight。Adreamhadscarcelyapproachedmyear，whenitfledaffrighted，scaredbyamarrow—freezingincidentenough。

Thiswasademoniaclaugh—low，suppressed，anddeep—uttered，asitseemed，attheverykeyholeofmychamberdoor。Theheadofmybedwasnearthedoor，andIthoughtatfirstthegoblin—laugherstoodatmybedside—orrather，crouchedbymypillow:butIrose，lookedround，andcouldseenothing;while，asIstillgazed，theunnaturalsoundwasreiterated:andIknewitcamefrombehindthepanels。Myfirstimpulsewastoriseandfastenthebolt;mynext，againtocryout，“Whoisthere？”

Somethinggurgledandmoaned。Erelong，stepsretreatedupthegallerytowardsthethird—storeystaircase:adoorhadlatelybeenmadetoshutinthatstaircase;Ihearditopenandclose，andallwasstill。

“WasthatGracePoole？andisshepossessedwithadevil？”thoughtI。Impossiblenowtoremainlongerbymyself:ImustgotoMrs。Fairfax。Ihurriedonmyfrockandashawl;Iwithdrewtheboltandopenedthedoorwithatremblinghand。Therewasacandleburningjustoutside，andonthemattinginthegallery。Iwassurprisedatthiscircumstance:butstillmorewasIamazedtoperceivetheairquitedim，asiffilledwithsmoke;and，whilelookingtotherighthandandleft，tofindwhencethesebluewreathsissued，Ibecamefurtherawareofastrongsmellofburning。

Somethingcreaked:itwasadoorajar;andthatdoorwasMr。Rochester’s，andthesmokerushedinacloudfromthence。IthoughtnomoreofMrs。Fairfax;IthoughtnomoreofGracePoole，orthelaugh:inaninstant，Iwaswithinthechamber。Tonguesofflamedartedroundthebed:thecurtainswereonfire。Inthemidstofblazeandvapour，Mr。Rochesterlaystretchedmotionless，indeepsleep。

“Wake！wake！”Icried。Ishookhim，butheonlymurmuredandturned:thesmokehadstupefiedhim。Notamomentcouldbelost:theverysheetswerekindling，Irushedtohisbasinandewer;fortunately，onewaswideandtheotherdeep，andbothwerefilledwithwater。Iheavedthemup，delugedthebedanditsoccupant，flewbacktomyownroom，broughtmyownwater—jug，baptizedthecouchafresh，and，byGod’said，succeededinextinguishingtheflameswhichweredevouringit。

Thehissofthequenchedelement，thebreakageofapitcherwhichIflungfrommyhandwhenIhademptiedit，and，aboveall，thesplashoftheshower—bathIhadliberallybestowed，rousedMr。Rochesteratlast。Thoughitwasnowdark，Iknewhewasawake;becauseIheardhimfulminatingstrangeanathemasatfindinghimselflyinginapoolofwater。

“Isthereaflood？”hecried。

“No，sir，”Ianswered;“buttherehasbeenafire:getup，do;youarequenchednow;Iwillfetchyouacandle。”

“InthenameofalltheelvesinChristendom，isthatJaneEyre？”hedemanded。“Whathaveyoudonewithme，witch，sorceress？Whoisintheroombesidesyou？Haveyouplottedtodrownme？”

“Iwillfetchyouacandle，sir;and，inHeaven’sname，getup。Somebodyhasplottedsomething:youcannottoosoonfindoutwhoandwhatitis。”

“There！Iamupnow;butatyourperilyoufetchacandleyet:waittwominutestillIgetintosomedrygarments，ifanydrytherebe—yes，hereismydressing—gown。Nowrun！”

Ididrun;Ibroughtthecandlewhichstillremainedinthegallery。Hetookitfrommyhand，helditup，andsurveyedthebed，allblackenedandscorched，thesheetsdrenched，thecarpetroundswimminginwater。

“Whatisit？andwhodidit？”heasked。Ibrieflyrelatedtohimwhathadtranspired:thestrangelaughIhadheardinthegallery:thestepascendingtothethirdstorey;thesmoke，—thesmelloffirewhichhadconductedmetohisroom;inwhatstateIhadfoundmattersthere，andhowIhaddelugedhimwithallthewaterIcouldlayhandson。

Helistenedverygravely;hisface，asIwenton，expressedmoreconcernthanastonishment;hedidnotimmediatelyspeakwhenIhadconcluded。

“ShallIcallMrs。Fairfax？”Iasked。

“Mrs。Fairfax？No;whatthedeucewouldyoucallherfor？Whatcanshedo？Lethersleepunmolested。”

“ThenIwillfetchLeah，andwakeJohnandhiswife。”

“Notatall:justbestill。Youhaveashawlon。Ifyouarenotwarmenough，youmaytakemycloakyonder;wrapitaboutyou，andsitdowninthearm—chair:there，—Iwillputiton。Nowplaceyourfeetonthestool，tokeepthemoutofthewet。Iamgoingtoleaveyouafewminutes。Ishalltakethecandle。RemainwhereyouaretillIreturn;beasstillasamouse。Imustpayavisittothesecondstorey。Don’tmove，remember，orcallanyone。”

Hewent:Iwatchedthelightwithdraw。Hepassedupthegalleryverysoftly，unclosedthestaircasedoorwithaslittlenoiseaspossible，shutitafterhim，andthelastrayvanished。Iwasleftintotaldarkness。Ilistenedforsomenoise，butheardnothing。Averylongtimeelapsed。Igrewweary:itwascold，inspiteofthecloak;andthenIdidnotseetheuseofstaying，asIwasnottorousethehouse。IwasonthepointofriskingMr。Rochester’sdispleasurebydisobeyinghisorders，whenthelightoncemoregleameddimlyonthegallerywall，andIheardhisunshodfeettreadthematting。“Ihopeitishe，”thoughtI，“andnotsomethingworse。”

Here—entered，paleandverygloomy。“Ihavefounditallout，”saidhe，settinghiscandledownonthewashstand;“itisasIthought。”

“How，sir？”

Hemadenoreply，butstoodwithhisarmsfolded，lookingontheground。Attheendofafewminutesheinquiredinratherapeculiartone—

“Iforgetwhetheryousaidyousawanythingwhenyouopenedyourchamberdoor。”

“No，sir，onlythecandlestickontheground。”

“Butyouheardanoddlaugh？Youhaveheardthatlaughbefore，Ishouldthink，orsomethinglikeit？”

“Yes，sir:thereisawomanwhosewshere，calledGracePoole，—shelaughsinthatway。Sheisasingularperson。”

“Justso。GracePoole—youhaveguessedit。Sheis，asyousay，singular—very。Well，Ishallreflectonthesubject。Meantime，Iamgladthatyouaretheonlyperson，besidesmyself，acquaintedwiththeprecisedetailsofto—night’sincident。Youarenotalkingfool:saynothingaboutit。Iwillaccountforthisstateofaffairs”（pointingtothebed）:“andnowreturntoyourownroom。Ishalldoverywellonthesofainthelibraryfortherestofthenight。Itisnearfour:—intwohourstheservantswillbeup。”

“Good—night，then，sir，”saidI，departing。

Heseemedsurprised—veryinconsistentlyso，ashehadjusttoldmetogo。

“What！”heexclaimed，“areyouquittingmealready，andinthatway？”

“YousaidImightgo，sir。”

“Butnotwithouttakingleave;notwithoutawordortwoofacknowledgmentandgood—will:not，inshort，inthatbrief，dryfashion。Why，youhavesavedmylife！—snatchedmefromahorribleandexcruciatingdeath！andyouwalkpastmeasifweweremutualstrangers！Atleastshakehands。”

Heheldouthishand;Igavehimmine:hetookitfirstinone，theminbothhisown。

“Youhavesavedmylife:Ihaveapleasureinowingyousoimmenseadebt。Icannotsaymore。Nothingelsethathasbeingwouldhavebeentolerabletomeinthecharacterofcreditorforsuchanobligation:butyou:itisdifferent;—Ifeelyourbenefitsnoburden，Jane。”

Hepaused;gazedatme:wordsalmostvisibletrembledonhislips，—buthisvoicewaschecked。

“Good—nightagain，sir。Thereisnodebt，benefit，burden，obligation，inthecase。”

“Iknew，”hecontinued，“youwoulddomegoodinsomeway，atsometime;—IsawitinyoureyeswhenIfirstbeheldyou:theirexpressionandsmiledidnot”—（againhestopped）—“didnot”（heproceededhastily）“strikedelighttomyveryinmostheartsofornothing。Peopletalkofnaturalsympathies;Ihaveheardofgoodgenii:therearegrainsoftruthinthewildestfable。Mycherishedpreserver，goodnight！”

Strangeenergywasinhisvoice，strangefireinhislook。

“IamgladIhappenedtobeawake，”Isaid:andthenIwasgoing。

“What！youwillgo？”

“Iamcold，sir。”

“Cold？Yes，—andstandinginapool！Go，then，Jane;go！”Buthestillretainedmyhand，andIcouldnotfreeit。Ibethoughtmyselfofanexpedient。

“IthinkIhearMrs。Fairfaxmove，sir，”saidI。

“Well，leaveme:”herelaxedhisfingers，andIwasgone。

Iregainedmycouch，butneverthoughtofsleep。TillmorningdawnedIwastossedonabuoyantbutunquietsea，wherebillowsoftroublerolledundersurgesofjoy。IthoughtsometimesIsawbeyonditswildwatersashore，sweetasthehillsofBeulah;andnowandthenafresheninggale，wakenedbyhope，boremyspirittriumphantlytowardsthebourne:butIcouldnotreachit，eveninfancy—acounteractingbreezeblewoffland，andcontinuallydrovemeback。Sensewouldresistdelirium:judgmentwouldwarnpassion。Toofeverishtorest，Iroseassoonasdaydawned。

Chapter16

IbothwishedandfearedtoseeMr。Rochesteronthedaywhichfollowedthissleeplessnight:Iwantedtohearhisvoiceagain，yetfearedtomeethiseye。Duringtheearlypartofthemorning，Imomentarilyexpectedhiscoming;hewasnotinthefrequenthabitofenteringtheschoolroom，buthedidstepinforafewminutessometimes，andIhadtheimpressionthathewassuretovisititthatday。

Butthemorningpassedjustasusual:nothinghappenedtointerruptthequietcourseofAdèle’sstudies;onlysoonafterbreakfast，IheardsomebustleintheneighbourhoodofMr。Rochester’schamber，Mrs。Fairfax’svoice，andLeah’s，andthecook’s—thatis，John’swife—andevenJohn’sowngrufftones。Therewereexclamationsof“Whatamercymasterwasnotburntinhisbed！”“Itisalwaysdangeroustokeepacandlelitatnight。”“Howprovidentialthathehadpresenceofmindtothinkofthewater—jug！”“Iwonderhewakednobody！”“Itistobehopedhewillnottakecoldwithsleepingonthelibrarysofa，”&c。

Tomuchconfabulationsucceededasoundofscrubbingandsettingtorights;andwhenIpassedtheroom，ingoingdownstairstodinner，Isawthroughtheopendoorthatallwasagainrestoredtocompleteorder;onlythebedwasstrippedofitshangings。Leahstoodupinthewindow—seat，rubbingthepanesofglassdimmedwithsmoke。Iwasabouttoaddressher，forIwishedtoknowwhataccounthadbeengivenoftheaffair:but，onadvancing，Isawasecondpersoninthechamber—awomansittingonachairbythebedside，andsewingringstonewcurtains。ThatwomanwasnootherthanGracePoole。

Thereshesat，staidandtaciturn—looking，asusual，inherbrownstuffgown，hercheckapron，whitehandkerchief，andcap。Shewasintentonherwork，inwhichherwholethoughtsseemedabsorbed:onherhardforehead，andinhercommonplacefeatures，wasnothingeitherofthepalenessordesperationonewouldhaveexpectedtoseemarkingthecountenanceofawomanwhohadattemptedmurder，andwhoseintendedvictimhadfollowedherlastnighttoherlair，and（asIbelieved），chargedherwiththecrimeshewishedtoperpetrate。Iwasamazed—confounded。Shelookedup，whileIstillgazedather:nostart，noincreaseorfailureofcolourbetrayedemotion，consciousnessofguilt，orfearofdetection。Shesaid“Goodmorning，Miss，”inherusualphlegmaticandbriefmanner;andtakingupanotherringandmoretape，wentonwithhersewing。

“Iwillputhertosometest，”thoughtI:“suchabsoluteimpenetrabilityispastcomprehension。”

“Goodmorning，Grace，”Isaid。“Hasanythinghappenedhere？IthoughtIheardtheservantsalltalkingtogetherawhileago。”

“Onlymasterhadbeenreadinginhisbedlastnight;hefellasleepwithhiscandlelit，andthecurtainsgotonfire;but，fortunately，heawokebeforethebed—clothesorthewood—workcaught，andcontrivedtoquenchtheflameswiththewaterintheewer。

“Astrangeaffair！”Isaid，inalowvoice:then，lookingatherfixedly—“DidMr。Rochesterwakenobody？Didnoonehearhimmove？”

Sheagainraisedhereyestome，andthistimetherewassomethingofconsciousnessintheirexpression。Sheseemedtoexaminemewarily;thensheanswered—

“Theservantssleepsofaroff，youknow，Miss，theywouldnotbelikelytohear。Mrs。Fairfax’sroomandyoursarethenearesttomaster’s;butMrs。Fairfaxsaidsheheardnothing:whenpeoplegetelderly，theyoftensleepheavy。”Shepaused，andthenadded，withasortofassumedindifference，butstillinamarkedandsignificanttone—“Butyouareyoung，Miss;andIshouldsayalightsleeper:perhapsyoumayhaveheardanoise？”

“Idid，”saidI，droppingmyvoice，sothatLeah，whowasstillpolishingthepanes，couldnothearme，“andatfirstIthoughtitwasPilot:butPilotcannotlaugh;andIamcertainIheardalaugh，andastrangeone。”

Shetookanewneedlefulofthread，waxeditcarefully，threadedherneedlewithasteadyhand，andthenobserved，withperfectcomposure—

“Itishardlylikelymasterwouldlaugh，Ishouldthink，Miss，whenhewasinsuchdanger:Youmusthavebeendreaming。”

“Iwasnotdreaming，”Isaid，withsomewarmth，forherbrazencoolnessprovokedme。Againshelookedatme;andwiththesamescrutinisingandconsciouseye。

“Haveyoutoldmasterthatyouheardalaugh？”sheinquired。

“Ihavenothadtheopportunityofspeakingtohimthismorning。”

“Youdidnotthinkofopeningyourdoorandlookingoutintothegallery？”shefurtherasked。

Sheappearedtobecross—questioningme，attemptingtodrawfrommeinformationunawares。TheideastruckmethatifshediscoveredIkneworsuspectedherguilt，shewouldbeplayingofsomeofhermalignantpranksonme;Ithoughtitadvisabletobeonmyguard。

“Onthecontrary，”saidI，“Iboltedmydoor。”

“Thenyouarenotinthehabitofboltingyourdooreverynightbeforeyougetintobed？”

“Fiend！shewantstoknowmyhabits，thatshemaylayherplansaccordingly！”Indignationagainprevailedoverprudence:Irepliedsharply，“HithertoIhaveoftenomittedtofastenthebolt:Ididnotthinkitnecessary。IwasnotawareanydangerorannoyancewastobedreadedatThornfieldHall:butinfuture”（andIlaidmarkedstressonthewords）“IshalltakegoodcaretomakeallsecurebeforeIventuretoliedown。”

“Itwillbewisesotodo，”washeranswer:“thisneighbourhoodisasquietasanyIknow，andIneverheardofthehallbeingattemptedbyrobberssinceitwasahouse;thoughtherearehundredsofpounds’worthofplateintheplate—closet，asiswellknown。Andyousee，forsuchalargehouse，thereareveryfewservants，becausemasterhasneverlivedheremuch;andwhenhedoescome，beingabachelor，heneedslittlewaitingon:butIalwaysthinkitbesttoerronthesafeside;adoorissoonfastened，anditisaswelltohaveadrawnboltbetweenoneandanymischiefthatmaybeabout。Adealofpeople，Miss，arefortrustingalltoProvidence;butIsayProvidencewillnotdispensewiththemeans，thoughHeoftenblessesthemwhentheyareuseddiscreetly。”Andheresheclosedherharangue:alongoneforher，andutteredwiththedemurenessofaQuakeress。