“Hadyoueverexperienceofsuchacharacter，sir？Didyoueverlovesuchanone？”
“Iloveitnow。”
“Butbeforeme:ifI，indeed，inanyrespectcomeuptoyourdifficultstandard？”
“Inevermetyourlikeness。Jane，youpleaseme，andyoumasterme—youseemtosubmit，andIlikethesenseofpliancyyouimpart;andwhileIamtwiningthesoft，silkenskeinroundmyfinger，itsendsathrillupmyarmtomyheart。Iaminfluenced—conquered;andtheinfluenceissweeterthanIcanexpress;andtheconquestIundergohasawitcherybeyondanytriumphIcanwin。Whydoyousmile，Jane？Whatdoesthatinexplicable，thatuncannyturnofcountenancemean？”
“Iwasthinking，sir（youwillexcusetheidea;itwasinvoluntary），IwasthinkingofHerculesandSamsonwiththeircharmers—”
“Youwere，youlittleelfish—”
“Hush，sir！Youdon’ttalkverywiselyjustnow;anymorethanthosegentlemenactedverywisely。However，hadtheybeenmarried，theywouldnodoubtbytheirseverityashusbandshavemadeupfortheirsoftnessassuitors;andsowillyou，Ifear。Iwonderhowyouwillanswermeayearhence，shouldIaskafavouritdoesnotsuityourconvenienceorpleasuretogrant。”
“Askmesomethingnow，Jane，—theleastthing:Idesiretobeentreated—”
“IndeedIwill，sir;Ihavemypetitionallready。”
“Speak！Butifyoulookupandsmilewiththatcountenance，IshallswearconcessionbeforeIknowtowhat，andthatwillmakeafoolofme。”
“Notatall，sir;Iaskonlythis:don’tsendforthejewels，anddon’tcrownmewithroses:youmightaswellputaborderofgoldlaceroundthatplainpockethandkerchiefyouhavethere。”
“Imightaswell‘gildrefinedgold。’Iknowit:yourequestisgrantedthen—forthetime。IwillremandtheorderIdespatchedtomybanker。Butyouhavenotyetaskedforanything;youhaveprayedagifttobewithdrawn:tryagain。”
“Wellthen，sir，havethegoodnesstogratifymycuriosity，whichismuchpiquedononepoint。”
Helookeddisturbed。“What？what？”hesaidhastily。“Curiosityisadangerouspetition:itiswellIhavenottakenavowtoaccordeveryrequest—”
“Buttherecanbenodangerincomplyingwiththis，sir。”
“Utterit，Jane:butIwishthatinsteadofamereinquiryinto，perhaps，asecret，itwasawishforhalfmyestate。”
“Now，KingAhasuerus！WhatdoIwantwithhalfyourestate？DoyouthinkIamaJew—usurer，seekinggoodinvestmentinland？Iwouldmuchratherhaveallyourconfidence。Youwillnotexcludemefromyourconfidenceifyouadmitmetoyourheart？”
“Youarewelcometoallmyconfidencethatisworthhaving，Jane;butforGod’ssake，don’tdesireauselessburden！Don’tlongforpoison—don’tturnoutadownrightEveonmyhands！”
“Whynot，sir？Youhavejustbeentellingmehowmuchyoulikedtobeconquered，andhowpleasantover—persuasionistoyou。Don’tyouthinkIhadbettertakeadvantageoftheconfession，andbeginandcoaxandentreat—evencryandbesulkyifnecessary—forthesakeofamereessayofmypower？”
“Idareyoutoanysuchexperiment。Encroach，presume，andthegameisup。”
“Isit，sir？Yousoongivein。Howsternyoulooknow！Youreyebrowshavebecomeasthickasmyfinger，andyourforeheadresembleswhat，insomeveryastonishingpoetry，Ioncesawstyled，‘ablue—piledthunderloft。’Thatwillbeyourmarriedlook，sir，Isuppose？”
“Ifthatwillbeyourmarriedlook，I，asaChristian，willsoongiveupthenotionofconsortingwithamerespriteorsalamander。Butwhathadyoutoask，thing，—outwithit？”
“There，youarelessthancivilnow;andIlikerudenessagreatdealbetterthanflattery。Ihadratherbeathingthananangel。ThisiswhatIhavetoask，—WhydidyoutakesuchpainstomakemebelieveyouwishedtomarryMissIngram？”
“Isthatall？ThankGoditisnoworse！”Andnowheunknithisblackbrows;lookeddown，smilingatme，andstrokedmyhair，asifwellpleasedatseeingadangeraverted。“IthinkImayconfess，”hecontinued，“evenalthoughIshouldmakeyoualittleindignant，Jane—andIhaveseenwhatafire—spirityoucanbewhenyouareindignant。Youglowedinthecoolmoonlightlastnight，whenyoumutiniedagainstfate，andclaimedyourrankasmyequal。Janet，by—the—bye，itwasyouwhomademetheoffer。”
“OfcourseIdid。Buttothepointifyouplease，sir—MissIngram？”
“Well，IfeignedcourtshipofMissIngram，becauseIwishedtorenderyouasmadlyinlovewithmeasIwaswithyou;andIknewjealousywouldbethebestallyIcouldcallinforthefurtheranceofthatend。”
“Excellent！Nowyouaresmall—notonewhitbiggerthantheendofmylittlefinger。Itwasaburningshameandascandalousdisgracetoactinthatway。DidyouthinknothingofMissIngram’sfeelings，sir？”
“Herfeelingsareconcentratedinone—pride;andthatneedshumbling。Wereyoujealous，Jane？”
“Nevermind，Mr。Rochester:itisinnowayinterestingtoyoutoknowthat。Answermetrulyoncemore。DoyouthinkMissIngramwillnotsufferfromyourdishonestcoquetry？Won’tshefeelforsakenanddeserted？”
“Impossible！—whenItoldyouhowshe，onthecontrary，desertedme:theideaofmyinsolvencycooled，orratherextinguished，herflameinamoment。”
“Youhaveacurious，designingmind，Mr。Rochester。Iamafraidyourprinciplesonsomepointsareeccentric。”
“Myprincipleswerenevertrained，Jane:theymayhavegrownalittleawryforwantofattention。”
“Onceagain，seriously;mayIenjoythegreatgoodthathasbeenvouchsafedtome，withoutfearingthatanyoneelseissufferingthebitterpainImyselffeltawhileago？”
“Thatyoumay，mygoodlittlegirl:thereisnotanotherbeingintheworldhasthesamepureloveformeasyourself—forIlaythatpleasantunctiontomysoul，Jane，abeliefinyouraffection。”
Iturnedmylipstothehandthatlayonmyshoulder。Ilovedhimverymuch—morethanIcouldtrustmyselftosay—morethanwordshadpowertoexpress。
“Asksomethingmore，”hesaidpresently;“itismydelighttobeentreated，andtoyield。”
Iwasagainreadywithmyrequest。“CommunicateyourintentionstoMrs。Fairfax，sir:shesawmewithyoulastnightinthehall，andshewasshocked。GivehersomeexplanationbeforeIseeheragain。Itpainsmetobemisjudgedbysogoodawoman。”
“Gotoyourroom，andputonyourbonnet，”hereplied。“ImeanyoutoaccompanymetoMillcotethismorning;andwhileyouprepareforthedrive，Iwillenlightentheoldlady’sunderstanding。Didshethink，Janet，youhadgiventheworldforlove，andconsidereditwelllost？”
“IbelieveshethoughtIhadforgottenmystation，andyours，sir。”
“Station！station！—yourstationisinmyheart，andonthenecksofthosewhowouldinsultyou，noworhereafter。—Go。”
Iwassoondressed;andwhenIheardMr。RochesterquitMrs。Fairfax’sparlour，Ihurrieddowntoit。Theoldlady，hadbeenreadinghermorningportionofScripture—theLessonfortheday;herBiblelayopenbeforeher，andherspectacleswereuponit。Heroccupation，suspendedbyMr。Rochester’sannouncement，seemednowforgotten:hereyes，fixedontheblankwallopposite，expressedthesurpriseofaquietmindstirredbyunwontedtidings。Seeingme，sherousedherself:shemadeasortofefforttosmile，andframedafewwordsofcongratulation;butthesmileexpired，andthesentencewasabandonedunfinished。Sheputupherspectacles，shuttheBible，andpushedherchairbackfromthetable。
“Ifeelsoastonished，”shebegan，“Ihardlyknowwhattosaytoyou，MissEyre。Ihavesurelynotbeendreaming，haveI？SometimesIhalffallasleepwhenIamsittingaloneandfancythingsthathaveneverhappened。IthasseemedtomemorethanoncewhenIhavebeeninadoze，thatmydearhusband，whodiedfifteenyearssince，hascomeinandsatdownbesideme;andthatIhaveevenheardhimcallmebymyname，Alice，asheusedtodo。Now，canyoutellmewhetheritisactuallytruethatMr。Rochesterhasaskedyoutomarryhim？Don’tlaughatme。ButIreallythoughthecameinherefiveminutesago，andsaidthatinamonthyouwouldbehiswife。”
“Hehassaidthesamethingtome，”Ireplied。
“Hehas！Doyoubelievehim？Haveyouacceptedhim？”
“Yes。”
Shelookedatmebewildered。“Icouldneverhavethoughtit。Heisaproudman:alltheRochesterswereproud:andhisfather，atleast，likedmoney。He，too，hasalwaysbeencalledcareful。Hemeanstomarryyou？”
“Hetellsmeso。”
Shesurveyedmywholeperson:inhereyesIreadthattheyhadtherefoundnocharmpowerfulenoughtosolvetheenigma。
“Itpassesme！”shecontinued;“butnodoubt，itistruesinceyousayso。Howitwillanswer，Icannottell:Ireallydon’tknow。Equalityofpositionandfortuneisoftenadvisableinsuchcases;andtherearetwentyyearsofdifferenceinyourages。Hemightalmostbeyourfather。”
“No，indeed，Mrs。Fairfax！”exclaimedI，nettled;“heisnothinglikemyfather！Noone，whosawustogether，wouldsupposeitforaninstant。Mr。Rochesterlooksasyoung，andisasyoung，assomemenatfive—and—twenty。”
“Isitreallyforloveheisgoingtomarryyou？”sheasked。
Iwassohurtbyhercoldnessandscepticism，thatthetearsrosetomyeyes。
“Iamsorrytogrieveyou，”pursuedthewidow;“butyouaresoyoung，andsolittleacquaintedwithmen，Iwishedtoputyouonyourguard。Itisanoldsayingthat‘allisnotgoldthatglitters;’andinthiscaseIdofeartherewillbesomethingfoundtobedifferenttowhateitheryouorIexpect。”
“Why？—amIamonster？”Isaid:“isitimpossiblethatMr。Rochestershouldhaveasincereaffectionforme？”
“No:youareverywell;andmuchimprovedoflate;andMr。Rochester，Idaresay，isfondofyou。Ihavealwaysnoticedthatyouwereasortofpetofhis。Therearetimeswhen，foryoursake，Ihavebeenalittleuneasyathismarkedpreference，andhavewishedtoputyouonyourguard:butIdidnotliketosuggesteventhepossibilityofwrong。Iknewsuchanideawouldshock，perhapsoffendyou;andyouweresodiscreet，andsothoroughlymodestandsensible，Ihopedyoumightbetrustedtoprotectyourself。nightIcannottellyouwhatIsufferedwhenIsoughtalloverthehouse，andcouldfindyounowhere，northemastereither;andthen，attwelveo’clock，sawyoucomeinwithhim。”
“Well，nevermindthatnow，”Iinterruptedimpatiently;“itisenoughthatallwasright。”
“Ihopeallwillberightintheend，”shesaid:“butbelieveme，youcannotbetoocareful。TryandkeepMr。Rochesteratadistance:distrustyourselfaswellashim。Gentlemeninhisstationarenotaccustomedtomarrytheirgovernesses。”
Iwasgrowingtrulyirritated:happily，Adèleranin。
“Letmego，—letmegotoMillcotetoo！”shecried。“Mr。Rochesterwon’t:thoughthereissomuchroominthenewcarriage。Beghimtoletmegomademoiselle。”
“ThatIwill，Adèle;”andIhastenedawaywithher，gladtoquitmygloomymonitress。Thecarriagewasready:theywerebringingitroundtothefront，andmymasterwasthepavement，Pilotfollowinghimbackwardsandforwards。
“Adèlemayaccompanyus，mayshenot，sir？”
“Itoldherno。I’llhavenobrats！—I’llhaveonlyyou。”
“Dolethergo，Mr。Rochester，ifyouplease:itwouldbebetter。”
“Notit:shewillbearestraint。”
Hewasquiteperemptory，bothinlookandvoice。ThechillofMrs。Fairfax’swarnings，andthedampofherdoubtswereuponme:somethingofunsubstantialityanduncertaintyhadbesetmyhopes。Ihalflostthesenseofpoweroverhim。Iwasaboutmechanicallytoobeyhim，withoutfurtherremonstrance;butashehelpedmeintothecarriage，helookedatmyface。
“Whatisthematter？”heasked;“allthesunshineisgone。Doyoureallywishthebairntogo？Willitannoyyouifsheisleftbehind？”
“Iwouldfarrathershewent，sir。”
“Thenoffforyourbonnet，andbacklikeaflashoflightning！”criedhetoAdèle。
Sheobeyedhimwithwhatspeedshemight。
“Afterall，asinglemorning’sinterruptionwillnotmattermuch，”saidhe，“whenImeanshortlytoclaimyou—yourthoughts，conversation，andcompany—forlife。”
Adèle，whenliftedin，commencedkissingme，bywayofexpressinghergratitudeformyintercession:shewasinstantlystowedawayintoacornerontheothersideofhim。ShethenpeepedroundtowhereIsat;sosternaneighbourwastoorestrictivetohim，inhispresentfractiousmood，shedaredwhispernoobservations，noraskofhimanyinformation。
“Lethercometome，”Ientreated:“shewill，perhaps，troubleyou，sir:thereisplentyofroomonthisside。”
Hehandedheroverasifshehadbeenalapdog。“I’llsendhertoschoolyet，”hesaid，butnowhewassmiling。
Adèleheardhim，andaskedifshewastogotoschool“sansmademoiselle？”
“Yes，”hereplied，“absolutelysansmademoiselle;forIamtotakemademoiselletothemoon，andthereIshallseekacaveinoneofthewhitevalleysamongthevolcano—tops，andmademoiselleshalllivewithmethere，andonlyme。”
“Shewillhavenothingtoeat:youwillstarveher，”observedAdèle。
“Ishallgathermannaforhermorningandnight:theplainsandhillsidesinthemoonarebleachedwithmanna，Adèle。”
“Shewillwanttowarmherself:whatwillshedoforafire？”
“Firerisesoutofthelunarmountains:whensheiscold，I’llcarryheruptoapeak，andlayherdownontheedgeofacrater。”
“Oh，qu’elleyseramal—peucomfortable！Andherclothes，theywillwearout:howcanshegetnewones？”
Mr。Rochesterprofessedtobepuzzled。“Hem！”saidhe。“Whatwouldyoudo，Adèle？Cudgelyourbrainsforanexpedient。Howwouldawhiteorapinkcloudanswerforagown，doyouthink？Andonecouldcutaprettyenoughscarfoutofarainbow。”
“Sheisfarbetterassheis，”concludedAdèle，aftermusingsometime:“besides，shewouldgettiredoflivingwithonlyyouinthemoon。IfIweremademoiselle，Iwouldneverconsenttogowithyou。”
“Shehasconsented:shehaspledgedherword。”
“Butyoucan’tgetherthere;thereisnoroadtothemoon:itisallair;andneitheryounorshecanfly。”
“Adèle，lookatthatfield。”WewerenowoutsideThornfieldgates，andbowlinglightlyalongthesmoothroadtoMillcote，wherethedustwaswelllaidbythethunderstorm，and，wherethelowhedgesandloftytimbertreesoneachsideglistenedgreenandrain—refreshed。
“Inthatfield，Adèle，Iwaswalkinglateoneeveningaboutafortnightsince—theeveningofthedayyouhelpedmetomakehayintheorchardmeadows;and，asIwastiredwithrakingswaths，Isatdowntorestmeonastile;andthereItookoutalittlebookandapencil，andbegantowriteaboutamisfortunethatbefellmelongago，andawishIhadforhappydaystocome:Iwaswritingawayveryfast，thoughdaylightwasfadingfromtheleaf，whensomethingcameupthepathandstoppedtwoyardsoffme。Ilookedatit。Itwasalittlethingwithaveilofgossameronitshead。Ibeckonedittocomenearme;itstoodsoonatmyknee。Ineverspoketoit，anditneverspoketome，inwords;butIreaditseyes，anditreadmine;andourspeechlesscolloquywastothiseffect—
“Itwasafairy，andcomefromElf—land，itsaid;anditserrandwastomakemehappy:Imustgowithitoutofthecommonworldtoalonelyplace—suchasthemoon，forinstance—anditnoddeditsheadtowardsherhorn，risingoverHay—hill:ittoldmeofthealabastercaveandsilvervalewherewemightlive。IsaidIshouldliketogo;butremindedit，asyoudidme，thatIhadnowingstofly。
“‘Oh，’returnedthefairy，‘thatdoesnotsignify！Hereisatalismanwillremovealldifficulties;’andsheheldoutaprettygoldring。‘Putit，’shesaid，‘onthefourthfingerofmylefthand，andIamyours，andyouaremine;andweshallleaveearth，andmakeourownheavenyonder。’Shenoddedagainatthemoon。Thering，Adèle，isinmybreeches—pocket，underthedisguiseofasovereign:butImeansoontochangeittoaringagain。”
“Butwhathasmademoiselletodowithit？Idon’tcareforthefairy:yousaiditwasmademoiselleyouwouldtaketothemoon？”
“Mademoiselleisafairy，”hesaid，whisperingmysteriously。WhereuponItoldhernottomindhisbadinage;andshe，onherpart，evincedafundofgenuineFrenchscepticism:denominatingMr。Rochester“unvraimenteur，”andassuringhimthatshemadenoaccountwhateverofhis“contesdefee，”andthat“dureste，iln’yavaitpasdefées，etquandmemeilyenavait:”shewassuretheywouldneverappeartohim，norevergivehimrings，oroffertolivewithhiminthemoon。
ThehourspentatMillcotewasasomewhatharassingonetome。Mr。Rochesterobligedmetogotoacertainsilkwarehouse:thereIwasorderedtochoosehalf—a—dozendresses。Ihatedthebusiness，Ibeggedleavetodeferit:no—itshouldbegonethroughwithnow。Bydintofentreatiesexpressedinenergeticwhispers，Ireducedthehalf—dozentotwo:thesehowever，hevowedhewouldselecthimself。WithanxietyIwatchedhiseyeroveoverthegaystores:hefixedonarichsilkofthemostbrilliantamethystdye，andasuperbpinksatin。Itoldhiminanewseriesofwhispers，thathemightaswellbuymeagoldgownandasilverbonnetatonce:Ishouldcertainlyneverventuretowearhischoice。Withinfinitedifficulty，forhewasstubbornasastone，Ipersuadedhimtomakeanexchangeinfavourofasoberblacksatinandpearl—greysilk。“Itmightpassforthepresent，”hesaid;“buthewouldyetseemeglitteringlikeaparterre。”
GladwasItogethimoutofthesilkwarehouse，andthenoutofajewellersshop:themoreheboughtme，themoremycheekburnedwithasenseofannoyanceanddegradation。Aswere—enteredthecarriage，andIsatbackfeverishandfagged，Irememberedwhat，inthehurryofevents，darkandbright，Ihadwhollyforgotten—theletterofmyuncle，JohnEyre，toMrs。Reed:hisintentiontoadoptmeandmakemehislegatee。“Itwould，indeed，bearelief，”Ithought，“ifIhadeversosmallanindependency;InevercanbearbeingdressedlikeadollbyMr。Rochester，orsittinglikeasecondDanaewiththegoldenshowerfallingdailyroundme。IwillwritetoMadeirathemomentIgethome，andtellmyuncleJohnIamgoingtobemarried，andtowhom:ifIhadbutaprospectofonedaybringingMr。Rochesteranaccessionoffortune，Icouldbetterenduretobekeptbyhimnow。”Andsomewhatrelievedbythisidea（whichIfailednottoexecutethatday），Iventuredoncemoretomeetmymaster’sandlover’seye，whichmostpertinaciouslysoughtmine，thoughIavertedbothfaceandgaze。Hesmiled;andIthoughthissmilewassuchasasultanmight，inablissfulandfondmoment，bestowonaslavehisgoldandgemshadenriched:Icrushedhishand，whichwaseverhuntingmine，vigorously，andthrustitbacktohimredwiththepassionatepressure。
“Youneednotlookinthatway，”Isaid;“ifyoudo，I’llwearnothingbutmyoldLowoodfrockstotheendofthechapter。I’llbemarriedinthislilacgingham:youmaymakeadressing—gownforyourselfoutofthepearl—greysilk，andaninfiniteseriesofwaistcoatsoutoftheblacksatin。”
Hechuckled;herubbedhishands。“Oh，itisrichtoseeandhearher？”heexclaimed。“Issheoriginal？Isshepiquant？IwouldnotexchangethisonelittleEnglishgirlfortheGrandTurk’swholeseraglio，gazelle—eyes，houriforms，andall！”
TheEasternallusionbitmeagain。“I’llnotstandyouaninchinthesteadofaseraglio，”Isaid;“sodon’tconsidermeanequivalentforone。Ifyouhaveafancyforanythinginthatline，awaywithyou，sir，tothebazaarsofStamboulwithoutdelay，andlayoutinextensiveslave—purchasessomeofthatsparecashyouseematalosstospendsatisfactorilyhere。”
“Andwhatwillyoudo，Janet，whileIambargainingforsomanytonsoffleshandsuchanassortmentofblackeyes？”
“I’llbepreparingmyselftogooutasamissionarytopreachlibertytothemthatareenslaved—yourhareminmatesamongsttherest。I’llgetadmittedthere，andI’llstirupmutiny;andyou，three—tailedbashawasyouare，sir，shallinatricefindyourselffetteredamongstourhands:norwillI，forone，consenttocutyourbondstillyouhavesignedacharter，themostliberalthatdespoteveryetconferred。”
“Iwouldconsenttobeatyourmercy，Jane。”
“Iwouldhavenomercy，Mr。Rochester，ifyousupplicatedforitwithaneyelikethat。Whileyoulookedso，Ishouldbecertainthatwhatevercharteryoumightgrantundercoercion，yourfirstact，whenreleased，wouldbetoviolateitsconditions。”
“Why，Jane，whatwouldyouhave？Ifearyouwillcompelmetogothroughaprivatemarriageceremony，besidesthatperformedatthealtar。Youwillstipulate，Isee，forpeculiarterms—whatwilltheybe？”
“Ionlywantaneasymind，sir;notcrushedbycrowdedobligations。DoyourememberwhatyousaidofCélineVarens？—ofthediamonds，thecashmeresyougaveher？IwillnotbeyourEnglishCélineVarens。IshallcontinuetoactasAdèle’sgoverness;bythatIshallearnmyboardandlodging，andthirtypoundsayearbesides。I’llfurnishmyownwardrobeoutofthatmoney，andyoushallgivemenothingbut—”
“Well，butwhat？”
“Yourregard;andifIgiveyoumineinreturn，thatdebtwillbequit。”
“Well，forcoolnativeimpudenceandpureinnatepride，youhaven’tyourequal，”saidhe。WewerenowapproachingThornfield。“Willitpleaseyoutodinewithmeto—day？”heasked，aswere—enteredthegates。
“No，thankyou，sir。”
“Andwhatfor，‘no，thankyou？’ifonemayinquire。”
“Ineverhavedinedwithyou，sir:andIseenoreasonwhyIshouldnow:till—”
“Tillwhat？Youdelightinhalf—phrases。”
“TillIcan’thelpit。”
“DoyousupposeIeatlikeanogreoraghoul，thatyoudreadbeingthecompanionofmyrepast？”
“Ihaveformednosuppositiononthesubject，sir;butIwanttogoonasusualforanothermonth。”
“Youwillgiveupyourgovernessingslaveryatonce。”
“Indeed，beggingyourpardon，sir，Ishallnot。Ishalljustgoonwithitasusual。Ishallkeepoutofyourwayallday，asIhavebeenaccustomedtodo:youmaysendformeintheevening，whenyoufeeldisposedtoseeme，andI’llcomethen;butatnoothertime。”
“Iwantasmoke，Jane，orapinchofsnuff，tocomfortmeunderallthis，‘pourmedonnerunecontenance，’asAdèlewouldsay;andunfortunatelyIhaveneithermycigar—case，normysnuff—box。Butlisten—whisper。Itisyourtimenow，littletyrant，butitwillbeminepresently;andwhenonceIhavefairlyseizedyou，tohaveandtohold，I’lljust—figurativelyspeaking—attachyoutoachainlikethis”（touchinghiswatch—guard）。“Yes，bonnyweething，I’llwearyouinmybosom，lestmyjewelIshouldtyne。”
Hesaidthisashehelpedmetoalightfromthecarriage，andwhileheafterwardsliftedoutAdèle，Ienteredthehouse，andmadegoodmyretreatupstairs。
Hedulysummonedmetohispresenceintheevening。Ihadpreparedanoccupationforhim;forIwasdeterminednottospendthewholetimeinatête—à—têteconversation。Irememberedhisfinevoice;Iknewhelikedtosing—goodsingersgenerallydo。Iwasnovocalistmyself，and，inhisfastidiousjudgment，nomusician，either;butIdelightedinlisteningwhentheperformancewasgood。Nosoonerhadtwilight，thathourofromance，begantolowerherblueandstarrybanneroverthelattice，thanIrose，openedthepiano，andentreatedhim，fortheloveofheaven，togivemeasong。HesaidIwasacapriciouswitch，andthathewouldrathersinganothertime;butIaverredthatnotimewaslikethepresent。
“DidIlikehisvoice？”heasked。
“Verymuch。”Iwasnotfondofpamperingthatsusceptiblevanityofhis;butforonce，andfrommotivesofexpediency，Iwoulde’ensootheandstimulateit。
“Then，Jane，youmustplaytheaccompaniment。”
“Verywell，sir，Iwilltry。”
Ididtry，butwaspresentlysweptoffthestoolanddenominated“alittlebungler。”Beingpushedunceremoniouslytooneside—whichwaspreciselywhatIwished—heusurpedmyplace，andproceededtoaccompanyhimself:forhecouldplayaswellassing。Ihiedmetothewindow—recess。AndwhileIsatthereandlookedoutonthestilltreesanddimlawn，toasweetairwassunginmellowtonesthefollowingstrain:—
“Thetruestlovethateverheart
Feltatitskindledcore，
Didthrougheachvein，inquickenedstart，
Thetideofbeingpour。
Hercomingwasmyhopeeachday，
Herpartingwasmypain;
Thechancethatdidherstepsdelay
Wasiceineveryvein。
Idreameditwouldbenamelessbliss，
AsIloved，lovedtobe;
AndtothisobjectdidIpress
Asblindaseagerly。
Butwideaspathlesswasthespace
Thatlayourlivesbetween，
Anddangerousasthefoamyrace
Ofocean—surgesgreen。
Andhauntedasarobber—path
Throughwildernessorwood;
ForMightandRight，andWoeandWrath，
Betweenourspiritsstood。
Idangersdared;Ihindrancescorned;
Iomensdiddefy:
Whatevermenaced，harassed，warned，
Ipassedimpetuousby。
Onspedmyrainbow，fastaslight;
Iflewasinadream;
Forgloriousroseuponmysight
ThatchildofShowerandGleam。
Stillbrightoncloudsofsufferingdim
Shinesthatsoft，solemnjoy;
NorcareInow，howdenseandgrim
Disastersgathernigh。
Icarenotinthismomentsweet，
ThoughallIhaverushedo’er
Shouldcomeonpinion，strongandfleet，
Proclaimingvengeancesore:
ThoughhaughtyHateshouldstrikemedown，
Right，barapproachtome，
AndgrindingMight，withfuriousfrown，
Swearendlessenmity。
Mylovehasplacedherlittlehand
Withnoblefaithinmine，
Andvowedthatwedlock’ssacredband
Ournatureshallentwine。
Mylovehassworn，withsealingkiss，
Withmetolive—todie;
Ihaveatlastmynamelessbliss。
AsIlove—lovedamI！”
Heroseandcametowardsme，andIsawhisfaceallkindled，andhisfullfalcon—eyeflashing，andtendernessandpassionineverylineament。Iquailedmomentarily—thenIrallied。Softscene，daringdemonstration，Iwouldnothave;andIstoodinperilofboth:aweaponofdefencemustbeprepared—Iwhettedmytongue:ashereachedme，Iaskedwithasperity，“whomhewasgoingtomarrynow？”
“ThatwasastrangequestiontobeputbyhisdarlingJane。”
“Indeed！Iconsidereditaverynaturalandnecessaryone:hehadtalkedofhisfuturewifedyingwithhim。Whatdidhemeanbysuchapaganidea？Ihadnointentionofdyingwithhim—hemightdependonthat。”
“Oh，allhelonged，allheprayedfor，wasthatImightlivewithhim！DeathwasnotforsuchasI。”
“Indeeditwas:Ihadasgoodarighttodiewhenmytimecameashehad:butIshouldbidethattime，andnotbehurriedawayinasuttee。”
“WouldIforgivehimfortheselfishidea，andprovemypardonbyareconcilingkiss？”
“No:Iwouldratherbeexcused。”
HereIheardmyselfapostrophisedasa“hardlittlething;”anditwasadded，“anyotherwomanwouldhavebeenmeltedtomarrowathearingsuchstanzascroonedinherpraise。”
IassuredhimIwasnaturallyhard—veryflinty，andthathewouldoftenfindmeso;andthat，moreover，Iwasdeterminedtoshowhimdiversruggedpointsinmycharacterbeforetheensuingfourweekselapsed:heshouldknowfullywhatsortofabargainhehadmade，whiletherewasyettimetorescindit。
“WouldIbequietandtalkrationally？”
“Iwouldbequietifheliked，andastotalkingrationally，IflatteredmyselfIwasdoingthatnow。”