Theoldcrone“nichered”alaughunderherbonnetandbandage;shethendrewoutashortblackpipe，andlightingitbegantosmoke。Havingindulgedawhileinthissedative，sheraisedherbentbody，tookthepipefromherlips，andwhilegazingsteadilyatthefire，saidverydeliberately—“Youarecold;youaresick;andyouaresilly。”
“Proveit，”Irejoined。
“Iwill，infewwords。Youarecold，becauseyouarealone:nocontactstrikesthefirefromyouthatisinyou。Youaresick;becausethebestoffeelings，thehighestandthesweetestgiventoman，keepsfarawayfromyou。Youaresilly，because，sufferasyoumay，youwillnotbeckonittoapproach，norwillyoustironesteptomeetitwhereitwaitsyou。”
Sheagainputhershortblackpipetoherlips，andrenewedhersmokingwithvigour。
“Youmightsayallthattoalmostanyonewhoyouknewlivedasasolitarydependentinagreathouse。”
“Imightsayittoalmostanyone:butwoulditbetrueofalmostanyone？”
“Inmycircumstances。”
“Yes;justso，inyourcircumstances:butfindmeanotherpreciselyplacedasyouare。”
“Itwouldbeeasytofindyouthousands。”
“Youcouldscarcelyfindmeone。Ifyouknewit，youarepeculiarlysituated:verynearhappiness;yes，withinreachofit。Thematerialsareallprepared;thereonlywantsamovementtocombinethem。Chancelaidthemsomewhatapart;letthembeonceapproachedandblissresults。”
“Idon’tunderstandenigmas。Inevercouldguessariddleinmylife。”
“Ifyouwishmetospeakmoreplainly，showmeyourpalm。”
“AndImustcrossitwithsilver，Isuppose？”
“Tobesure。”
Igaveherashilling:sheputitintoanoldstocking—footwhichshetookoutofherpocket，andhavingtieditroundandreturnedit，shetoldmetoholdoutmyhand。Idid。Sheachedherfacetothepalm，andporedoveritwithouttouchingit。
“Itistoofine，”saidshe。“Icanmakenothingofsuchahandasthat;almostwithoutlines:besides，whatisinapalm？Destinyisnotwrittenthere。”
“Ibelieveyou，”saidI。
“No，”shecontinued，“itisintheface:ontheforehead，abouttheeyes，inthelinesofthemouth。Kneel，andliftupyourhead。”
“Ah！nowyouarecomingtoreality，”Isaid，asIobeyedher。“Ishallbegintoputsomefaithinyoupresently。”
Ikneltwithinhalfayardofher。Shestirredthefire，sothatarippleoflightbrokefromthedisturbedcoal:theglare，however，asshesat，onlythrewherfaceintodeepershadow:mine，itillumined。
“Iwonderwithwhatfeelingsyoucametometo—night，”shesaid，whenshehadexaminedmeawhile。“Iwonderwhatthoughtsarebusyinyourheartduringallthehoursyousitinyonderroomwiththefinepeopleflittingbeforeyoulikeshapesinamagic—lantern:justaslittlesympatheticcommunionpassingbetweenyouandthemasiftheywerereallymereshadowsofhumanforms，andnottheactualsubstance。”
“Ifeeltiredoften，sleepysometimes，butseldomsad。”
“Thenyouhavesomesecrethopetobuoyyouupandpleaseyouwithwhispersofthefuture？”
“NotI。TheutmostIhopeis，tosavemoneyenoughoutofmyearningstosetupaschoolsomedayinalittlehouserentedbymyself。”
“Ameannutrimentforthespirittoexiston:andsittinginthatwindow—seat（youseeIknowyourhabits）—”
“Youhavelearnedthemfromtheservants。”
“Ah！youthinkyourselfsharp。Well，perhapsIhave:tospeaktruth，Ihaveanacquaintancewithoneofthem，Mrs。Poole—”
IstartedtomyfeetwhenIheardthename。
“Youhave—haveyou？”thoughtI;“thereisdiablerieinthebusinessafterall，then！”
“Don’tbealarmed，”continuedthestrangebeing;“she’sasafehandisMrs。Poole:closeandquiet;anyonemayreposeconfidenceinher。But，asIwassaying:sittinginthatwindow—seat，doyouthinkofnothingbutyourfutureschool？Haveyounopresentinterestinanyofthecompanywhooccupythesofasandchairsbeforeyou？Istherenotonefaceyoustudy？onefigurewhosemovementsyoufollowwithatleastcuriosity？”
“Iliketoobserveallthefacesandallthefigures。”
“Butdoyouneversingleonefromtherest—oritmaybe，two？”
“Idofrequently;whenthegesturesorlooksofapairseemtellingatale:itamusesmetowatchthem。”
“Whattaledoyoulikebesttohear？”
“Oh，Ihavenotmuchchoice！Theygenerallyrunonthesametheme—courtship;andpromisetoendinthesamecatastrophe—marriage。”
“Anddoyoulikethatmonotonoustheme？”
“Positively，Idon’tcareaboutit:itisnothingtome。”
“Nothingtoyou？Whenalady，youngandfulloflifeandhealth，charmingwithbeautyandendowedwiththegiftsofrankandfortune，sitsandsmilesintheeyesofagentlemanyou—”
“Iwhat？”
“Youknow—andperhapsthinkwellof。”
“Idon’tknowthegentlemenhere。Ihavescarcelyinterchangedasyllablewithoneofthem;andastothinkingwellofthem，Iconsidersomerespectable，andstately，andmiddle—aged，andothersyoung，dashing，handsome，andlively:butcertainlytheyareallatlibertytobetherecipientsofwhosesmilestheyplease，withoutmyfeelingdisposedtoconsiderthetransactionofanymomenttome。”
“Youdon’tknowthegentlemenhere？Youhavenotexchangedasyllablewithoneofthem？Willyousaythatofthemasterofthehouse！”
“Heisnotathome。”
“Aprofoundremark！Amostingeniousquibble！HewenttoMillcotethismorning，andwillbebackhereto—nightorto—morrow:doesthatcircumstanceexcludehimfromthelistofyouracquaintance—blothim，asitwere，outofexistence？”
“No;butIcanscarcelyseewhatMr。Rochesterhastodowiththethemeyouhadintroduced。”
“Iwastalkingofladiessmilingintheeyesofgentlemen;andoflatesomanysmileshavebeenshedintoMr。Rochester’seyesthattheyoverflowliketwocupsfilledabovethebrim:haveyouneverremarkedthat？”
“Mr。Rochesterhasarighttoenjoythesocietyofhisguests。”
“Noquestionabouthisright:buthaveyouneverobservedthat，ofallthetalestoldhereaboutmatrimony，Mr。Rochesterhasbeenfavouredwiththemostlivelyandthemostcontinuous？”
“Theeagernessofalistenerquickensthetongueofanarrator。”Isaidthisrathertomyselfthantothegipsy，whosestrangetalk，voice，manner，hadbythistimewrappedmeinakindofdream。Oneunexpectedsentencecamefromherlipsafteranother，tillIgotinvolvedinawebofmystification;andwonderedwhatunseenspirithadbeensittingforweeksbymyheartwatchingitsworkingsandtakingrecordofeverypulse。
“Eagernessofalistener！”repeatedshe:“yes;Mr。Rochesterhassatbythehour，hisearinclinedtothefascinatinglipsthattooksuchdelightintheirtaskofcommunicating;andMr。Rochesterwassowillingtoreceiveandlookedsogratefulforthepastimegivenhim;youhavenoticedthis？”
“Grateful！Icannotrememberdetectinggratitudeinhisface。”
“Detecting！Youhaveanalysed，then。Andwhatdidyoudetect，ifnotgratitude？”
Isaidnothing。
“Youhaveseenlove:haveyounot？—and，lookingforward，youhaveseenhimmarried，andbeheldhisbridehappy？”
“Humph！Notexactly。Yourwitch’sskillisratheratfaultsometimes。”
“Whatthedevilhaveyouseen，then？”
“Nevermind:Icameheretoinquire，nottoconfess。IsitknownthatMr。Rochesteristobemarried？”
“Yes;andtothebeautifulMissIngram。”
“Shortly？”
“Appearanceswouldwarrantthatconclusion:and，nodoubt（though，withanaudacitythatwantschastisingoutofyou，youseemtoquestionit），theywillbeasuperlativelyhappypair。Hemustlovesuchahandsome，noble，witty，accomplishedlady;andprobablysheloveshim，or，ifnothisperson，atleasthispurse。IknowsheconsiderstheRochesterestateeligibletothelastdegree;though（Godpardonme！）Itoldhersomethingonthatpointaboutanhouragowhichmadeherlookwondrousgrave:thecornersofhermouthfellhalfaninch。Iwouldadviseherblackavicedsuitortolookout:ifanothercomes，withalongerorclearerrent—roll，—he’sdished—”
“But，mother，IdidnotcometohearMr。Rochester’sfortune:Icametohearmyown;andyouhavetoldmenothingofit。”
“Yourfortuneisyetdoubtful:whenIexaminedyourface，onetraitcontradictedanother。Chancehasmetedyouameasureofhappiness:thatIknow。IknewitbeforeIcameherethisevening。Shehaslaiditcarefullyononesideforyou。Isawherdoit。Itdependsonyourselftostretchoutyourhand，andtakeitup:butwhetheryouwilldoso，istheproblemIstudy。Kneelagainontherug。”
“Don’tkeepmelong;thefirescorchesme。”
Iknelt。Shedidnotstooptowardsme，butonlygazed，leaningbackinherchair。Shebeganmuttering，—
“Theflameflickersintheeye;theeyeshineslikedew;itlookssoftandfulloffeeling;itsmilesatmyjargon:itissusceptible;impressionfollowsimpressionthroughitsclearsphere;whereitceasestosmile，itissad;anunconsciouslassitudeweighsonthelid:thatsignifiesmelancholyresultingfromloneliness。Itturnsfromme;itwillnotsufferfurtherscrutiny;itseemstodeny，byamockingglance，thetruthofthediscoveriesIhavealreadymade，—todisownthechargebothofsensibilityandchagrin:itsprideandreserveonlyconfirmmeinmyopinion。Theeyeisfavourable。
“Astothemouth，itdelightsattimesinlaughter;itisdisposedtoimpartallthatthebrainconceives;thoughIdaresayitwouldbesilentonmuchtheheartexperiences。Mobileandflexible，itwasneverintendedtobecompressedintheeternalsilenceofsolitude:itisamouthwhichshouldspeakmuchandsmileoften，andhavehumanaffectionforitsinterlocutor。Thatfeaturetooispropitious。
“Iseenoenemytoafortunateissuebutinthebrow;andthatbrowprofessestosay，—‘Icanlivealone，ifself—respect，andcircumstancesrequiremesotodo。Ineednotsellmysoultobuybliss。Ihaveaninwardtreasurebornwithme，whichcankeepmealiveifallextraneousdelightsshouldbewithheld，orofferedonlyatapriceIcannotaffordtogive。’Theforeheaddeclares，‘Reasonsitsfirmandholdsthereins，andshewillnotletthefeelingsburstawayandhurryhertowildchasms。Thepassionsmayragefuriously，liketrueheathens，astheyare;andthedesiresmayimagineallsortsofvainthings:butjudgmentshallstillhavethelastwordineveryargument，andthecastingvoteineverydecision。Strongwind，earthquake—shock，andfiremaypassby:butIshallfollowtheguidingofthatstillsmallvoicewhichinterpretsthedictatesofconscience。’
“Wellsaid，forehead;yourdeclarationshallberespected。Ihaveformedmyplans—rightplansIdeemthem—andinthemIhaveattendedtotheclaimsofconscience，thecounselsofreason。Iknowhowsoonyouthwouldfadeandbloomperish，if，inthecupofblissoffered，butonedregofshame，oroneflavourofremorseweredetected;andIdonotwantsacrifice，sorrow，dissolution—suchisnotmytaste。Iwishtofoster，nottoblight—toearngratitude，nottowringtearsofblood—no，norofbrine:myharvestmustbeinsmiles，inendearments，insweet—Thatwilldo。IthinkIraveinakindofexquisitedelirium。Ishouldwishnowtoprotractthismomentadinfinitum;butIdarenot。SofarIhavegovernedmyselfthoroughly。IhaveactedasIinwardlysworeIwouldact;butfurthermighttrymebeyondmystrength。Rise，MissEyre:leaveme;theplayisplayedout’。”
WherewasI？DidIwakeorsleep？HadIbeendreaming？DidIdreamstill？Theoldwoman’svoicehadchanged:heraccent，hergesture，andallwerefamiliartomeasmyownfaceinaglass—asthespeechofmyowntongue。Igotup，butdidnotgo。Ilooked;Istirredthefire，andIlookedagain:butshedrewherbonnetandherbandagecloseraboutherface，andagainbeckonedmetodepart。Theflameilluminatedherhandstretchedout:rousednow，andonthealertfordiscoveries，Iatoncenoticedthathand。Itwasnomorethewitheredlimbofeldthanmyown;itwasaroundedsupplemember，withsmoothfingers，symmetricallyturned;abroadringflashedonthelittlefinger，andstoopingforward，Ilookedatit，andsawagemIhadseenahundredtimesbefore。AgainIlookedattheface;whichwasnolongerturnedfromme—onthecontrary，thebonnetwasdoffed，thebandagedisplaced，theheadadvanced。
“Well，Jane，doyouknowme？”askedthefamiliarvoice。
“Onlytakeofftheredcloak，sir，andthen—”
“Butthestringisinaknot—helpme。”
“Breakit，sir。”
“There，then—‘Off，yelendings！’”AndMr。Rochestersteppedoutofhisdisguise。
“Now，sir，whatastrangeidea！”
“Butwellcarriedout，eh？Don’tyouthinkso？”
“Withtheladiesyoumusthavemanagedwell。”
“Butnotwithyou？”
“Youdidnotactthecharacterofagipsywithme。”
“WhatcharacterdidIact？Myown？”
“No;someunaccountableone。Inshort，Ibelieveyouhavebeentryingtodrawmeout—orin;youhavebeentalkingnonsensetomakemetalknonsense。Itisscarcelyfair，sir。”
“Doyouforgiveme，Jane？”
“IcannottelltillIhavethoughtitallover。If，onreflection，IfindIhavefallenintonogreatabsurdity，Ishalltrytoforgiveyou;butitwasnotright。”
“Oh，youhavebeenverycorrect—verycareful，verysensible。”
Ireflected，andthought，onthewhole，Ihad。Itwasacomfort;but，indeed，Ihadbeenonmyguardalmostfromthebeginningoftheinterview。SomethingofmasqueradeIsuspected。Iknewgipsiesandfortune—tellersdidnotexpressthemselvesasthisseemingoldwomanhadexpressedherself;besidesIhadnotedherfeignedvoice，heranxietytoconcealherfeatures。ButmymindhadbeenrunningonGracePoole—thatlivingenigma，thatmysteryofmysteries，asIconsideredher。IhadneverthoughtofMr。Rochester。
“Well，”saidhe，“whatareyoumusingabout？Whatdoesthatgravesmilesignify？”
“Wonderandself—congratulation，sir。Ihaveyourpermissiontoretirenow，Isuppose？”
“No;stayamoment;andtellmewhatthepeopleinthedrawing—roomyonderaredoing。”
“Discussingthegipsy，Idaresay。”
“Sitdown！—Letmehearwhattheysaidaboutme。”
“Ihadbetternotstaylong，sir;itmustbeneareleveno’clock。Oh，areyouaware，Mr。Rochester，thatastrangerhasarrivedheresinceyouleftthismorning？”
“Astranger！—no;whocanitbe？Iexpectednoone;ishegone？”
“No;hesaidhehadknownyoulong，andthathecouldtakethelibertyofinstallinghimselfheretillyoureturned。”
“Thedevilhedid！Didhegivehisname？”
“HisnameisMason，sir;andhecomesfromtheWestIndies;fromSpanishTown，inJamaica，Ithink。”
Mr。Rochesterwasstandingnearme;hehadtakenmyhand，asiftoleadmetoachair。AsIspokehegavemywristaconvulsivegrip;thesmileonhislipsfroze:apparentlyaspasmcaughthisbreath。
“Mason！—theWestIndies！”hesaid，inthetoneonemightfancyaspeakingautomatontoenounceitssinglewords;“Mason！—theWestIndies！”hereiterated;andhewentoverthesyllablesthreetimes，growing，intheintervalsofspeaking，whiterthanashes:hehardlyseemedtoknowwhathewasdoing。
“Doyoufeelill，sir？”Iinquired。
“Jane，I’vegotablow;I’vegotablow，Jane！”Hestaggered。
“Oh，leanonme，sir。”
“Jane，youofferedmeyourshoulderoncebefore;letmehaveitnow。”
“Yes，sir，yes;andmyarm。”
Hesatdown，andmademesitbesidehim。Holdingmyhandinbothhisown，hechafedit;gazingonme，atthesametime，withthemosttroubledanddrearylook。
“Mylittlefriend！”saidhe，“IwishIwereinaquietislandwithonlyyou;andtrouble，anddanger，andhideousrecollectionsremovedfromme。”
“CanIhelpyou，sir？—I’dgivemylifetoserveyou。”
“Jane，ifaidiswanted，I’llseekitatyourhands;Ipromiseyouthat。”
“Thankyou，sir。Tellmewhattodo，—I’lltry，atleast，todoit。”
“Fetchmenow，Jane，aglassofwinefromthedining—room:theywillbeatsupperthere;andtellmeifMasoniswiththem，andwhatheisdoing。”
Iwent。Ifoundallthepartyinthedining—roomatsupper，asMr。Rochesterhadsaid;theywerenotseatedattable，—thesupperwasarrangedonthesideboard;eachhadtakenwhathechose，andtheystoodabouthereandthereingroups，theirplatesandglassesintheirhands。Everyoneseemedinhighglee;laughterandconversationweregeneralandanimated。Mr。Masonstoodnearthefire，talkingtoColonelandMrs。Dent，andappearedasmerryasanyofthem。Ifilledawine—glass（IsawMissIngramwatchmefrowninglyasIdidso:shethoughtIwastakingaliberty，Idaresay），andIreturnedtothelibrary。
Mr。Rochester’sextremepallorhaddisappeared，andhelookedoncemorefirmandstern。Hetooktheglassfrommyhand。
“Hereistoyourhealth，ministrantspirit！”hesaid。Heswallowedthecontentsandreturnedittome。“Whataretheydoing，Jane？”
“Laughingandtalking，sir。”
“Theydon’tlookgraveandmysterious，asiftheyhadheardsomethingstrange？”
“Notatall:theyarefullofjestsandgaiety。”
“AndMason？”
“Hewaslaughingtoo。”
“Ifallthesepeoplecameinabodyandspatatme，whatwouldyoudo，Jane？”
“Turnthemoutoftheroom，sir，ifIcould。”
Hehalfsmiled。“ButifIweretogotothem，andtheyonlylookedatmecoldly，andwhisperedsneeringlyamongsteachother，andthendroppedoffandleftmeonebyone，whatthen？Wouldyougowiththem？”
“Iratherthinknot，sir:Ishouldhavemorepleasureinstayingwithyou。”
“Tocomfortme？”
“Yes，sir，tocomfortyou，aswellasIcould。”
“Andiftheylaidyouunderabanforadheringtome？”
“I，probably，shouldknownothingabouttheirban;andifIdid，Ishouldcarenothingaboutit。”
“Then，youcoulddarecensureformysake？”
“Icoulddareitforthesakeofanyfriendwhodeservedmyadherence;asyou，Iamsure，do。”
“Gobacknowintotheroom;stepquietlyuptoMason，andwhisperinhisearthatMr。Rochesteriscomeandwishestoseehim:showhiminhereandthenleaveme。”
“Yes，sir。”
Ididhisbehest。ThecompanyallstaredatmeasIpassedstraightamongthem。IsoughtMr。Mason，deliveredthemessage，andprecededhimfromtheroom:Iusheredhimintothelibrary，andthenIwentupstairs。
Atalatehour，afterIhadbeeninbedsometime，Iheardthevisitorsrepairtotheirchambers:IdistinguishedMr。Rochester’svoice，andheardhimsay，“Thisway，Mason;thisisyourroom。”
Hespokecheerfully:thegaytonessetmyheartatease。Iwassoonasleep。
Chapter20
Ihadforgottentodrawmycurtain，whichIusuallydid，andalsotoletdownmywindow—blind。Theconsequencewas，thatwhenthemoon，whichwasfullandbright（forthenightwasfine），cameinhercoursetothatspaceintheskyoppositemycasement，andlookedinatmethroughtheunveiledpanes，hergloriousgazerousedme。Awakinginthedeadofnight，Iopenedmyeyesonherdisk—silver—whiteandcrystalclear。Itwasbeautiful，buttoosolemn;Ihalfrose，andstretchedmyarmtodrawthecurtain。
GoodGod！Whatacry！
Thenight—itssilence—itsrest，wasrentintwainbyasavage，asharp，ashrillysoundthatranfromendtoendofThornfieldHall。
Mypulsestopped:myheartstoodstill;mystretchedarmwasparalysed。Thecrydied，andwasnotrenewed。Indeed，whateverbeingutteredthatfearfulshriekcouldnotsoonrepeatit:notthewidest—wingedcondorontheAndescould，twiceinsuccession，sendoutsuchayellfromthecloudshroudinghiseyrie。Thethingdeliveringsuchutterancemustrestereitcouldrepeattheeffort。
Itcameoutofthethirdstorey;foritpassedoverhead。Andoverhead—yes，intheroomjustabovemychamber—ceiling—Inowheardastruggle:adeadlyoneitseemedfromthenoise;andahalf—smotheredvoiceshouted—
“Help！help！help！”threetimesrapidly。
“Willnoonecome？”itcried;andthen，whilethestaggeringandstampingwentonwildly，Idistinguishedthroughplankandplaster:—
“Rochester！Rochester！forGod’ssake，come！”
Achamber—dooropened:someoneran，orrushed，alongthegallery。Anotherstepstampedontheflooringaboveandsomethingfell;andtherewassilence。
Ihadputonsomeclothes，thoughhorrorshookallmylimbs;Iissuedfrommyapartment。Thesleeperswereallaroused:ejaculations，terrifiedmurmurssoundedineveryroom;doorafterdoorunclosed;onelookedoutandanotherlookedout;thegalleryfilled。Gentlemenandladiesalikehadquittedtheirbeds;and“Oh！whatisit？”—“Whoishurt？”—“Whathashappened？”—“Fetchalight！”—“Isitfire？”—“Arethererobbers？”—“Whereshallwerun？”wasdemandedconfusedlyonallhands。Butforthemoonlighttheywouldhavebeenincompletedarkness。Theyrantoandfro;theycrowdedtogether:somesobbed，somestumbled:theconfusionwasinextricable。
“WherethedevilisRochester？”criedColonelDent。“Icannotfindhiminhisbed。”
“Here！here！”wasshoutedinreturn。“Becomposed，allofyou:I’mcoming。”
Andthedoorattheendofthegalleryopened，andMr。Rochesteradvancedwithacandle:hehadjustdescendedfromtheupperstorey。Oneoftheladiesrantohimdirectly;sheseizedhisarm:itwasMissIngram。
“Whatawfuleventhastakenplace？”saidshe。“Speak！letusknowtheworstatonce！”
“Butdon’tpullmedownorstrangleme，”hereplied:fortheMissesEshtonwereclingingabouthimnow;andthetwodowagers，invastwhitewrappers，werebearingdownonhimlikeshipsinfullsail。
“All’sright！—all’sright！”hecried。“It’samererehearsalofMuchAdoaboutNothing。Ladies，keepoff，orIshallwaxdangerous。”
Anddangeroushelooked:hisblackeyesdartedsparks。Calminghimselfbyaneffort，headded—
“Aservanthashadthenightmare;thatisall。She’sanexcitable，nervousperson:sheconstruedherdreamintoanapparition，orsomethingofthatsort，nodoubt;andhastakenafitwithfright。Now，then，Imustseeyouallbackintoyourrooms;for，tillthehouseissettled，shecannotbelookedafter。Gentlemen，havethegoodnesstosettheladiestheexample。MissIngram，Iamsureyouwillnotfailinevincingsuperioritytoidleterrors。AmyandLouisa，returntoyournestslikeapairofdoves，asyouare。Mesdames”（tothedowagers），“youwilltakecoldtoadeadcertainty，ifyoustayinthischillgalleryanylonger。”
Andso，bydintofalternatecoaxingandcommanding，hecontrivedtogetthemalloncemoreenclosedintheirseparatedormitories。Ididnotwaittobeorderedbacktomine，butretreatedunnoticed，asunnoticedIhadleftit。
Not，however，togotobed:onthecontrary，Ibegananddressedmyselfcarefully。ThesoundsIhadheardafterthescream，andthewordsthathadbeenuttered，hadprobablybeenheardonlybyme;fortheyhadproceededfromtheroomabovemine:buttheyassuredmethatitwasnotaservant’sdreamwhichhadthusstruckhorrorthroughthehouse;andthattheexplanationMr。Rochesterhadgivenwasmerelyaninventionframedtopacifyhisguests。Idressed，then，tobereadyforemergencies。Whendressed，IsatalongtimebythewindowlookingoutoverthesilentgroundsandsilveredfieldsandwaitingforIknewnotwhat。Itseemedtomethatsomeeventmustfollowthestrangecry，struggle，andcall。
No:stillnessreturned:eachmurmurandmovementceasedgradually，andinaboutanhourThornfieldHallwasagainashushedasadesert。Itseemedthatsleepandnighthadresumedtheirempire。Meantimethemoondeclined:shewasabouttoset。Notlikingtositinthecoldanddarkness，IthoughtIwouldliedownonmybed，dressedasIwas。Ileftthewindow，andmovedwithlittlenoiseacrossthecarpet;asIstoopedtotakeoffmyshoes，acautioushandtappedlowatthedoor。
“AmIwanted？”Iasked。
“Areyouup？”askedthevoiceIexpectedtohear，viz。，mymaster’s。
“Yes，sir。”
“Anddressed？”
“Yes。”
“Comeout，then，quietly。”
Iobeyed。Mr。Rochesterstoodinthegalleryholdingalight。
“Iwantyou，”hesaid:“comethisway:takeyourtime，andmakenonoise。”
Myslipperswerethin:Icouldwalkthemattedfloorassoftlyasacat。Heglidedupthegalleryandupthestairs，andstoppedinthedark，lowcorridorofthefatefulthirdstorey:Ihadfollowedandstoodathisside。
“Haveyouaspongeinyourroom？”heaskedinawhisper。
“Yes，sir。”
“Haveyouanysalts—volatilesalts？Yes。”
“Gobackandfetchboth。”
Ireturned，soughtthespongeonthewashstand，thesaltsinmydrawer，andoncemoreretracedmysteps。Hestillwaited;heheldakeyinhishand:approachingoneofthesmall，blackdoors，heputitinthelock;hepaused，andaddressedmeagain。
“Youdon’tturnsickatthesightofblood？”
“IthinkIshallnot:Ihaveneverbeentriedyet。”
IfeltathrillwhileIansweredhim;butnocoldness，andnofaintness。
“Justgivemeyourhand，”hesaid:“itwillnotdotoriskafaintingfit。”
Iputmyfingersintohis。“Warmandsteady，”washisremark:heturnedthekeyandopenedthedoor。
IsawaroomIrememberedtohaveseenbefore，thedayMrs。Fairfaxshowedmeoverthehouse:itwashungwithtapestry;butthetapestrywasnowloopedupinonepart，andtherewasadoorapparent，whichhadthenbeenconcealed。Thisdoorwasopen;alightshoneoutoftheroomwithin:Iheardthenceasnarling，snatchingsound，almostlikeadogquarrelling。Mr。Rochester，puttingdownhiscandle，saidtome，“Waitaminute，”andhewentforwardtotheinnerapartment。Ashoutoflaughtergreetedhisentrance;noisyatfirst，andterminatinginGracePoole’sowngoblinha！ha！Shethenwasthere。Hemadesomesortofarrangementwithoutspeaking，thoughIheardalowvoiceaddresshim:hecameoutandclosedthedoorbehindhim。
“Here，Jane！”hesaid;andIwalkedroundtotheothersideofalargebed，whichwithitsdrawncurtainsconcealedaconsiderableportionofthechamber。Aneasy—chairwasnearthebed—head:amansatinit，dressedwiththeexceptionofhiscoat;hewasstill;hisheadleantback;hiseyeswereclosed。Mr。Rochesterheldthecandleoverhim;Irecognisedinhispaleandseeminglylifelessface—thestranger，Mason:Isawtoothathislinenononeside，andonearm，wasalmostsoakedinblood。
“Holdthecandle，”saidMr。Rochester，andItookit:hefetchedabasinofwaterfromthewashstand:“Holdthat，”saidhe。Iobeyed。Hetookthesponge，dippeditin，andmoistenedthecorpse—likeface;heaskedformysmelling—bottle，andappliedittothenostrils。Mr。Masonshortlyunclosedhiseyes;hegroaned。Mr。Rochesteropenedtheshirtofthewoundedman，whosearmandshoulderwerebandaged:hespongedawayblood，tricklingfastdown。