“Wouldshetakemygloves？”
“No！whatcouldshedowiththem？”
Reader，itisnotpleasanttodwellonthesedetails。Somesaythereisenjoymentinlookingbacktopainfulexperiencepast;butatthisdayIcanscarcelybeartoreviewthetimestowhichIallude:themoraldegradation，blentwiththephysicalsuffering，formtoodistressingarecollectionevertobewillinglydwelton。Iblamednoneofthosewhorepulsedme。Ifeltitwaswhatwastobeexpected，andwhatcouldnotbehelped:anordinarybeggarisfrequentlyanobjectofsuspicion;awell—dressedbeggarinevitablyso。Tobesure，whatIbeggedwasemployment;butwhosebusinesswasittoprovidemewithemployment？Not，certainly，thatofpersonswhosawmethenforthefirsttime，andwhoknewnothingaboutmycharacter。Andastothewomanwhowouldnottakemyhandkerchiefinexchangeforherbread，why，shewasright，iftheofferappearedtohersinisterortheexchangeunprofitable。Letmecondensenow。Iamsickofthesubject。
AlittlebeforedarkIpassedafarm—house，attheopendoorofwhichthefarmerwassitting，eatinghissupperofbreadandcheese。Istoppedandsaid—
“Willyougivemeapieceofbread？forIamveryhungry。”Hecastonmeaglanceofsurprise;butwithoutanswering，hecutathickslicefromhisloaf，andgaveittome。IimaginehedidnotthinkIwasabeggar，butonlyaneccentricsortoflady，whohadtakenafancytohisbrownloaf。AssoonasIwasoutofsightofhishouse，Isatdownandateit。
Icouldnothopetogetalodgingunderaroof，andsoughtitinthewoodIhavebeforealludedto。Butmynightwaswretched，myrestbroken:thegroundwasdamp，theaircold:besides，intruderspassednearmemorethanonce，andIhadagainandagaintochangemyquarters;nosenseofsafetyortranquillitybefriendedme。Towardsmorningitrained;thewholeofthefollowingdaywaswet。Donotaskme，reader，togiveaminuteaccountofthatday;asbefore，Isoughtwork;asbefore，Iwasrepulsed;asbefore，Istarved;butoncedidfoodpassmylips。AtthedoorofacottageIsawalittlegirlabouttothrowamessofcoldporridgeintoapigtrough。“Willyougivemethat？”Iasked。
Shestaredatme。“Mother！”sheexclaimed，“thereisawomanwantsmetogivehertheseporridge。”
“Welllass，”repliedavoicewithin，“giveitherifshe’sabeggar。Tpigdoesn’twantit。”
Thegirlemptiedthestiffenedmouldintomyhand，andIdevoureditravenously。
Asthewettwilightdeepened，Istoppedinasolitarybridle—path，whichIhadbeenpursuinganhourormore。
“Mystrengthisquitefailingme，”Isaidinasoliloquy。“IfeelIcannotgomuchfarther。ShallIbeanoutcastagainthisnight？Whiletheraindescendsso，mustIlaymyheadonthecold，drenchedground？IfearIcannotdootherwise:forwhowillreceiveme？Butitwillbeverydreadful，withthisfeelingofhunger，faintness，chill，andthissenseofdesolation—thistotalprostrationofhope。Inalllikelihood，though，Ishoulddiebeforemorning。AndwhycannotIreconcilemyselftotheprospectofdeath？WhydoIstruggletoretainavaluelesslife？BecauseIknow，orbelieve，Mr。Rochesterisliving:andthen，todieofwantandcoldisafatetowhichnaturecannotsubmitpassively。Oh，Providence！sustainmealittlelonger！Aid！—directme！”
Myglazedeyewanderedoverthedimandmistylandscape。IsawIhadstrayedfarfromthevillage:itwasquiteoutofsight。Theverycultivationsurroundingithaddisappeared。Ihad，bycross—waysandby—paths，oncemoredrawnnearthetractofmoorland;andnow，onlyafewfields，almostaswildandunproductiveastheheathfromwhichtheywerescarcelyreclaimed，laybetweenmeandtheduskyhill。
“Well，Iwouldratherdieyonderthaninastreetoronafrequentedroad，”Ireflected。“Andfarbetterthatcrowsandravens—ifanyravenstherebeintheseregions—shouldpickmyfleshfrommybones，thanthattheyshouldbeprisonedinaworkhousecoffinandmoulderinapauper’sgrave。”
Tothehill，then，Iturned。Ireachedit。ItremainednowonlytofindahollowwhereIcouldliedown，andfeelatleasthidden，ifnotsecure。Butallthesurfaceofthewastelookedlevel。Itshowednovariationbutoftint:green，whererushandmossovergrewthemarshes;black，wherethedrysoilboreonlyheath。Darkasitwasgetting，Icouldstillseethesechanges，thoughbutasmerealternationsoflightandshade;forcolourhadfadedwiththedaylight。
Myeyestillrovedoverthesullenswellandalongthemoor—edge，vanishingamidstthewildestscenery，whenatonedimpoint，farinamongthemarshesandtheridges，alightsprangup。“Thatisanignisfatuus，”wasmyfirstthought;andIexpecteditwouldsoonvanish。Itburnton，however，quitesteadily，neitherrecedingnoradvancing。“Isit，then，abonfirejustkindled？”Iquestioned。Iwatchedtoseewhetheritwouldspread:butno;asitdidnotdiminish，soitdidnotenlarge。“Itmaybeacandleinahouse，”Ithenconjectured;“butifso，Icanneverreachit。Itismuchtoofaraway:andwereitwithinayardofme，whatwoulditavail？Ishouldbutknockatthedoortohaveitshutinmyface。”
AndIsankdownwhereIstood，andhidmyfaceagainsttheground。Ilaystillawhile:thenight—windsweptoverthehillandoverme，anddiedmoaninginthedistance;therainfellfast，wettingmeafreshtotheskin。CouldIbuthavestiffenedtothestillfrost—thefriendlynumbnessofdeath—itmighthavepeltedon;Ishouldnothavefeltit;butmyyetlivingfleshshudderedatitschillinginfluence。Iroseerelong。
Thelightwasyetthere，shiningdimbutconstantthroughtherain。Itriedtowalkagain:Idraggedmyexhaustedlimbsslowlytowardsit。Itledmeaslantoverthehill，throughawidebog，whichwouldhavebeenimpassableinwinter，andwassplashyandshakingevennow，intheheightofsummer。HereIfelltwice;butasoftenIroseandralliedmyfaculties。Thislightwasmyforlornhope:Imustgainit。
Havingcrossedthemarsh，Isawatraceofwhiteoverthemoor。Iapproachedit;itwasaroadoratrack:itledstraightuptothelight，whichnowbeamedfromasortofknoll，amidstaclumpoftrees—firs，apparently，fromwhatIcoulddistinguishofthecharacteroftheirformsandfoliagethroughthegloom。MystarvanishedasIdrewnear:someobstaclehadintervenedbetweenmeandit。Iputoutmyhandtofeelthedarkmassbeforeme:Idiscriminatedtheroughstonesofalowwall—aboveit，somethinglikepalisades，andwithin，ahighandpricklyhedge。Igropedon。Againawhitishobjectgleamedbeforeme:itwasagate—awicket;itmovedonitshingesasItouchedit。Oneachsidestoodasablebush—hollyoryew。
Enteringthegateandpassingtheshrubs，thesilhouetteofahouserosetoview，black，low，andratherlong;buttheguidinglightshonenowhere。Allwasobscurity。Weretheinmatesretiredtorest？Ifeareditmustbeso。Inseekingthedoor，Iturnedanangle:thereshotoutthefriendlygleamagain，fromthelozengedpanesofaverysmalllatticedwindow，withinafootoftheground，madestillsmallerbythegrowthofivyorsomeothercreepingplant，whoseleavesclusteredthickovertheportionofthehousewallinwhichitwasset。Theaperturewassoscreenedandnarrow，thatcurtainorshutterhadbeendeemedunnecessary;andwhenIstoopeddownandputasidethesprayoffoliageshootingoverit，Icouldseeallwithin。Icouldseeclearlyaroomwithasandedfloor，cleanscoured;adresserofwalnut，withpewterplatesrangedinrows，reflectingtherednessandradianceofaglowingpeat—fire。Icouldseeaclock，awhitedealtable，somechairs。Thecandle，whoserayhadbeenmybeacon，burntonthetable;andbyitslightanelderlywoman，somewhatrough—looking，butscrupulouslyclean，likeallabouther，wasknittingastocking。
Inoticedtheseobjectscursorilyonly—inthemtherewasnothingextraordinary。Agroupofmoreinterestappearednearthehearth，sittingstillamidsttherosypeaceandwarmthsuffusingit。Twoyoung，gracefulwomen—ladiesineverypoint—sat，oneinalowrocking—chair，theotheronalowerstool;bothworedeepmourningofcrapeandbombazeen，whichsombregarbsingularlysetoffveryfairnecksandfaces:alargeoldpointerdogresteditsmassiveheadonthekneeofonegirl—inthelapoftheotherwascushionedablackcat。
Astrangeplacewasthishumblekitchenforsuchoccupants！Whowerethey？Theycouldnotbethedaughtersoftheelderlypersonatthetable;forshelookedlikearustic，andtheywerealldelicacyandcultivation。Ihadnowhereseensuchfacesastheirs:andyet，asIgazedonthem，Iseemedintimatewitheverylineament。Icannotcallthemhandsome—theyweretoopaleandgravefortheword:astheyeachbentoverabook，theylookedthoughtfulalmosttoseverity。Astandbetweenthemsupportedasecondcandleandtwogreatvolumes，towhichtheyfrequentlyreferred，comparingthem，seemingly，withthesmallerbookstheyheldintheirhands，likepeopleconsultingadictionarytoaidtheminthetaskoftranslation。Thisscenewasassilentasifallthefigureshadbeenshadowsandthefirelitapartmentapicture:sohushedwasit，Icouldhearthecindersfallfromthegrate，theclocktickinitsobscurecorner;andIevenfanciedIcoulddistinguishtheclick—clickofthewoman’sknitting—needles。When，therefore，avoicebrokethestrangestillnessatlast，itwasaudibleenoughtome。
“Listen，Diana，”saidoneoftheabsorbedstudents;“FranzandoldDanielaretogetherinthenight—time，andFranzistellingadreamfromwhichhehasawakenedinterror—listen！”Andinalowvoiceshereadsomething，ofwhichnotonewordwasintelligibletome;foritwasinanunknowntongue—neitherFrenchnorLatin。WhetheritwereGreekorGermanIcouldnottell。
“Thatisstrong，”shesaid，whenshehadfinished:“Irelishit。”Theothergirl，whohadliftedherheadtolistentohersister，repeated，whileshegazedatthefire，alineofwhathadbeenread。Atalaterday，Iknewthelanguageandthebook;therefore，Iwillherequotetheline:though，whenIfirstheardit，itwasonlylikeastrokeonsoundingbrasstome—conveyingnomeaning:—
“‘DatrathervorEiner，anzusehenwiedieSternenNacht。’Good！good！”sheexclaimed，whileherdarkanddeepeyesparkled。“Thereyouhaveadimandmightyarchangelfitlysetbeforeyou！Thelineisworthahundredpagesoffustian。‘IchwagedieGedankeninderSchalemeinesZornesunddieWerkemitdemGewichtemeinesGrimms。’Ilikeit！”
Bothwereagainsilent。
“Isthereonycountrywheretheytalki’thatway？”askedtheoldwoman，lookingupfromherknitting。
“Yes，Hannah—afarlargercountrythanEngland，wheretheytalkinnootherway。”
“Well，forsurecase，Iknawn’thowtheycanunderstandt’onet’other:andifeithero’yewentthere，yecouldtellwhattheysaid，Iguess？”
“Wecouldprobablytellsomethingofwhattheysaid，butnotall—forwearenotascleverasyouthinkus，Hannah。Wedon’tspeakGerman，andwecannotreaditwithoutadictionarytohelpus。”
“Andwhatgooddoesitdoyou？”
“Wemeantoteachitsometime—oratleasttheelements，astheysay;andthenweshallgetmoremoneythanwedonow。”
“Varrylike:butgiveowerstudying;ye’vedoneenoughforto—night。”
“Ithinkwehave:atleastI’mtired。Mary，areyou？”
“Mortally:afterall，it’stoughworkfaggingawayatalanguagewithnomasterbutalexicon。”
“Itis，especiallysuchalanguageasthiscrabbedbutgloriousDeutsch。IwonderwhenSt。Johnwillcomehome。”
“Surelyhewillnotbelongnow:itisjustten（lookingatalittlegoldwatchshedrewfromhergirdle）。Itrainsfast，Hannah:willyouhavethegoodnesstolookatthefireintheparlour？”
Thewomanrose:sheopenedadoor，throughwhichIdimlysawapassage:soonIheardherstirafireinaninnerroom;shepresentlycameback。
“Ah，childer！”saidshe，“itfairtroublesmetogointoyond’roomnow:itlookssolonesomewi’thechairemptyandsetbackinacorner。”
Shewipedhereyeswithherapron:thetwogirls，gravebefore，lookedsadnow。
“Butheisinabetterplace，”continuedHannah:“weshouldn’twishhimhereagain。Andthen，nobodyneedtohaveaquieterdeathnorhehad。”
“Yousayhenevermentionedus？”inquiredoneoftheladies。
“Hehadn’ttime，bairn:hewasgoneinaminute，wasyourfather。Hehadbeenabitailinglikethedaybefore，butnaughttosignify;andwhenMr。St。Johnaskedifhewouldlikeeithero’yetobesentfor，hefairlaughedathim。Hebeganagainwithabitofaheavinessinhisheadthenextday—thatis，afortnightsin’—andhewenttosleepandniverwakened:hewora’moststarkwhenyourbrotherwentintot’chamberandfandhim。Ah，childer！that’st’lasto’t’oldstock—foryeandMr。St。Johnislikeofdifferentsoarttothem‘at’sgone;forallyourmotherwormichi’yourway，anda’mostasbook—learned。Sheworthepictur’o’ye，Mary:Dianaismorelikeyourfather。”
IthoughtthemsosimilarIcouldnottellwheretheoldservant（forsuchInowconcludedhertobe）sawthedifference。Bothwerefaircomplexionedandslenderlymade;bothpossessedfacesfullofdistinctionandintelligence。One，tobesure，hadhairashadedarkerthantheother，andtherewasadifferenceintheirstyleofwearingit;Mary’spalebrownlockswerepartedandbraidedsmooth:Diana’sduskiertressescoveredherneckwiththickcurls。Theclockstruckten。
“Ye’llwantyoursupper，Iamsure，”observedHannah;“andsowillMr。St。Johnwhenhecomesin。”
Andsheproceededtopreparethemeal。Theladiesrose;theyseemedabouttowithdrawtotheparlour。Tillthismoment，Ihadbeensointentonwatchingthem，theirappearanceandconversationhadexcitedinmesokeenaninterest，Ihadhalf—forgottenmyownwretchedposition:nowitrecurredtome。Moredesolate，moredesperatethanever，itseemedfromcontrast。Andhowimpossiblediditappeartotouchtheinmatesofthishousewithconcernonmybehalf;tomakethembelieveinthetruthofmywantsandwoes—toinducethemtovouchsafearestformywanderings！AsIgropedoutthedoor，andknockedatithesitatingly，Ifeltthatlastideatobeamerechimera。Hannahopened。
“Whatdoyouwant？”sheinquired，inavoiceofsurprise，asshesurveyedmebythelightofthecandlesheheld。
“MayIspeaktoyourmistresses？”Isaid。
“Youhadbettertellmewhatyouhavetosaytothem。Wheredoyoucomefrom？”
“Iamastranger。”
“Whatisyourbusinesshereatthishour？”
“Iwantanight’sshelterinanout—houseoranywhere，andamorselofbreadtoeat。”
Distrust，theveryfeelingIdreaded，appearedinHannah’sface。“I’llgiveyouapieceofbread，”shesaid，afterapause;“butwecan’ttakeinavagranttolodge。Itisn’tlikely。”
“Doletmespeaktoyourmistresses。”
“No，notI。Whatcantheydoforyou？Youshouldnotberovingaboutnow;itlooksveryill。”
“ButwhereshallIgoifyoudrivemeaway？WhatshallIdo？”
“Oh，I’llwarrantyouknowwheretogoandwhattodo。Mindyoudon’tdowrong，that’sall。Hereisapenny;nowgo—”
“Apennycannotfeedme，andIhavenostrengthtogofarther。Don’tshutthedoor:—oh，don’t，forGod’ssake！”
“Imust;therainisdrivingin—”
“Telltheyoungladies。Letmeseethem—”
“Indeed，Iwillnot。Youarenotwhatyououghttobe，oryouwouldn’tmakesuchanoise。Moveoff。”
“ButImustdieifIamturnedaway。”
“Notyou。I’mfear’dyouhavesomeillplansagate，thatbringyouaboutfolk’shousesatthistimeo’night。Ifyou’veanyfollowers—housebreakersorsuchlike—anywherenear，youmaytellthemwearenotbyourselvesinthehouse;wehaveagentleman，anddogs，andguns。”Herethehonestbutinflexibleservantclappedthedoortoandbolteditwithin。
Thiswastheclimax。Apangofexquisitesuffering—athroeoftruedespair—rentandheavedmyheart。Wornout，indeed，Iwas;notanotherstepcouldIstir。Isankonthewetdoorstep:Igroaned—Iwrungmyhands—Iweptinutteranguish。Oh，thisspectreofdeath！Oh，thislasthour，approachinginsuchhorror！Alas，thisisolation—thisbanishmentfrommykind！Notonlytheanchorofhope，butthefootingoffortitudewasgone—atleastforamoment;butthelastIsoonendeavouredtoregain。
“Icanbutdie，”Isaid，“andIbelieveinGod。LetmetrytowaitHiswillinsilence。”
ThesewordsInotonlythought，bututtered;andthrustingbackallmymiseryintomyheart，Imadeanefforttocompelittoremainthere—dumbandstill。
“Allmenmustdie，”saidavoicequitecloseathand;“butallarenotcondemnedtomeetalingeringandprematuredoom，suchasyourswouldbeifyouperishedhereofwant。”
“Whoorwhatspeaks？”Iasked，terrifiedattheunexpectedsound，andincapablenowofderivingfromanyoccurrenceahopeofaid。Aformwasnear—whatform，thepitch—darknightandmyenfeebledvisionpreventedmefromdistinguishing。Withaloudlongknock，thenew—comerappealedtothedoor。
“Isityou，Mr。St。John？”criedHannah。
“Yes—yes;openquickly。”
“Well，howwetandcoldyoumustbe，suchawildnightasitis！Comein—yoursistersarequiteuneasyaboutyou，andIbelievetherearebadfolksabout。Therehasbeenabeggar—woman—Ideclaresheisnotgoneyet！—laiddownthere。Getup！forshame！Moveoff，Isay！”
“Hush，Hannah！Ihaveawordtosaytothewoman。Youhavedoneyourdutyinexcluding，nowletmedomineinadmittingher。Iwasnear，andlistenedtobothyouandher。Ithinkthisisapeculiarcase—Imustatleastexamineintoit。Youngwoman，rise，andpassbeforemeintothehouse。”
WithdifficultyIobeyedhim。PresentlyIstoodwithinthatclean，brightkitchen—ontheveryhearth—trembling，sickening;consciousofanaspectinthelastdegreeghastly，wild，andweather—beaten。Thetwoladies，theirbrother，Mr。St。John，theoldservant，wereallgazingatme。
“St。John，whoisit？”Iheardoneask。
“Icannottell:Ifoundheratthedoor，”wasthereply。
“Shedoeslookwhite，”saidHannah。
“Aswhiteasclayordeath，”wasresponded。“Shewillfall:lethersit。”
Andindeedmyheadswam:Idropped，butachairreceivedme。Istillpossessedmysenses，thoughjustnowIcouldnotspeak。
“Perhapsalittlewaterwouldrestoreher。Hannah，fetchsome。Butsheisworntonothing。Howverythin，andhowverybloodless！”
“Amerespectre！”
“Issheill，oronlyfamished？”
“Famished，Ithink。Hannah，isthatmilk？Giveitme，andapieceofbread。”
Diana（IknewherbythelongcurlswhichIsawdroopingbetweenmeandthefireasshebentoverme）brokesomebread，dippeditinmilk，andputittomylips。Herfacewasnearmine:Isawtherewaspityinit，andIfeltsympathyinherhurriedbreathing。Inhersimplewords，too，thesamebalm—likeemotionspoke:“Trytoeat。”
“Yes—try，”repeatedMarygently;andMary’shandremovedmysoddenbonnetandliftedmyhead。Itastedwhattheyofferedme:feeblyatfirst，eagerlysoon。
“Nottoomuchatfirst—restrainher，”saidthebrother;“shehashadenough。”Andhewithdrewthecupofmilkandtheplateofbread。
“Alittlemore，St。John—lookattheavidityinhereyes。”
“Nomoreatpresent，sister。Tryifshecanspeaknow—askherhername。”
IfeltIcouldspeak，andIanswered—“MynameisJaneElliott。”Anxiousasevertoavoiddiscovery，Ihadbeforeresolvedtoassumeanalias。
“Andwheredoyoulive？Whereareyourfriends？”
Iwassilent。
“Canwesendforanyoneyouknow？”
Ishookmyhead。
“Whataccountcanyougiveofyourself？”
Somehow，nowthatIhadoncecrossedthethresholdofthishouse，andoncewasbroughtfacetofacewithitsowners，Ifeltnolongeroutcast，vagrant，anddisownedbythewideworld。Idaredtoputoffthemendicant—toresumemynaturalmannerandcharacter。Ibeganoncemoretoknowmyself;andwhenMr。St。Johndemandedanaccount—whichatpresentIwasfartooweaktorender—Isaidafterabriefpause—
“Sir，Icangiveyounodetailsto—night。”
“Butwhat，then，”saidhe，“doyouexpectmetodoforyou？”
“Nothing，”Ireplied。Mystrengthsufficedforbutshortanswers。Dianatooktheword—
“Doyoumean，”sheasked，“thatwehavenowgivenyouwhataidyourequire？andthatwemaydismissyoutothemoorandtherainynight？”
Ilookedather。Shehad，Ithought，aremarkablecountenance，instinctbothwithpowerandgoodness。Itooksuddencourage。Answeringhercompassionategatewithasmile，Isaid—“Iwilltrustyou。IfIwereamasterlessandstraydog，Iknowthatyouwouldnotturnmefromyourhearthto—night:asitis，Ireallyhavenofear。Dowithmeandformeasyoulike;butexcusemefrommuchdiscourse—mybreathisshort—IfeelaspasmwhenIspeak。”Allthreesurveyedme，andallthreeweresilent。
“Hannah，”saidMr。St。John，atlast，“lethersitthereatpresent，andaskhernoquestions;intenminutesmore，givehertheremainderofthatmilkandbread。MaryandDiana，letusgointotheparlourandtalkthematterover。”
Theywithdrew。Verysoononeoftheladiesreturned—Icouldnottellwhich。AkindofpleasantstuporwasstealingovermeasIsatbythegenialfire。InanundertoneshegavesomedirectionstoHannah。Erelong，withtheservant’said，Icontrivedtomountastaircase;mydrippingclotheswereremoved;soonawarm，drybedreceivedme。IthankedGod—experiencedamidstunutterableexhaustionaglowofgratefuljoy—andslept。
Chapter29
Therecollectionofaboutthreedaysandnightssucceedingthisisverydiminmymind。Icanrecallsomesensationsfeltinthatinterval;butfewthoughtsframed，andnoactionsperformed。IknewIwasinasmallroomandinanarrowbed。TothatbedIseemedtohavegrown;Ilayonitmotionlessasastone;andtohavetornmefromitwouldhavebeenalmosttokillme。Itooknonoteofthelapseoftime—ofthechangefrommorningtonoon，fromnoontoevening。Iobservedwhenanyoneenteredorlefttheapartment:Icouldeventellwhotheywere;Icouldunderstandwhatwassaidwhenthespeakerstoodneartome;butIcouldnotanswer;toopenmylipsormovemylimbswasequallyimpossible。Hannah，theservant，wasmymostfrequentvisitor。Hercomingdisturbedme。Ihadafeelingthatshewishedmeaway:thatshedidnotunderstandmeormycircumstances;thatshewasprejudicedagainstme。DianaandMaryappearedinthechamberonceortwiceaday。Theywouldwhispersentencesofthissortatmybedside—
“Itisverywellwetookherin。”
“Yes;shewouldcertainlyhavebeenfounddeadatthedoorinthemorninghadshebeenleftoutallnight。Iwonderwhatshehasgonethrough？”
“Strangehardships，Iimagine—poor，emaciated，pallidwanderer？”
“Sheisnotanuneducatedperson，Ishouldthink，byhermannerofspeaking;heraccentwasquitepure;andtheclothesshetookoff，thoughsplashedandwet，werelittlewornandfine。”
“Shehasapeculiarface;fleshlessandhaggardasitis，Iratherlikeit;andwheningoodhealthandanimated，Icanfancyherphysiognomywouldbeagreeable。”
NeveronceintheirdialoguesdidIhearasyllableofregretatthehospitalitytheyhadextendedtome，orofsuspicionof，oraversionto，myself。Iwascomforted。
Mr。St。Johncamebutonce:helookedatme，andsaidmystateoflethargywastheresultofreactionfromexcessiveandprotractedfatigue。Hepronounceditneedlesstosendforadoctor:nature，hewassure，wouldmanagebest，lefttoherself。Hesaideverynervehadbeenoverstrainedinsomeway，andthewholesystemmustsleeptorpidawhile。Therewasnodisease。Heimaginedmyrecoverywouldberapidenoughwhenoncecommenced。Theseopinionshedeliveredinafewwords，inaquiet，lowvoice;andadded，afterapause，inthetoneofamanlittleaccustomedtoexpansivecomment，“Ratheranunusualphysiognomy;certainly，notindicativeofvulgarityordegradation。”
“Farotherwise，”respondedDiana。“Tospeaktruth，St。John，myheartratherwarmstothepoorlittlesoul。Iwishwemaybeabletobenefitherpermanently。”
“Thatishardlylikely，”wasthereply。“Youwillfindsheissomeyoungladywhohashadamisunderstandingwithherfriends，andhasprobablyinjudiciouslyleftthem。Wemay，perhaps，succeedinrestoringhertothem，ifsheisnotobstinate:butItracelinesofforceinherfacewhichmakemescepticalofhertractability。”Hestoodconsideringmesomeminutes;thenadded，“Shelookssensible，butnotatallhandsome。”
“Sheissoill，St。John。”
“Illorwell，shewouldalwaysbeplain。Thegraceandharmonyofbeautyarequitewantinginthosefeatures。”
OnthethirddayIwasbetter;onthefourth，Icouldspeak，move，riseinbed，andturn。Hannahhadbroughtmesomegruelanddrytoast，about，asIsupposed，thedinner—hour。Ihadeatenwithrelish:thefoodwasgood—voidofthefeverishflavourwhichhadhithertopoisonedwhatIhadswallowed。Whensheleftme，Ifeltcomparativelystrongandrevived:erelongsatietyofreposeanddesireforactionstirredme。Iwishedtorise;butwhatcouldIputon？Onlymydampandbemiredapparel;inwhichIhadsleptonthegroundandfalleninthemarsh。Ifeltashamedtoappearbeforemybenefactorssoclad。Iwassparedthehumiliation。
Onachairbythebedsidewereallmyownthings，cleananddry。Myblacksilkfrockhungagainstthewall。Thetracesofthebogwereremovedfromit;thecreasesleftbythewetsmoothedout:itwasquitedecent。Myveryshoesandstockingswerepurifiedandrenderedpresentable。Therewerethemeansofwashingintheroom，andacombandbrushtosmoothmyhair。Afterawearyprocess，andrestingeveryfiveminutes，Isucceededindressingmyself。Myclotheshunglooseonme;forIwasmuchwasted，butIcovereddeficiencieswithashawl，andoncemore，cleanandrespectablelooking—nospeckofthedirt，notraceofthedisorderIsohated，andwhichseemedsotodegrademe，left—Icreptdownastonestaircasewiththeaidofthebanisters，toanarrowlowpassage，andfoundmywaypresentlytothekitchen。
Itwasfullofthefragranceofnewbreadandthewarmthofagenerousfire。Hannahwasbaking。Prejudices，itiswellknown，aremostdifficulttoeradicatefromtheheartwhosesoilhasneverbeenloosenedorfertilisedbyeducation:theygrowthere，firmasweedsamongstones。Hannahhadbeencoldandstiff，indeed，atthefirst:latterlyshehadbeguntorelentalittle;andwhenshesawmecomeintidyandwell—dressed，sheevensmiled。
“What，youhavegotup！”shesaid。“Youarebetter，then。Youmaysityoudowninmychaironthehearthstone，ifyouwill。”
Shepointedtotherocking—chair:Itookit。Shebustledabout，examiningmeeverynowandthenwiththecornerofhereye。Turningtome，asshetooksomeloavesfromtheoven，sheaskedbluntly—
“Didyouevergoa—beggingaforeyoucamehere？”
Iwasindignantforamoment;butrememberingthatangerwasoutofthequestion，andthatIhadindeedappearedasabeggartoher，Iansweredquietly，butstillnotwithoutacertainmarkedfirmness—
“Youaremistakeninsupposingmeabeggar。Iamnobeggar;anymorethanyourselforyouryoungladies。”
Afterapauseshesaid，“Idunnutunderstandthat:you’velikenohouse，nornobrass，Iguess？”
“Thewantofhouseorbrass（bywhichIsupposeyoumeanmoney）doesnotmakeabeggarinyoursenseoftheword。”
“Areyoubook—learned？”sheinquiredpresently。
“Yes，very。”
“Butyou’veneverbeentoaboarding—school？”
“Iwasataboarding—schooleightyears。”
Sheopenedhereyeswide。“Whatevercannotyekeepyourselffor，then？”
“Ihavekeptmyself;and，Itrust，shallkeepmyselfagain。Whatareyougoingtodowiththesegooseberries？”Iinquired，asshebroughtoutabasketofthefruit。
“Mak’‘emintopies。”
“GivethemtomeandI’llpickthem。”
“Nay;Idunnutwantyetodonought。”
“ButImustdosomething。Letmehavethem。”
Sheconsented;andsheevenbroughtmeacleantoweltospreadovermydress，“lest，”asshesaid，“Ishouldmuckyit。”
“Ye’venotbeenusedtosarvant’swark，Iseebyyourhands，”sheremarked。“Happenye’vebeenadressmaker？”
“No，youarewrong。Andnow，nevermindwhatIhavebeen:don’ttroubleyourheadfurtheraboutme;buttellmethenameofthehousewhereweare。”
“SomecallsitMarshEnd，andsomecallsitMoorHouse。”
“AndthegentlemanwholiveshereiscalledMr。St。John？”
“Nay;hedoesn’tlivehere:heisonlystayingawhile。Whenheisathome，heisinhisownparishatMorton。”
“Thatvillageafewmilesoff？
“Aye。”
“Andwhatishe？”
“Heisaparson。”
Irememberedtheansweroftheoldhousekeeperattheparsonage，whenIhadaskedtoseetheclergyman。“This，then，washisfather’sresidence？”
“Aye;oldMr。Riverslivedhere，andhisfather，andgrandfather，andgurt（great）grandfatheraforehim。”
“Thename，then，ofthatgentleman，isMr。St。JohnRivers？”
“Aye;St。Johnislikehiskirstenedname。”
“AndhissistersarecalledDianaandMaryRivers？”
“Yes。”
“Theirfatherisdead？”
“Deadthreeweekssin’ofastroke。”
“Theyhavenomother？”
“Themistresshasbeendeadthismonyayear。”
“Haveyoulivedwiththefamilylong？”
“I’velivedherethirtyyear。Inursedthemallthree。”
“Thatprovesyoumusthavebeenanhonestandfaithfulservant。Iwillsaysomuchforyou，thoughyouhavehadtheincivilitytocallmeabeggar。”
Sheagainregardedmewithasurprisedstare。“Ibelieve，”shesaid，“Iwasquitemista’eninmythoughtsofyou:butthereissomonycheatsgoesabout，youmunforgieme。”
“Andthough，”Icontinued，ratherseverely，“youwishedtoturnmefromthedoor，onanightwhenyoushouldnothaveshutoutadog。”
“Well，itwashard:butwhatcanabodydo？Ithoughtmoreo’th’childernorofmysel:poorthings！They’velikenobodytotak’careon‘embutme。I’mliketolooksharpish。”
Imaintainedagravesilenceforsomeminutes。
“Youmunnutthinktoohardlyofme，”sheagainremarked。
“ButIdothinkhardlyofyou，”Isaid;“andI’lltellyouwhy—notsomuchbecauseyourefusedtogivemeshelter，orregardedmeasanimpostor，asbecauseyoujustnowmadeitaspeciesofreproachthatIhadno‘brass’andnohouse。SomeofthebestpeoplethateverlivedhavebeenasdestituteasIam;andifyouareaChristian，yououghtnottoconsiderpovertyacrime。”
“NomoreIought，”saidshe:“Mr。St。Johntellsmesotoo;andIseeIworwrang—butI’veclearadifferentnotiononyounowtowhatIhad。Youlookaraightdowndacentlittlecrater。”
“Thatwilldo—Iforgiveyounow。Shakehands。”
Sheputherflouryandhornyhandintomine;anotherandheartiersmileilluminedherroughface，andfromthatmomentwewerefriends。
Hannahwasevidentlyfondoftalking。WhileIpickedthefruit，andshemadethepasteforthepies，sheproceededtogivemesundrydetailsaboutherdeceasedmasterandmistress，and“thechilder，”asshecalledtheyoungpeople。