“Well？”
“ItpuzzlesmetoknowwhyMr。Briggswrotetoyouaboutme;orhowheknewyou，orcouldfancythatyou，livinginsuchanout—of—the—wayplace，hadthepowertoaidinmydiscovery。”
“Oh！Iamaclergyman，”hesaid;“andtheclergyareoftenappealedtoaboutoddmatters。”Againthelatchrattled。
“No;thatdoesnotsatisfyme！”Iexclaimed:andindeedtherewassomethinginthehastyandunexplanatoryreplywhich，insteadofallaying，piquedmycuriositymorethanever。
“Itisaverystrangepieceofbusiness，”Iadded;“Imustknowmoreaboutit。”
“Anothertime。”
“No;to—night！—to—night！”andasheturnedfromthedoor，Iplacedmyselfbetweenitandhim。Helookedratherembarrassed。
“Youcertainlyshallnotgotillyouhavetoldmeall，”Isaid。
“Iwouldrathernotjustnow。”
“Youshall！—youmust！”
“IwouldratherDianaorMaryinformedyou。”
Ofcoursetheseobjectionswroughtmyeagernesstoaclimax:gratifieditmustbe，andthatwithoutdelay;andItoldhimso。
“ButIapprisedyouthatIwasahardman，”saidhe，“difficulttopersuade。”
“AndIamahardwoman，—impossibletoputoff。”
“Andthen，”hepursued，“Iamcold:nofervourinfectsme。”
“WhereasIamhot，andfiredissolvesice。Theblazetherehasthawedallthesnowfromyourcloak;bythesametoken，ithasstreamedontomyfloor，andmadeitlikeatrampledstreet。Asyouhopeevertobeforgiven，Mr。Rivers，thehighcrimeandmisdemeanourofspoilingasandedkitchen，tellmewhatIwishtoknow。”
“Well，then，”hesaid，“Iyield;ifnottoyourearnestness，toyourperseverance:asstoneiswornbycontinualdropping。Besides，youmustknowsomeday，—aswellnowaslater。YournameisJaneEyre？”
“Ofcourse:thatwasallsettledbefore。”
“Youarenot，perhaps，awarethatIamyournamesake？—thatIwaschristenedSt。JohnEyreRivers？”
“No，indeed！IremembernowseeingtheletterE。comprisedinyourinitialswritteninbooksyouhaveatdifferenttimeslentme;butIneveraskedforwhatnameitstood。Butwhatthen？Surely—”
Istopped:Icouldnottrustmyselftoentertain，muchlesstoexpress，thethoughtthatrusheduponme—thatembodieditself，—that，inasecond，stoodoutastrong，solidprobability。Circumstancesknitthemselves，fittedthemselves，shotintoorder:thechainthathadbeenlyinghithertoaformlesslumpoflinkswasdrawnoutstraight，—everyringwasperfect，theconnectioncomplete。Iknew，byinstinct，howthematterstood，beforeSt。Johnhadsaidanotherword;butIcannotexpectthereadertohavethesameintuitiveperception，soImustrepeathisexplanation。
“Mymother’snamewasEyre;shehadtwobrothers;oneaclergyman，whomarriedMissJaneReed，ofGateshead;theother，JohnEyre，Esq。，merchant，lateofFunchal，Madeira。Mr。Briggs，beingMr。Eyre’ssolicitor，wrotetouslastAugusttoinformusofouruncle’sdeath，andtosaythathehadlefthispropertytohisbrothertheclergyman’sorphandaughter，overlookingus，inconsequenceofaquarrel，neverforgiven，betweenhimandmyfather。Hewroteagainafewweekssince，tointimatethattheheiresswaslost，andaskingifweknewanythingofher。Anamecasuallywrittenonaslipofpaperhasenabledmetofindherout。Youknowtherest。”Againhewasgoing，butIsetmybackagainstthedoor。
“Doletmespeak，”Isaid;“letmehaveonemomenttodrawbreathandreflect。”Ipaused—hestoodbeforeme，hatinhand，lookingcomposedenough。Iresumed—
“Yourmotherwasmyfather’ssister？”
“Yes。”
“Myaunt，consequently？”
Hebowed。
“MyuncleJohnwasyouruncleJohn？You，Diana，andMaryarehissister’schildren，asIamhisbrother’schild？”
“Undeniably。”
“Youthree，then，aremycousins;halfourbloodoneachsideflowsfromthesamesource？”
“Wearecousins;yes。”
Isurveyedhim。ItseemedIhadfoundabrother:oneIcouldbeproudof，—oneIcouldlove;andtwosisters，whosequalitiesweresuch，that，whenIknewthembutasmerestrangers，theyhadinspiredmewithgenuineaffectionandadmiration。Thetwogirls，onwhom，kneelingdownonthewetground，andlookingthroughthelow，latticedwindowofMoorHousekitchen，Ihadgazedwithsobitteramixtureofinterestanddespair，weremynearkinswomen;andtheyoungandstatelygentlemanwhohadfoundmealmostdyingathisthresholdwasmybloodrelation。Gloriousdiscoverytoalonelywretch！Thiswaswealthindeed！—wealthtotheheart！—amineofpure，genialaffections。Thiswasablessing，bright，vivid，andexhilarating;—notliketheponderousgiftofgold:richandwelcomeenoughinitsway，butsoberingfromitsweight。Inowclappedmyhandsinsuddenjoy—mypulsebounded，myveinsthrilled。
“Oh，Iamglad！—Iamglad！”Iexclaimed。
St。Johnsmiled。“DidInotsayyouneglectedessentialpointstopursuetrifles？”heasked。“YouwereseriouswhenItoldyouyouhadgotafortune;andnow，foramatterofnomoment，youareexcited。”
“Whatcanyoumean？Itmaybeofnomomenttoyou;youhavesistersanddon’tcareforacousin;butIhadnobody;andnowthreerelations，—ortwo，ifyoudon’tchoosetobecounted，—arebornintomyworldfull—grown。Isayagain，Iamglad！”
Iwalkedfastthroughtheroom:Istopped，halfsuffocatedwiththethoughtsthatrosefasterthanIcouldreceive，comprehend，settlethem:—thoughtsofwhatmight，could，would，andshouldbe，andthaterelong。Ilookedattheblankwall:itseemedaskythickwithascendingstars，—everyonelitmetoapurposeordelight。Thosewhohadsavedmylife，whom，tillthishour，Ihadlovedbarrenly，Icouldnowbenefit。Theywereunderayoke，—Icouldfreethem:theywerescattered，—Icouldreunitethem:theindependence，theaffluencewhichwasmine，mightbetheirstoo。Werewenotfour？Twentythousandpoundssharedequallywouldbefivethousandeach，justice—enoughandtospare:justicewouldbedone，—mutualhappinesssecured。Nowthewealthdidnotweighonme:nowitwasnotamerebequestofcoin，—itwasalegacyoflife，hope，enjoyment。
HowIlookedwhiletheseideasweretakingmyspiritbystorm，Icannottell;butIperceivedsoonthatMr。Rivershadplacedachairbehindme，andwasgentlyattemptingtomakemesitdownonit。Healsoadvisedmetobecomposed;Iscornedtheinsinuationofhelplessnessanddistraction，shookoffhishand，andbegantowalkaboutagain。
“WritetoDianaandMaryto—morrow，”Isaid，“andtellthemtocomehomedirectly。Dianasaidtheywouldbothconsiderthemselvesrichwithathousandpounds，sowithfivethousandtheywilldoverywell。”
“TellmewhereIcangetyouaglassofwater，”saidSt。John;“youmustreallymakeanefforttotranquilliseyourfeelings。”
“Nonsense！andwhatsortofaneffectwillthebequesthaveonyou？WillitkeepyouinEngland，induceyoutomarryMissOliver，andsettledownlikeanordinarymortal？”
“Youwander:yourheadbecomesconfused。Ihavebeentooabruptincommunicatingthenews;ithasexcitedyoubeyondyourstrength。”
“Mr。Rivers！youquiteputmeoutofpatience:Iamrationalenough;itisyouwhomisunderstand，orratherwhoaffecttomisunderstand。”
“Perhaps，ifyouexplainedyourselfalittlemorefully，Ishouldcomprehendbetter。”
“Explain！Whatistheretoexplain？Youcannotfailtoseethattwentythousandpounds，thesuminquestion，dividedequallybetweenthenephewandthreeniecesofouruncle，willgivefivethousandtoeach？WhatIwantis，thatyoushouldwritetoyoursistersandtellthemofthefortunethathasaccruedtothem。”
“Toyou，youmean。”
“Ihaveintimatedmyviewofthecase:Iamincapableoftakinganyother。Iamnotbrutallyselfish，blindlyunjust，orfiendishlyungrateful。Besides，IamresolvedIwillhaveahomeandconnections。IlikeMoorHouse，andIwillliveatMoorHouse;IlikeDianaandMary，andIwillattachmyselfforlifetoDianaandMary。Itwouldpleaseandbenefitmetohavefivethousandpounds;itwouldtormentandoppressmetohavetwentythousand;which，moreover，couldneverbemineinjustice，thoughitmightinlaw。Iabandontoyou，then，whatisabsolutelysuperfluoustome。Lettherebenoopposition，andnodiscussionaboutit;letusagreeamongsteachother，anddecidethepointatonce。”
“Thisisactingonfirstimpulses;youmusttakedaystoconsidersuchamatter，ereyourwordcanberegardedasvalid。”
“Oh！ifallyoudoubtismysincerity，Iameasy:youseethejusticeofthecase？”
“Idoseeacertainjustice;butitiscontrarytoallcustom。Besides，theentirefortuneisyourright:myunclegaineditbyhisownefforts;hewasfreetoleaveittowhomhewould:heleftittoyou。Afterall，justicepermitsyoutokeepit:youmay，withaclearconscience，consideritabsolutelyyourown。”
“Withme，”saidI，“itisfullyasmuchamatteroffeelingasofconscience:Imustindulgemyfeelings;Isoseldomhavehadanopportunityofdoingso。Wereyoutoargue，object，andannoymeforayear，IcouldnotforegothedeliciouspleasureofwhichIhavecaughtaglimpse—thatofrepaying，inpart，amightyobligation，andwinningtomyselflifelongfriends。”
“Youthinksonow，”rejoinedSt。John，“becauseyoudonotknowwhatitistopossess，norconsequentlytoenjoywealth:youcannotformanotionoftheimportancetwentythousandpoundswouldgiveyou;oftheplaceitwouldenableyoutotakeinsociety;oftheprospectsitwouldopentoyou:youcannot—”
“Andyou，”Iinterrupted，“cannotatallimaginethecravingIhaveforfraternalandsisterlylove。Ineverhadahome，Ineverhadbrothersorsisters;Imustandwillhavethemnow:youarenotreluctanttoadmitmeandownme，areyou？”
“Jane，Iwillbeyourbrother—mysisterswillbeyoursisters—withoutstipulatingforthissacrificeofyourjustrights。”
“Brother？Yes;atthedistanceofathousandleagues！Sisters？Yes;slavingamongststrangers！I，wealthy—gorgedwithgoldIneverearnedanddonotmerit！You，penniless！Famousequalityandfraternisation！Closeunion！Intimateattachment！”
“But，Jane，youraspirationsafterfamilytiesanddomestichappinessmayberealisedotherwisethanbythemeansyoucontemplate:youmaymarry。”
“Nonsense，again！Marry！Idon’twanttomarry，andnevershallmarry。”
“Thatissayingtoomuch:suchhazardousaffirmationsareaproofoftheexcitementunderwhichyoulabour。”
“Itisnotsayingtoomuch:IknowwhatIfeel，andhowaversearemyinclinationstothebarethoughtofmarriage。Noonewouldtakemeforlove;andIwillnotberegardedinthelightofameremoneyspeculation。AndIdonotwantastranger—unsympathising，alien，differentfromme;Iwantmykindred:thosewithwhomIhavefullfellow—feeling。Sayagainyouwillbemybrother:whenyouutteredthewordsIwassatisfied，happy;repeatthem，ifyoucan，repeatthemsincerely。”
“IthinkIcan。IknowIhavealwayslovedmyownsisters;andIknowonwhatmyaffectionforthemisgrounded，—respectfortheirworthandadmirationoftheirtalents。Youtoohaveprincipleandmind:yourtastesandhabitsresembleDiana’sandMary’s;yourpresenceisalwaysagreeabletome;inyourconversationIhavealreadyforsometimefoundasalutarysolace。IfeelIcaneasilyandnaturallymakeroominmyheartforyou，asmythirdandyoungestsister。”
“Thankyou:thatcontentsmeforto—night。Nowyouhadbettergo;forifyoustaylonger，youwillperhapsirritatemeafreshbysomemistrustfulscruple。”
“Andtheschool，MissEyre？Itmustnowbeshutup，Isuppose？”
“No。Iwillretainmypostofmistresstillyougetasubstitute。”
Hesmiledapprobation:weshookhands，andhetookleave。
IneednotnarrateindetailthefurtherstrugglesIhad，andargumentsIused，togetmattersregardingthelegacysettledasIwished。Mytaskwasaveryhardone;but，asIwasabsolutelyresolved—asmycousinssawatlengththatmymindwasreallyandimmutablyfixedonmakingajustdivisionoftheproperty—astheymustintheirownheartshavefelttheequityoftheintention;andmust，besides，havebeeninnatelyconsciousthatinmyplacetheywouldhavedonepreciselywhatIwishedtodo—theyyieldedatlengthsofarastoconsenttoputtheaffairtoarbitration。ThejudgeschosenwereMr。Oliverandanablelawyer:bothcoincidedinmyopinion:Icarriedmypoint。Theinstrumentsoftransferweredrawnout:St。John，Diana，Mary，andI，eachbecamepossessedofacompetency。
Chapter33
ItwasnearChristmasbythetimeallwassettled:theseasonofgeneralholidayapproached。InowclosedMortonschool，takingcarethatthepartingshouldnotbebarrenonmyside。Goodfortuneopensthehandaswellastheheartwonderfully;andtogivesomewhatwhenwehavelargelyreceived，isbuttoaffordaventtotheunusualebullitionofthesensations。Ihadlongfeltwithpleasurethatmanyofmyrusticscholarslikedme，andwhenweparted，thatconsciousnesswasconfirmed:theymanifestedtheiraffectionplainlyandstrongly。DeepwasmygratificationtofindIhadreallyaplaceintheirunsophisticatedhearts:IpromisedthemthatneveraweekshouldpassinfuturethatIdidnotvisitthem，andgivethemanhour’steachingintheirschool。
Mr。Riverscameupas，havingseentheclasses，nownumberingsixtygirls，fileoutbeforeme，andlockedthedoor，Istoodwiththekeyinmyhand，exchangingafewwordsofspecialfarewellwithsomehalf—dozenofmybestscholars:asdecent，respectable，modest，andwell—informedyoungwomenascouldbefoundintheranksoftheBritishpeasantry。Andthatissayingagreatdeal;forafterall，theBritishpeasantryarethebesttaught，bestmannered，mostself—respectingofanyinEurope:sincethosedaysIhaveseenpaysannesandBauerinnen;andthebestofthemseemedtomeignorant，coarse，andbesotted，comparedwithmyMortongirls。
“Doyouconsideryouhavegotyourrewardforaseasonofexertion？”askedMr。Rivers，whentheyweregone。“Doesnottheconsciousnessofhavingdonesomerealgoodinyourdayandgenerationgivepleasure？”
“Doubtless。”
“Andyouhaveonlytoiledafewmonths！Wouldnotalifedevotedtothetaskofregeneratingyourracebewellspent？”
“Yes，”Isaid;“butIcouldnotgoonforeverso:Iwanttoenjoymyownfacultiesaswellastocultivatethoseofotherpeople。Imustenjoythemnow;don’trecalleithermymindorbodytotheschool;Iamoutofitanddisposedforfullholiday。”
Helookedgrave。“Whatnow？Whatsuddeneagernessisthisyouevince？Whatareyougoingtodo？”
“Tobeactive:asactiveasIcan。AndfirstImustbegyoutosetHannahatliberty，andgetsomebodyelsetowaitonyou。”
“Doyouwanther？”
“Yes，togowithmetoMoorHouse。DianaandMarywillbeathomeinaweek，andIwanttohaveeverythinginorderagainsttheirarrival。”
“Iunderstand。Ithoughtyouwereforflyingoffonsomeexcursion。Itisbetterso:Hannahshallgowithyou。”
“Tellhertobereadybyto—morrowthen;andhereistheschoolroomkey:Iwillgiveyouthekeyofmycottageinthemorning。”
Hetookit。“Yougiveitupverygleefully，”saidhe;“Idon’tquiteunderstandyourlight—heartedness，becauseIcannottellwhatemploymentyouproposetoyourselfasasubstitutefortheoneyouarerelinquishing。Whataim，whatpurpose，whatambitioninlifehaveyounow？”
“Myfirstaimwillbetocleandown（doyoucomprehendthefullforceoftheexpression？）—tocleandownMoorHousefromchambertocellar;mynexttorubitupwithbees—wax，oil，andanindefinitenumberofcloths，tillitglittersagain;mythird，toarrangeeverychair，table，bed，carpet，withmathematicalprecision;afterwardsIshallgoneartoruinyouincoalsandpeattokeepupgoodfiresineveryroom;andlastly，thetwodaysprecedingthatonwhichyoursistersareexpectedwillbedevotedbyHannahandmetosuchabeatingofeggs，sortingofcurrants，gratingofspices，compoundingofChristmascakes，choppingupofmaterialsformince—pies，andsolemnisingofotherculinaryrites，aswordscanconveybutaninadequatenotionoftotheuninitiatedlikeyou。Mypurpose，inshort，istohaveallthingsinanabsolutelyperfectstateofreadinessforDianaandMarybeforenextThursday;andmyambitionistogivethemabeau—idealofawelcomewhentheycome。”
St。Johnsmiledslightly:stillhewasdissatisfied。
“Itisallverywellforthepresent，”saidhe;“butseriously，Itrustthatwhenthefirstflushofvivacityisover，youwilllookalittlehigherthandomesticendearmentsandhouseholdjoys。”
“Thebestthingstheworldhas！”Iinterrupted。
“No，Jane，no:thisworldisnotthesceneoffruition;donotattempttomakeitso:norofrest;donotturnslothful。”
“Imean，onthecontrary，tobebusy。”
“Jane，Iexcuseyouforthepresent:twomonths’graceIallowyouforthefullenjoymentofyournewposition，andforpleasingyourselfwiththislate—foundcharmofrelationship;butthen，IhopeyouwillbegintolookbeyondMoorHouseandMorton，andsisterlysociety，andtheselfishcalmandsensualcomfortofcivilisedaffluence。Ihopeyourenergieswillthenoncemoretroubleyouwiththeirstrength。”
Ilookedathimwithsurprise。“St。John，”Isaid，“Ithinkyouarealmostwickedtotalkso。Iamdisposedtobeascontentasaqueen，andyoutrytostirmeuptorestlessness！Towhatend？”
“TotheendofturningtoprofitthetalentswhichGodhascommittedtoyourkeeping;andofwhichHewillsurelyonedaydemandastrictaccount。Jane，Ishallwatchyoucloselyandanxiously—Iwarnyouofthat。Andtrytorestrainthedisproportionatefervourwithwhichyouthrowyourselfintocommonplacehomepleasures。Don’tclingsotenaciouslytotiesoftheflesh;saveyourconstancyandardourforanadequatecause;forbeartowastethemontritetransientobjects。Doyouhear，Jane？”
“Yes;justasifyouwerespeakingGreek。IfeelIhaveadequatecausetobehappy，andIwillbehappy。Goodbye！”
HappyatMoorHouseIwas，andhardIworked;andsodidHannah:shewascharmedtoseehowjovialIcouldbeamidstthebustleofahouseturnedtopsy—turvy—howIcouldbrush，anddust，andclean，andcook。Andreally，afteradayortwoofconfusionworseconfounded，itwasdelightfulbydegreestoinvokeorderfromthechaosourselveshadmade。IhadpreviouslytakenajourneytoS—topurchasesomenewfurniture:mycousinshavinggivenmecarteblanchetoeffectwhatalterationsIpleased，andasumhavingbeensetasideforthatpurpose。Theordinarysitting—roomandbedroomsIleftmuchastheywere:forIknewDianaandMarywouldderivemorepleasurefromseeingagaintheoldhomelytables，andchairs，andbeds，thanfromthespectacleofthesmartestinnovations。Stillsomenoveltywasnecessary，togivetotheirreturnthepiquancywithwhichIwishedittobeinvested。Darkhandsomenewcarpetsandcurtains，anarrangementofsomecarefullyselectedantiqueornamentsinporcelainandbronze，newcoverings，andmirrors，anddressing—cases，forthetoilettables，answeredtheend:theylookedfreshwithoutbeingglaring。AspareparlourandbedroomIrefurnishedentirely，witholdmahoganyandcrimsonupholstery:Ilaidcanvasonthepassage，andcarpetsonthestairs。Whenallwasfinished，IthoughtMoorHouseascompleteamodelofbrightmodestsnugnesswithin，asitwas，atthisseason，aspecimenofwintrywasteanddesertdrearinesswithout。
TheeventfulThursdayatlengthcame。Theywereexpectedaboutdark，andereduskfireswerelitupstairsandbelow;thekitchenwasinperfecttrim;HannahandIweredressed，andallwasinreadiness。
St。Johnarrivedfirst。Ihadentreatedhimtokeepquiteclearofthehousetilleverythingwasarranged:and，indeed，thebareideaofthecommotion，atoncesordidandtrivial，goingonwithinitswallssufficedtoscarehimtoestrangement。Hefoundmeinthekitchen，watchingtheprogressofcertaincakesfortea，thenbaking。Approachingthehearth，heasked，“IfIwasatlastsatisfiedwithhousemaid’swork？”Iansweredbyinvitinghimtoaccompanymeonageneralinspectionoftheresultofmylabours。Withsomedifficulty，Igothimtomakethetourofthehouse。HejustlookedinatthedoorsIopened;andwhenhehadwanderedupstairsanddownstairs，hesaidImusthavegonethroughagreatdealoffatigueandtroubletohaveeffectedsuchconsiderablechangesinsoshortatime:butnotasyllabledidheutterindicatingpleasureintheimprovedaspectofhisabode。
Thissilencedampedme。Ithoughtperhapsthealterationshaddisturbedsomeoldassociationshevalued。Iinquiredwhetherthiswasthecase:nodoubtinasomewhatcrest—fallentone。
“Notatall;hehad，onthecontrary，remarkedthatIhadscrupulouslyrespectedeveryassociation:hefeared，indeed，Imusthavebestowedmorethoughtonthematterthanitwasworth。Howmanyminutes，forinstance，hadIdevotedtostudyingthearrangementofthisveryroom？—By—the—bye，couldItellhimwheresuchabookwas？”
Ishowedhimthevolumeontheshelf:hetookitdown，andwithdrawingtohisaccustomedwindowrecess，hebegantoreadit。
Now，Ididnotlikethis，reader。St。Johnwasagoodman;butIbegantofeelhehadspokentruthofhimselfwhenhesaidhewashardandcold。Thehumanitiesandamenitiesoflifehadnoattractionforhim—itspeacefulenjoymentsnocharm。Literally，helivedonlytoaspire—afterwhatwasgoodandgreat，certainly;butstillhewouldneverrest，norapproveofothersrestingroundhim。AsIlookedathisloftyforehead，stillandpaleasawhitestone—athisfinelineamentsfixedinstudy—Icomprehendedallatoncethathewouldhardlymakeagoodhusband:thatitwouldbeatryingthingtobehiswife。Iunderstood，asbyinspiration，thenatureofhisloveforMissOliver;Iagreedwithhimthatitwasbutaloveofthesenses。Icomprehendedhowheshoulddespisehimselfforthefeverishinfluenceitexercisedoverhim;howheshouldwishtostifleanddestroyit;howheshouldmistrustitseverconductingpermanentlytohishappinessorhers。Isawhewasofthematerialfromwhichnaturehewsherheroes—ChristianandPagan—herlawgivers，herstatesmen，herconquerors:asteadfastbulwarkforgreatintereststorestupon;but，atthefireside，toooftenacoldcumbrouscolumn，gloomyandoutofplace。
“Thisparlourisnothissphere，”Ireflected:“theHimalayanridgeorCaffrebush，eventheplague—cursedGuineaCoastswampwouldsuithimbetter。Wellmayheeschewthecalmofdomesticlife;itisnothiselement:therehisfacultiesstagnate—theycannotdeveloporappeartoadvantage。Itisinscenesofstrifeanddanger—wherecourageisproved，andenergyexercised，andfortitudetasked—thathewillspeakandmove，theleaderandsuperior。Amerrychildwouldhavetheadvantageofhimonthishearth。Heisrighttochooseamissionary’scareer—Iseeitnow。”
“Theyarecoming！theyarecoming！”criedHannah，throwingopentheparlourdoor。AtthesamemomentoldCarlobarkedjoyfully。OutIran。Itwasnowdark;butarumblingofwheelswasaudible。Hannahsoonhadalanternlit。Thevehiclehadstoppedatthewicket;thedriveropenedthedoor:firstonewell—knownform，thenanother，steppedout。InaminuteIhadmyfaceundertheirbonnets，incontactfirstwithMary’ssoftcheek，thenwithDiana’sflowingcurls。Theylaughed—kissedme—thenHannah:pattedCarlo，whowashalfwildwithdelight;askedeagerlyifallwaswell;andbeingassuredintheaffirmative，hastenedintothehouse。
TheywerestiffwiththeirlongandjoltingdrivefromWhitcross，andchilledwiththefrostynightair;buttheirpleasantcountenancesexpandedtothecheerfulfirelight。WhilethedriverandHannahbroughtintheboxes，theydemandedSt。John。Atthismomentheadvancedfromtheparlour。Theyboththrewtheirarmsroundhisneckatonce。Hegaveeachonequietkiss，saidinalowtoneafewwordsofwelcome，stoodawhiletobetalkedto，andthen，intimatingthathesupposedtheywouldsoonrejoinhimintheparlour，withdrewthereastoaplaceofrefuge。
Ihadlittheircandlestogoupstairs，butDianahadfirsttogivehospitableordersrespectingthedriver;thisdone，bothfollowedme。Theyweredelightedwiththerenovationanddecorationsoftheirrooms;withthenewdrapery，andfreshcarpets，andrichtintedchinavases:theyexpressedtheirgratificationungrudgingly。Ihadthepleasureoffeelingthatmyarrangementsmettheirwishesexactly，andthatwhatIhaddoneaddedavividcharmtotheirjoyousreturnhome。
Sweetwasthatevening。Mycousins，fullofexhilaration，weresoeloquentinnarrativeandcomment，thattheirfluencycoveredSt。John’staciturnity:hewassincerelygladtoseehissisters;butintheirglowoffervourandflowofjoyhecouldnotsympathise。Theeventoftheday—thatis，thereturnofDianaandMary—pleasedhim;buttheaccompanimentsofthatevent，thegladtumult，thegarrulousgleeofreceptionirkedhim:Isawhewishedthecalmermorrowwascome。Intheverymeridianofthenight’senjoyment，aboutanhouraftertea，arapwasheardatthedoor。Hannahenteredwiththeintimationthat“apoorladwascome，atthatunlikelytime，tofetchMr。Riverstoseehismother，whowasdrawingaway。”
“Wheredoesshelive，Hannah？”
“ClearupatWhitcrossBrow，almostfourmilesoff，andmoorandmossalltheway。”
“TellhimIwillgo。”
“I’msure，sir，youhadbetternot。It’stheworstroadtotravelafterdarkthatcanbe:there’snotrackatalloverthebog。Andthenitissuchabitternight—thekeenestwindyoueverfelt。Youhadbettersendword，sir，thatyouwillbethereinthemorning。”
Buthewasalreadyinthepassage，puttingonhiscloak;andwithoutoneobjection，onemurmur，hedeparted。Itwasthennineo’clock:hedidnotreturntillmidnight。Starvedandtiredenoughhewas:buthelookedhappierthanwhenhesetout。Hehadperformedanactofduty;madeanexertion;felthisownstrengthtodoanddeny，andwasonbettertermswithhimself。
Iamafraidthewholeoftheensuingweektriedhispatience。ItwasChristmasweek:wetooktonosettledemployment，butspentitinasortofmerrydomesticdissipation。Theairofthemoors，thefreedomofhome，thedawnofprosperity，actedonDianaandMary’sspiritslikesomelife—givingelixir:theyweregayfrommorningtillnoon，andfromnoontillnight。Theycouldalwaystalk;andtheirdiscourse，witty，pithy，original，hadsuchcharmsforme，thatIpreferredlisteningto，andsharinginit，todoinganythingelse。St。Johndidnotrebukeourvivacity;butheescapedfromit:hewasseldominthehouse;hisparishwaslarge，thepopulationscattered，andhefounddailybusinessinvisitingthesickandpoorinitsdifferentdistricts。
Onemorningatbreakfast，Diana，afterlookingalittlepensiveforsomeminutes，askedhim，“Ifhisplanswereyetunchanged。”
“Unchangedandunchangeable，”wasthereply。AndheproceededtoinformusthathisdeparturefromEnglandwasnowdefinitivelyfixedfortheensuingyear。
“AndRosamondOliver？”suggestedMary，thewordsseemingtoescapeherlipsinvoluntarily:fornosoonerhadsheutteredthem，thanshemadeagestureasifwishingtorecallthem。St。Johnhadabookinhishand—itwashisunsocialcustomtoreadatmeals—heclosedit，andlookedup，
“RosamondOliver，”saidhe，“isabouttobemarriedtoMr。Granby，oneofthebestconnectedandmostestimableresidentsinS—，grandsonandheirtoSirFredericGranby:Ihadtheintelligencefromherfatheryesterday。”
Hissisterslookedateachotherandatme;weallthreelookedathim:hewassereneasglass。
“Thematchmusthavebeengotuphastily，”saidDiana:“theycannothaveknowneachotherlong。”
“Buttwomonths:theymetinOctoberatthecountyballatS—。Butwheretherearenoobstaclestoaunion，asinthepresentcase，wheretheconnectionisineverypointdesirable，delaysareunnecessary:theywillbemarriedassoonasS—Place，whichSirFredericgivesuptothem，canherefittedfortheirreception。”
ThefirsttimeIfoundSt。Johnaloneafterthiscommunication，Ifelttemptedtoinquireiftheeventdistressedhim:butheseemedsolittletoneedsympathy，that，sofarfromventuringtoofferhimmore，IexperiencedsomeshameattherecollectionofwhatIhadalreadyhazarded。Besides，Iwasoutofpracticeintalkingtohim:hisreservewasagainfrozenover，andmyfranknesswascongealedbeneathit。Hehadnotkepthispromiseoftreatingmelikehissisters;hecontinuallymadelittlechillingdifferencesbetweenus，whichdidnotatalltendtothedevelopmentofcordiality:inshort，nowthatIwasacknowledgedhiskinswoman，andlivedunderthesameroofwithhim，Ifeltthedistancebetweenustobefargreaterthanwhenhehadknownmeonlyasthevillageschoolmistress。WhenIrememberedhowfarIhadoncebeenadmittedtohisconfidence，Icouldhardlycomprehendhispresentfrigidity。
Suchbeingthecase，Ifeltnotalittlesurprisedwhenheraisedhisheadsuddenlyfromthedeskoverwhichhewasstooping，andsaid—
“Yousee，Jane，thebattleisfoughtandthevictorywon。”
Startledatbeingthusaddressed，Ididnotimmediatelyreply:afteramoment’shesitationIanswered—
“Butareyousureyouarenotinthepositionofthoseconquerorswhosetriumphshavecostthemtoodear？Wouldnotsuchanotherruinyou？”
“Ithinknot;andifIwere，itdoesnotmuchsignify;Ishallneverbecalledupontocontendforsuchanother。Theeventoftheconflictisdecisive:mywayisnowclear;IthankGodforit！”Sosaying，hereturnedtohispapersandhissilence。