“Canyouseeme？”
“No，myfairy:butIamonlytoothankfultohearandfeelyou。”
“Whendoyoutakesupper？”
“Inevertakesupper。”
“Butyoushallhavesometo—night。Iamhungry:soareyou，Idaresay，onlyyouforget。”
SummoningMary，Isoonhadtheroominmorecheerfulorder:Ipreparedhim，likewise，acomfortablerepast。Myspiritswereexcited，andwithpleasureandeaseItalkedtohimduringsupper，andforalongtimeafter。Therewasnoharassingrestraint，norepressingofgleeandvivacitywithhim;forwithhimIwasatperfectease，becauseIknewIsuitedhim;allIsaidordidseemedeithertoconsoleorrevivehim。Delightfulconsciousness！Itbroughttolifeandlightmywholenature:inhispresenceIthoroughlylived;andhelivedinmine。Blindashewas，smilesplayedoverhisface，joydawnedonhisforehead:hislineamentssoftenedandwarmed。
Aftersupper，hebegantoaskmemanyquestions，ofwhereIhadbeen，whatIhadbeendoing，howIhadfoundhimout;butIgavehimonlyverypartialreplies:itwastoolatetoenterintoparticularsthatnight。Besides，Iwishedtotouchnodeep—thrillingchord—toopennofreshwellofemotioninhisheart:mysolepresentaimwastocheerhim。Cheered，asIhavesaid，hewas:andyetbutbyfits。Ifamoment’ssilencebroketheconversation，hewouldturnrestless，touchme，thensay，“Jane。”
“Youarealtogetherahumanbeing，Jane？Youarecertainofthat？”
“Iconscientiouslybelieveso，Mr。Rochester。”
“Yethow，onthisdarkanddolefulevening，couldyousosuddenlyriseonmylonehearth？Istretchedmyhandtotakeaglassofwaterfromahireling，anditwasgivenmebyyou:Iaskedaquestion，expectingJohn’swifetoanswerme，andyourvoicespokeatmyear。”
“BecauseIhadcomein，inMary’sstead，withthetray。”
“AndthereisenchantmentintheveryhourIamnowspendingwithyou。Whocantellwhatadark，dreary，hopelesslifeIhavedraggedonformonthspast？Doingnothing，expectingnothing;mergingnightinday;feelingbutthesensationofcoldwhenIletthefiregoout，ofhungerwhenIforgottoeat:andthenaceaselesssorrow，and，attimes，averydeliriumofdesiretobeholdmyJaneagain。Yes:forherrestorationIlonged，farmorethanforthatofmylostsight。HowcanitbethatJaneiswithme，andsaysshelovesme？Willshenotdepartassuddenlyasshecame？To—morrow，IfearIshallfindhernomore。”
Acommonplace，practicalreply，outofthetrainofhisowndisturbedideas，was，Iwassure，thebestandmostreassuringforhiminthisframeofmind。Ipassedmyfingeroverhiseyebrows，andremarkedthattheywerescorched，andthatIwouldapplysomethingwhichwouldmakethemgrowasbroadandblackasever。
“Whereistheuseofdoingmegoodinanyway，beneficentspirit，when，atsomefatalmoment，youwillagaindesertme—passinglikeashadow，whitherandhowtomeunknown，andformeremainingafterwardsundiscoverable？
“Haveyouapocket—combaboutyou，sir？”
“Whatfor，Jane？”
“Justtocomboutthisshaggyblackmane。Ifindyouratheralarming，whenIexamineyoucloseathand:youtalkofmybeingafairy，butIamsure，youaremorelikeabrownie。”
“AmIhideous，Jane？”
“Very，sir:youalwayswere，youknow。”
“Humph！Thewickednesshasnotbeentakenoutofyou，whereveryouhavesojourned。”
“YetIhavebeenwithgoodpeople;farbetterthanyou:ahundredtimesbetterpeople;possessedofideasandviewsyouneverentertainedinyourlife:quitemorerefinedandexalted。”
“Whothedeucehaveyoubeenwith？”
“Ifyoutwistinthatwayyouwillmakemepullthehairoutofyourhead;andthenIthinkyouwillceasetoentertaindoubtsofmysubstantiality。”
“Whohaveyoubeenwith，Jane？”
“Youshallnotgetitoutofmeto—night，sir;youmustwaittillto—morrow;toleavemytalehalftold，will，youknow，beasortofsecuritythatIshallappearatyourbreakfasttabletofinishit。Bythebye，Imustmindnottoriseonyourhearthwithonlyaglassofwaterthen:Imustbringaneggattheleast，tosaynothingoffriedham。”
“Youmockingchangeling—fairy—bornandhuman—bred！YoumakemefeelasIhavenotfeltthesetwelvemonths。IfSaulcouldhavehadyouforhisDavid，theevilspiritwouldhavebeenexorcisedwithouttheaidoftheharp。”
“There，sir，youarereddupandmadedecent。NowI’llleaveyou:Ihavebeentravellingtheselastthreedays，andIbelieveIamtired。Goodnight。”
“Justoneword，Jane:werethereonlyladiesinthehousewhereyouhavebeen？”
Ilaughedandmademyescape，stilllaughingasIranupstairs。“Agoodidea！”Ithoughtwithglee。“IseeIhavethemeansoffrettinghimoutofhismelancholyforsometimetocome。”
VeryearlythenextmorningIheardhimupandastir，wanderingfromoneroomtoanother。AssoonasMarycamedownIheardthequestion:“IsMissEyrehere？”Then:“Whichroomdidyouputherinto？Wasitdry？Issheup？Goandaskifshewantsanything;andwhenshewillcomedown。”
IcamedownassoonasIthoughttherewasaprospectofbreakfast。Enteringtheroomverysoftly，Ihadaviewofhimbeforehediscoveredmypresence。Itwasmournful，indeed，towitnessthesubjugationofthatvigorousspirittoacorporealinfirmity。Hesatinhischair—still，butnotatrest:expectantevidently;thelinesofnowhabitualsadnessmarkinghisstrongfeatures。Hiscountenanceremindedoneofalampquenched，waitingtobere—lit—andalas！itwasnothimselfthatcouldnowkindlethelustreofanimatedexpression:hewasdependentonanotherforthatoffice！Ihadmeanttobegayandcareless，butthepowerlessnessofthestrongmantouchedmyhearttothequick:stillIaccostedhimwithwhatvivacityIcould。
“Itisabright，sunnymorning，sir，”Isaid。“Therainisoverandgone，andthereisatendershiningafterit:youshallhaveawalksoon。”
Ihadwakenedtheglow:hisfeaturesbeamed。
“Oh，youareindeedthere，myskylark！Cometome。Youarenotgone:notvanished？Iheardoneofyourkindanhourago，singinghighoverthewood:butitssonghadnomusicforme，anymorethantherisingsunhadrays。AllthemelodyonearthisconcentratedinmyJane’stonguetomyear（Iamgladitisnotnaturallyasilentone）:allthesunshineIcanfeelisinherpresence。”
Thewaterstoodinmyeyestohearthisavowalofhisdependence;justasifaroyaleagle，chainedtoaperch，shouldbeforcedtoentreatasparrowtobecomeitspurveyor。ButIwouldnotbelachrymose:Idashedoffthesaltdrops，andbusiedmyselfwithpreparingbreakfast。
Mostofthemorningwasspentintheopenair。Iledhimoutofthewetandwildwoodintosomecheerfulfields:Idescribedtohimhowbrilliantlygreentheywere;howtheflowersandhedgeslookedrefreshed;howsparklinglybluewasthesky。Isoughtaseatforhiminahiddenandlovelyspot，adrystumpofatree;nordidIrefusetolethim，whenseated，placemeonhisknee。WhyshouldI，whenbothheandIwerehappiernearthanapart？Pilotlaybesideus:allwasquiet。Hebrokeoutsuddenlywhileclaspingmeinhisarms—
“Cruel，crueldeserter！Oh，Jane，whatdidIfeelwhenIdiscoveredyouhadfledfromThornfield，andwhenIcouldnowherefindyou;and，afterexaminingyourapartment，ascertainedthatyouhadtakennomoney，noranythingwhichcouldserveasanequivalent！ApearlnecklaceIhadgivenyoulayuntouchedinitslittlecasket;yourtrunkswereleftcordedandlockedastheyhadbeenpreparedforthebridaltour。Whatcouldmydarlingdo，Iasked，leftdestituteandpenniless？Andwhatdidshedo？Letmehearnow。”
Thusurged，Ibeganthenarrativeofmyexperienceforthelastyear。Isoftenedconsiderablywhatrelatedtothethreedaysofwanderingandstarvation，becausetohavetoldhimallwouldhavebeentoinflictunnecessarypain:thelittleIdidsaylaceratedhisfaithfulheartdeeperthanIwished。
Ishouldnothavelefthimthus，hesaid，withoutanymeansofmakingmyway:Ishouldhavetoldhimmyintention。Ishouldhaveconfidedinhim:hewouldneverhaveforcedmetobehismistress。Violentashehadseemedinhisdespair，he，intruth，lovedmefartoowellandtootenderlytoconstitutehimselfmytyrant:hewouldhavegivenmehalfhisfortune，withoutdemandingsomuchasakissinreturn，ratherthanIshouldhaveflungmyselffriendlessonthewideworld。Ihadendured，hewascertain，morethanIhadconfessedtohim。
“Well，whatevermysufferingshadbeen，theywereveryshort，”Ianswered:andthenIproceededtotellhimhowIhadbeenreceivedatMoorHouse;howIhadobtainedtheofficeofschoolmistress，&c。Theaccessionoffortune，thediscoveryofmyrelations，followedindueorder。Ofcourse，St。JohnRivers’namecameinfrequentlyintheprogressofmytale。WhenIhaddone，thatnamewasimmediatelytakenup。
“ThisSt。John，then，isyourcousin？”
“Yes。”
“Youhavespokenofhimoften:doyoulikehim？”
“Hewasaverygoodman，sir;Icouldnothelplikinghim。”
“Agoodman。Doesthatmeanarespectablewell—conductedmanoffifty？Orwhatdoesitmean？”
“StJohnwasonlytwenty—nine，sir。”
“‘Jeuneencore，’astheFrenchsay。Isheapersonoflowstature，phlegmatic，andplain。Apersonwhosegoodnessconsistsratherinhisguiltlessnessofvice，thaninhisprowessinvirtue。”
“Heisuntiringlyactive。Greatandexalteddeedsarewhathelivestoperform。”
“Buthisbrain？Thatisprobablyrathersoft？Hemeanswell:butyoushrugyourshoulderstohearhimtalk？”
“Hetalkslittle，sir:whathedoessayisevertothepoint。Hisbrainisfirst—rate，Ishouldthinknotimpressible，butvigorous。”
“Isheanableman，then？”
“Trulyable。”
“Athoroughlyeducatedman？”
“St。Johnisanaccomplishedandprofoundscholar。”
“Hismanners，Ithink，yousaidarenottoyourtaste？—priggishandparsonic？”
“Inevermentionedhismanners;but，unlessIhadaverybadtaste，theymustsuitit;theyarepolished，calm，andgentlemanlike。”
“Hisappearance，—Iforgetwhatdescriptionyougaveofhisappearance;—asortofrawcurate，halfstrangledwithhiswhiteneckcloth，andstilteduponhisthick—soledhigh—lows，eh？”
“St。Johndresseswell。Heisahandsomeman:tall，fair，withblueeyes，andaGrecianprofile。”
（Aside。）“Damnhim！”—（Tome。）“Didyoulikehim，Jane？”
“Yes，Mr。Rochester，Ilikedhim:butyouaskedmethatbefore。”
Iperceived，ofcourse，thedriftofmyinterlocutor。Jealousyhadgotholdofhim:shestunghim;butthestingwassalutary:itgavehimrespitefromthegnawingfangofmelancholy。Iwouldnot，therefore，immediatelycharmthesnake。
“Perhapsyouwouldrathernotsitanylongeronmyknee，MissEyre？”wasthenextsomewhatunexpectedobservation。
“Whynot，Mr。Rochester？”
“Thepictureyouhavejustdrawnissuggestiveofarathertoooverwhelmingcontrast。YourwordshavedelineatedveryprettilyagracefulApollo:heispresenttoyourimagination，—tall，fair，blue—eyed，andwithaGrecianprofile。YoureyesdwellonaVulcan，—arealblacksmith，brown，broad—shouldered:andblindandlameintothebargain。”
“Ineverthoughtofit，before;butyoucertainlyareratherlikeVulcan，sir。”
“Well，youcanleaveme，ma’am:butbeforeyougo”（andheretainedmebyafirmergraspthanever），“youwillbepleasedjusttoanswermeaquestionortwo。”Hepaused。
“Whatquestions，Mr。Rochester？”
Thenfollowedthiscross—examination。
“St。JohnmadeyouschoolmistressofMortonbeforeheknewyouwerehiscousin？”
“Yes。”
“Youwouldoftenseehim？Hewouldvisittheschoolsometimes？”
“Daily。”
“Hewouldapproveofyourplans，Jane？Iknowtheywouldbeclever，foryouareatalentedcreature！”
“Heapprovedofthem—yes。”
“Hewoulddiscovermanythingsinyouhecouldnothaveexpectedtofind？Someofyouraccomplishmentsarenotordinary。”
“Idon’tknowaboutthat。”
“Youhadalittlecottageneartheschool，yousay:didheevercometheretoseeyou？”
“Nowandthen？”
“Ofanevening？”
“Onceortwice。”
Apause。
“Howlongdidyouresidewithhimandhissistersafterthecousinshipwasdiscovered？”
“Fivemonths。”
“DidRiversspendmuchtimewiththeladiesofhisfamily？”
“Yes;thebackparlourwasbothhisstudyandours:hesatnearthewindow，andwebythetable。”
“Didhestudymuch？”
“Agooddeal。”
“What？”
“Hindostanee。”
“Andwhatdidyoudomeantime？”
“IlearntGerman，atfirst。”
“Didheteachyou？”
“HedidnotunderstandGerman。”
“Didheteachyounothing？”
“AlittleHindostanee。”
“RiverstaughtyouHindostanee？”
“Yes，sir。”
“Andhissistersalso？”
“No。”
“Onlyyou？”
“Onlyme。”
“Didyouasktolearn？”
“No。”
“Hewishedtoteachyou？”
“Yes。”
Asecondpause。
“Whydidhewishit？OfwhatusecouldHindostaneebetoyou？”
“HeintendedmetogowithhimtoIndia。”
“Ah！hereIreachtherootofthematter。Hewantedyoutomarryhim？”
“Heaskedmetomarryhim。”
“Thatisafiction—animpudentinventiontovexme。”
“Ibegyourpardon，itistheliteraltruth:heaskedmemorethanonce，andwasasstiffabouturginghispointaseveryoucouldbe。”
“MissEyre，Irepeatit，youcanleaveme。HowoftenamItosaythesamething？Whydoyouremainpertinaciouslyperchedonmyknee，whenIhavegivenyounoticetoquit？”
“BecauseIamcomfortablethere。”
“No，Jane，youarenotcomfortablethere，becauseyourheartisnotwithme:itiswiththiscousin—thisSt。John。Oh，tillthismoment，IthoughtmylittleJanewasallmine！Ihadabeliefshelovedmeevenwhensheleftme:thatwasanatomofsweetinmuchbitter。Longaswehavebeenparted，hottearsasIhaveweptoverourseparation，IneverthoughtthatwhileIwasmourningher，shewaslovinganother！Butitisuselessgrieving。Jane，leaveme:goandmarryRivers。”
“Shakemeoff，then，sir，—pushmeaway，forI’llnotleaveyouofmyownaccord。”
“Jane，Ieverlikeyourtoneofvoice:itstillrenewshope，itsoundssotruthful。WhenIhearit，itcarriesmebackayear。Iforgetthatyouhaveformedanewtie。ButIamnotafool—go—”
“WheremustIgo，sir？”
“Yourownway—withthehusbandyouhavechosen。”
“Whoisthat？”
“Youknow—thisSt。JohnRivers。”
“Heisnotmyhusband，noreverwillbe。Hedoesnotloveme:Idonotlovehim。Heloves（ashecanlove，andthatisnotasyoulove）abeautifulyoungladycalledRosamond。HewantedtomarrymeonlybecausehethoughtIshouldmakeasuitablemissionary’swife，whichshewouldnothavedone。Heisgoodandgreat，butsevere;and，forme，coldasaniceberg。Heisnotlikeyou，sir:Iamnothappyathisside，nornearhim，norwithhim。Hehasnoindulgenceforme—nofondness。Heseesnothingattractiveinme;notevenyouth—onlyafewusefulmentalpoints。—ThenImustleaveyou，sir，togotohim？”
Ishudderedinvoluntarily，andclunginstinctivelyclosertomyblindbutbelovedmaster。Hesmiled。
“What，Jane！Isthistrue？IssuchreallythestateofmattersbetweenyouandRivers？”
“Absolutely，sir！Oh，youneednotbejealous！Iwantedtoteaseyoualittletomakeyoulesssad:Ithoughtangerwouldbebetterthangrief。Butifyouwishmetoloveyou，couldyoubutseehowmuchIdoloveyou，youwouldbeproudandcontent。Allmyheartisyours，sir:itbelongstoyou;andwithyouitwouldremain，werefatetoexiletherestofmefromyourpresenceforever。”
Again，ashekissedme，painfulthoughtsdarkenedhisaspect。“Myscaredvision！Mycrippledstrength！”hemurmuredregretfully。
Icaressed，inordertosoothehim。Iknewofwhathewasthinking，andwantedtospeakforhim，butdarednot。Asheturnedasidehisfaceaminute，Isawatearslidefromunderthesealedeyelid，andtrickledownthemanlycheek。Myheartswelled。
“Iamnobetterthantheoldlightning—struckchestnut—treeinThornfieldorchard，”heremarkederelong。“Andwhatrightwouldthatruinhavetobidabuddingwoodbinecoveritsdecaywithfreshness？”
“Youarenoruin，sir—nolightning—strucktree:youaregreenandvigorous。Plantswillgrowaboutyourroots，whetheryouaskthemornot，becausetheytakedelightinyourbountifulshadow;andastheygrowtheywillleantowardsyou，andwindroundyou，becauseyourstrengthoffersthemsosafeaprop。”
Againhesmiled:Igavehimcomfort。
“Youspeakoffriends，Jane？”heasked。
“Yes，offriends，”Iansweredratherhesitatingly:forIknewImeantmorethanfriends，butcouldnottellwhatotherwordtoemploy。Hehelpedme。
“Ah！Jane。ButIwantawife。”
“Doyou，sir？”
“Yes:isitnewstoyou？”
“Ofcourse:yousaidnothingaboutitbefore。”
“Isitunwelcomenews？”
“Thatdependsoncircumstances，sir—onyourchoice。”
“Whichyoushallmakeforme，Jane。Iwillabidebyyourdecision。”
“Choosethen，sir—herwholovesyoubest。”
“Iwillatleastchoose—herilovebest。Jane，willyoumarryme？”
“Yes，sir。”
“Apoorblindman，whomyouwillhavetoleadaboutbythehand？”
“Yes，sir。”
“Acrippledman，twentyyearsolderthanyou，whomyouwillhavetowaiton？”
“Yes，sir。”
“Truly，Jane？”
“Mosttruly，sir。”
“Oh！mydarling！Godblessyouandrewardyou！”
“Mr。Rochester，ifeverIdidagooddeedinmylife—ifeverIthoughtagoodthought—ifeverIprayedasincereandblamelessprayer—ifeverIwishedarighteouswish，—Iamrewardednow。Tobeyourwifeis，forme，tobeashappyasIcanbeonearth。”
“Becauseyoudelightinsacrifice。”
“Sacrifice！WhatdoIsacrifice？Famineforfood，expectationforcontent。TobeprivilegedtoputmyarmsroundwhatIvalue—topressmylipstowhatIlove—toreposeonwhatItrust:isthattomakeasacrifice？Ifso，thencertainlyIdelightinsacrifice。”
“Andtobearwithmyinfirmities，Jane:tooverlookmydeficiencies。”
“Whicharenone，sir，tome。Iloveyoubetternow，whenIcanreallybeusefultoyou，thanIdidinyourstateofproudindependence，whenyoudisdainedeverypartbutthatofthegiverandprotector。”
“HithertoIhavehatedtobehelped—tobeled:henceforth，IfeelIshallhateitnomore。Ididnotliketoputmyhandintoahireling’s，butitispleasanttofeelitcircledbyJane’slittlefingers。Ipreferredutterlonelinesstotheconstantattendanceofservants;butJane’ssoftministrywillbeaperpetualjoy。Janesuitsme:doIsuither？”
“Tothefinestfibreofmynature，sir。”
“Thecasebeingso，wehavenothingintheworldtowaitfor:wemustbemarriedinstantly。”
Helookedandspokewitheagerness:hisoldimpetuositywasrising。
“Wemustbecomeonefleshwithoutanydelay，Jane:thereisbutthelicencetoget—thenwemarry。”
“Mr。Rochester，Ihavejustdiscoveredthesunisfardeclinedfromitsmeridian，andPilotisactuallygonehometohisdinner。Letmelookatyourwatch。”
“Fastenitintoyourgirdle，Janet，andkeepithenceforward:Ihavenouseforit。”
“Itisnearlyfouro’clockintheafternoon，sir。Don’tyoufeelhungry？”
“Thethirddayfromthismustbeourwedding—day，Jane。Nevermindfineclothesandjewels，now:allthatisnotworthafillip。”
“Thesunhasdriedupalltherain—drops，sir。Thebreezeisstill:itisquitehot。”
“Doyouknow，Jane，Ihaveyourlittlepearlnecklaceatthismomentfastenedroundmybronzescragundermycravat？IhavewornitsincethedayIlostmyonlytreasure，asamementoofher。”
“Wewillgohomethroughthewood:thatwillbetheshadiestway。”
Hepursuedhisownthoughtswithoutheedingme。
“Jane！youthinkme，Idaresay，anirreligiousdog:butmyheartswellswithgratitudetothebeneficentGodofthisearthjustnow。Heseesnotasmansees，butfarclearer:judgesnotasmanjudges，butfarmorewisely。Ididwrong:Iwouldhavesulliedmyinnocentflower—breathedguiltonitspurity:theOmnipotentsnatcheditfromme。I，inmystiff—neckedrebellion，almostcursedthedispensation:insteadofbendingtothedecree，Idefiedit。Divinejusticepursueditscourse;disasterscamethickonme:Iwasforcedtopassthroughthevalleyoftheshadowofdeath。Hischastisementsaremighty;andonesmotemewhichhashumbledmeforever。YouknowIwasproudofmystrength:butwhatisitnow，whenImustgiveitovertoforeignguidance，asachilddoesitsweakness？Oflate，Jane—only—onlyoflate—IbegantoseeandacknowledgethehandofGodinmydoom。Ibegantoexperienceremorse，repentance;thewishforreconcilementtomyMaker。Ibegansometimestopray:verybriefprayerstheywere，butverysincere。
“Somedayssince:nay，Icannumberthem—four;itwaslastMondaynight，asingularmoodcameoverme:oneinwhichgriefreplacedfrenzy—sorrow，sullenness。IhadlonghadtheimpressionthatsinceIcouldnowherefindyou，youmustbedead。Latethatnight—perhapsitmightbebetweenelevenandtwelveo’clock—ereIretiredtomydrearyrest，IsupplicatedGod，that，ifitseemedgoodtoHim，Imightsoonbetakenfromthislife，andadmittedtothatworldtocome，wheretherewasstillhopeofrejoiningJane。
“Iwasinmyownroom，andsittingbythewindow，whichwasopen:itsoothedmetofeelthebalmynight—air;thoughIcouldseenostarsandonlybyavague，luminoushaze，knewthepresenceofamoon。Ilongedforthee，Janet！Oh，Ilongedfortheebothwithsoulandflesh！IaskedofGod，atonceinanguishandhumility，ifIhadnotbeenlongenoughdesolate，afflicted，tormented;andmightnotsoontasteblissandpeaceoncemore。ThatImeritedallIendured，Iacknowledged—thatIcouldscarcelyenduremore，Ipleaded;andthealphaandomegaofmyheart’swishesbrokeinvoluntarilyfrommylipsinthewords—‘Jane！Jane！Jane！’”
“Didyouspeakthesewordsaloud？”
“Idid，Jane。Ifanylistenerhadheardme，hewouldhavethoughtmemad:Ipronouncedthemwithsuchfranticenergy。”
“AnditwaslastMondaynight，somewherenearmidnight？”
“Yes;butthetimeisofnoconsequence:whatfollowedisthestrangepoint。Youwillthinkmesuperstitious，—somesuperstitionIhaveinmyblood，andalwayshad:nevertheless，thisistrue—trueatleastitisthatIheardwhatInowrelate。
“AsIexclaimed‘Jane！Jane！Jane！’avoice—Icannottellwhencethevoicecame，butIknowwhosevoiceitwas—replied，‘Iamcoming:waitforme;’andamomentafter，wentwhisperingonthewindthewords—‘Whereareyou？’
“I’lltellyou，ifIcan，theidea，thepicturethesewordsopenedtomymind:yetitisdifficulttoexpresswhatIwanttoexpress。Ferndeanisburied，asyousee，inaheavywood，wheresoundfallsdull，anddiesunreverberating。‘Whereareyou？’seemedspokenamongstmountains;forIheardahill—sentechorepeatthewords。Coolerandfresheratthemomentthegaleseemedtovisitmybrow:Icouldhavedeemedthatinsomewild，lonescene，IandJaneweremeeting。Inspirit，Ibelievewemusthavemet。Younodoubtwere，atthathour，inunconscioussleep，Jane:perhapsyoursoulwanderedfromitscelltocomfortmine;forthosewereyouraccents—ascertainasIlive—theywereyours！”
Reader，itwasonMondaynight—nearmidnight—thatItoohadreceivedthemysterioussummons:thoseweretheverywordsbywhichIrepliedtoit。IlistenedtoMr。Rochester’snarrative，butmadenodisclosureinreturn。Thecoincidencestruckmeastooawfulandinexplicabletobecommunicatedordiscussed。IfItoldanything，mytalewouldbesuchasmustnecessarilymakeaprofoundimpressiononthemindofmyhearer:andthatmind，yetfromitssufferingstoopronetogloom，needednotthedeepershadeofthesupernatural。Ikeptthesethingsthen，andponderedtheminmyheart。
“Youcannotnowwonder，”continuedmymaster，“thatwhenyouroseuponmesounexpectedlylastnight，Ihaddifficultyinbelievingyouanyotherthanamerevoiceandvision，somethingthatwouldmelttosilenceandannihilation，asthemidnightwhisperandmountainechohadmeltedbefore。Now，IthankGod！Iknowittobeotherwise。Yes，IthankGod！”
Heputmeoffhisknee，rose，andreverentlyliftinghishatfromhisbrow，andbendinghissightlesseyestotheearth，hestoodinmutedevotion。Onlythelastwordsoftheworshipwereaudible。
“IthankmyMaker，that，inthemidstofjudgment，hehasrememberedmercy。IhumblyentreatmyRedeemertogivemestrengthtoleadhenceforthapurerlifethanIhavedonehitherto！”
Thenhestretchedhishandouttobeled。Itookthatdearhand，helditamomenttomylips，thenletitpassroundmyshoulder:beingsomuchlowerofstaturethanhe，Iservedbothforhispropandguide。Weenteredthewood，andwendedhomeward。
Chapter38—CONCLUSION
Reader，Imarriedhim。Aquietweddingwehad:heandI，theparsonandclerk，werealonepresent。Whenwegotbackfromchurch，Iwentintothekitchenofthemanor—house，whereMarywascookingthedinnerandJohncleaningtheknives，andIsaid—
“Mary，IhavebeenmarriedtoMr。Rochesterthismorning。”Thehousekeeperandherhusbandwerebothofthatdecentphlegmaticorderofpeople，towhomonemayatanytimesafelycommunicatearemarkablepieceofnewswithoutincurringthedangerofhavingone’searspiercedbysomeshrillejaculation，andsubsequentlystunnedbyatorrentofwordywonderment。Marydidlookup，andshedidstareatme:theladlewithwhichshewasbastingapairofchickensroastingatthefire，didforsomethreeminuteshangsuspendedinair;andforthesamespaceoftimeJohn’sknivesalsohadrestfromthepolishingprocess:butMary，bendingagainovertheroast，saidonly—
“Haveyou，Miss？Well，forsure！”
Ashorttimeaftershepursued—“Iseedyougooutwiththemaster，butIdidn’tknowyouweregonetochurchtobewed;”andshebastedaway。John，whenIturnedtohim，wasgrinningfromeartoear。
“ItelledMaryhowitwouldbe，”hesaid:“IknewwhatMr。Edward”（Johnwasanoldservant，andhadknownhismasterwhenhewasthecadetofthehouse，therefore，heoftengavehimhisChristianname）—“IknewwhatMr。Edwardwoulddo;andIwascertainhewouldnotwaitlongneither:andhe’sdoneright，foraughtIknow。Iwishyoujoy，Miss！”andhepolitelypulledhisforelock。
“Thankyou，John。Mr。RochestertoldmetogiveyouandMarythis。”Iputintohishandafive—poundnote。Withoutwaitingtohearmore，Ileftthekitchen。Inpassingthedoorofthatsanctumsometimeafter，Icaughtthewords—
“She’llhappendobetterforhimnoronyo’t’grandladies。”Andagain，“Ifsheben’toneo’th’handsomest，she’snoanfaalandvarrygood—natured;andi’hiseenshe’sfairbeautiful，onybodymayseethat。”
IwrotetoMoorHouseandtoCambridgeimmediately，tosaywhatIhaddone:fullyexplainingalsowhyIhadthusacted。DianaandMaryapprovedthestepunreservedly。Dianaannouncedthatshewouldjustgivemetimetogetoverthehoneymoon，andthenshewouldcomeandseeme。
“Shehadbetternotwaittillthen，Jane，”saidMr。Rochester，whenIreadherlettertohim;“ifshedoes，shewillbetoolate，forourhoneymoonwillshineourlifelong:itsbeamswillonlyfadeoveryourgraveormine。”
HowSt。Johnreceivedthenews，Idon’tknow:heneveransweredtheletterinwhichIcommunicatedit:yetsixmonthsafterhewrotetome，without，however，mentioningMr。Rochester’snameoralludingtomymarriage。Hisletterwasthencalm，and，thoughveryserious，kind。Hehasmaintainedaregular，thoughnotfrequent，correspondenceeversince:hehopesIamhappy，andtrustsIamnotofthosewholivewithoutGodintheworld，andonlymindearthlythings。
YouhavenotquiteforgottenlittleAdèle，haveyou，reader？Ihadnot;IsoonaskedandobtainedleaveofMr。Rochester，togoandseeherattheschoolwherehehadplacedher。Herfranticjoyatbeholdingmeagainmovedmemuch。Shelookedpaleandthin:shesaidshewasnothappy。Ifoundtherulesoftheestablishmentweretoostrict，itscourseofstudytoosevereforachildofherage:Itookherhomewithme。Imeanttobecomehergovernessoncemore，butIsoonfoundthisimpracticable;mytimeandcareswerenowrequiredbyanother—myhusbandneededthemall。SoIsoughtoutaschoolconductedonamoreindulgentsystem，andnearenoughtopermitofmyvisitingheroften，andbringingherhomesometimes。Itookcaresheshouldneverwantforanythingthatcouldcontributetohercomfort:shesoonsettledinhernewabode，becameveryhappythere，andmadefairprogressinherstudies。Asshegrewup，asoundEnglisheducationcorrectedinagreatmeasureherFrenchdefects;andwhensheleftschool，Ifoundinherapleasingandobligingcompanion:docile，good—tempered，andwell—principled。Byhergratefulattentiontomeandmine，shehaslongsincewellrepaidanylittlekindnessIeverhaditinmypowertoofferher。
Mytaledrawstoitsclose:onewordrespectingmyexperienceofmarriedlife，andonebriefglanceatthefortunesofthosewhosenameshavemostfrequentlyrecurredinthisnarrative，andIhavedone。
Ihavenowbeenmarriedtenyears。IknowwhatitistoliveentirelyforandwithwhatIlovebestonearth。Iholdmyselfsupremelyblest—blestbeyondwhatlanguagecanexpress;becauseIammyhusband’slifeasfullyisheismine。NowomanwasevernearertohermatethanIam:evermoreabsolutelyboneofhisboneandfleshofhisflesh。IknownowearinessofmyEdward’ssociety:heknowsnoneofmine，anymorethanweeachdoofthepulsationoftheheartthatbeatsinourseparatebosoms;consequently，weareevertogether。Tobetogetherisforustobeatonceasfreeasinsolitude，asgayasincompany。Wetalk，Ibelieve，alldaylong:totalktoeachotherisbutamoreanimatedandanaudiblethinking。Allmyconfidenceisbestowedonhim，allhisconfidenceisdevotedtome;wearepreciselysuitedincharacter—perfectconcordistheresult。
Mr。Rochestercontinuedblindthefirsttwoyearsofourunion;perhapsitwasthatcircumstancethatdrewussoverynear—thatknitussoveryclose:forIwasthenhisvision，asIamstillhisrighthand。Literally，Iwas（whatheoftencalledme）theappleofhiseye。Hesawnature—hesawbooksthroughme;andneverdidIwearyofgazingforhisbehalf，andofputtingintowordstheeffectoffield，tree，town，river，cloud，sunbeam—ofthelandscapebeforeus;oftheweatherroundus—andimpressingbysoundonhisearwhatlightcouldnolongerstamponhiseye。NeverdidIwearyofreadingtohim;neverdidIwearyofconductinghimwherehewishedtogo:ofdoingforhimwhathewishedtobedone。Andtherewasapleasureinmyservices，mostfull，mostexquisite，eventhoughsad—becauseheclaimedtheseserviceswithoutpainfulshameordampinghumiliation。Helovedmesotruly，thatheknewnoreluctanceinprofitingbymyattendance:hefeltIlovedhimsofondly，thattoyieldthatattendancewastoindulgemysweetestwishes。
Onemorningattheendofthetwoyears，asIwaswritingalettertohisdictation，hecameandbentoverme，andsaid—“Jane，haveyouaglitteringornamentroundyourneck？”
Ihadagoldwatch—chain:Ianswered“Yes。”
“Andhaveyouapalebluedresson？”
Ihad。Heinformedmethen，thatforsometimehehadfanciedtheobscuritycloudingoneeyewasbecominglessdense;andthatnowhewassureofit。
HeandIwentuptoLondon。Hehadtheadviceofaneminentoculist;andheeventuallyrecoveredthesightofthatoneeye。Hecannotnowseeverydistinctly:hecannotreadorwritemuch;buthecanfindhiswaywithoutbeingledbythehand:theskyisnolongerablanktohim—theearthnolongeravoid。Whenhisfirst—bornwasputintohisarms，hecouldseethattheboyhadinheritedhisowneyes，astheyoncewere—large，brilliant，andblack。Onthatoccasion，heagain，withafullheart，acknowledgedthatGodhadtemperedjudgmentwithmercy。
MyEdwardandI，then，arehappy:andthemoreso，becausethosewemostlovearehappylikewise。DianaandMaryRiversarebothmarried:alternately，onceeveryyear，theycometoseeus，andwegotoseethem。Diana’shusbandisacaptaininthenavy，agallantofficerandagoodman。Mary’sisaclergyman，acollegefriendofherbrother’s，and，fromhisattainmentsandprinciples，worthyoftheconnection。BothCaptainFitzjamesandMr。Whartonlovetheirwives，andarelovedbythem。
AstoSt。JohnRivers，heleftEngland:hewenttoIndia。Heenteredonthepathhehadmarkedforhimself;hepursuesitstill。Amoreresolute，indefatigablepioneerneverwroughtamidstrocksanddangers。Firm，faithful，anddevoted，fullofenergy，andzeal，andtruth，helaboursforhisrace;heclearstheirpainfulwaytoimprovement;hehewsdownlikeagianttheprejudicesofcreedandcastethatencumberit。Hemaybestern;hemaybeexacting;hemaybeambitiousyet;buthisisthesternnessofthewarriorGreatheart，whoguardshispilgrimconvoyfromtheonslaughtofApollyon。Hisistheexactionoftheapostle，whospeaksbutforChrist，whenhesays—“Whosoeverwillcomeafterme，lethimdenyhimself，andtakeuphiscrossandfollowme。”Hisistheambitionofthehighmaster—spirit，whichaimstofillaplaceinthefirstrankofthosewhoareredeemedfromtheearth—whostandwithoutfaultbeforethethroneofGod，whosharethelastmightyvictoriesoftheLamb，whoarecalled，andchosen，andfaithful。
St。Johnisunmarried:heneverwillmarrynow。Himselfhashithertosufficedtothetoil，andthetoildrawsnearitsclose:hisglorioussunhastenstoitssetting。ThelastletterIreceivedfromhimdrewfrommyeveshumantears，andyetfilledmyheartwithdivinejoy:heanticipatedhissurereward，hisincorruptiblecrown。Iknowthatastranger’shandwillwritetomenext，tosaythatthegoodandfaithfulservanthasbeencalledatlengthintothejoyofhisLord。Andwhyweepforthis？NofearofdeathwilldarkenSt。John’slasthour:hismindwillbeunclouded，hisheartwillbeundaunted，hishopewillbesure，hisfaithsteadfast。Hisownwordsareapledgeofthis—
“MyMaster，”hesays，“hasforewarnedme。DailyHeannouncesmoredistinctly，—‘SurelyIcomequickly！’andhourlyImoreeagerlyrespond，—‘Amen;evensocome，LordJesus！’”