\'Yes，sir。\'
\'Whosehouseisit？\'
\'Mr。Rochester\'s。\'
\'DoyouknowMr。Rochester？\'
\'No，Ihaveneverseenhim。\'
\'Heisnotresident，then？\'
\'No。\'
\'Canyoutellmewhereheis？\'
\'Icannot。\'
\'Youarenotaservantatthehall，ofcourse。Youare—\'
Hestopped，ranhiseyeovermydress，which，asusual，wasquitesimple:
ablackmerinocloak，ablackbeaverbonnet;neitherofthemhalffineenoughforalady\'s—maid。HeseemedpuzzledtodecidewhatIwas;I
helpedhim。
\'Iamthegoverness。\'
\'Ah，thegoverness！\'herepeated;\'deucetakeme，ifI
hadnotforgotten！Thegoverness！\'andagainmyraimentunderwentscrutiny。
Intwominutesherosefromthestile:hisfaceexpressedpainwhenhetriedtomove。
\'Icannotcommissionyoutofetchhelp，\'hesaid;\'butyoumayhelpmealittleyourself，ifyouwillbesokind。\'
\'Yes，sir。\'
\'YouhavenotanumbrellathatIcanuseasastick？\'
\'No。\'
\'Trytogetholdofmyhorse\'sbridleandleadhimtome:
youarenotafraid？\'
Ishouldhavebeenafraidtotouchahorsewhenalone，butwhentoldtodoit，Iwasdisposedtoobey。Iputdownmymuffonthestile，andwentuptothetallsteed;Iendeavouredtocatchthebridle，butitwasaspiritedthing，andwouldnotletmecomenearitshead;Imadeeffortoneffort，thoughinvain:meantime，Iwasmortallyafraidofitstramplingforefeet。Thetravellerwaitedandwatchedforsometime，andatlasthelaughed。
\'Isee，\'hesaid，\'themountainwillneverbebroughttoMahomet，soallyoucandoistoaidMahomettogotothemountain;Imustbegofyoutocomehere。\'
Icame。\'Excuseme，\'hecontinued:\'necessitycompelsmetomakeyouuseful。\'Helaidaheavyhandonmyshoulder，andleaningonmewithsomestress，limpedtohishorse。Havingoncecaughtthebridle，hemastereditdirectlyandsprangtohissaddle;grimacinggrimlyashemadetheeffort，foritwrenchedhissprain。
\'Now，\'saidhe，releasinghisunderlipfromahardbite，\'justhandmemywhip;itliesthereunderthehedge。\'
Isoughtitandfoundit。
\'Thankyou;nowmakehastewiththelettertoHay，andreturnasfastasyoucan。\'
Atouchofaspurredheelmadehishorsefirststartandrear，andthenboundaway;thedogrushedinhistraces;allthreevanished，\'Likeheaththat，inthewilderness，Thewildwindwhirlsaway。\'
Itookupmymuffandwalkedon。Theincidenthadoccurredandwasgoneforme:itwasanincidentofnomoment，noromance，nointerestinasense;yetitmarkedwithchangeonesinglehourofamonotonouslife。Myhelphadbeenneededandclaimed;Ihadgivenit:Iwaspleasedtohavedonesomething;trivial，transitorythoughthedeedwas，itwasyetanactivething，andIwaswearyofanexistenceallpassive。Thenewface，too，waslikeanewpictureintroducedtothegalleryofmemory;anditwasdissimilartoalltheothershangingthere:firstly，becauseitwasmasculine;and，secondly，becauseitwasdark，strong，andstern。IhaditstillbeforemewhenIenteredHay，andslippedtheletterintothepost—office;IsawitasIwalkedfastdown—hillallthewayhome。
WhenIcametothestile，Istoppedaminute，lookedroundandlistened，withanideathatahorse\'shoofsmightringonthecausewayagain，andthatariderinacloak，andaGytrash—likeNewfoundlanddog，mightbeagainapparent:Isawonlythehedgeandapollardwillowbeforeme，risingupstillandstraighttomeetthemoonbeams;IheardonlythefaintestwaftofwindroamingfitfulamongthetreesroundThornfield，amiledistant;andwhenIglanceddowninthedirectionofthemurmur，myeye，traversingthehall—front，caughtalightkindlinginawindow:itremindedmethatIwaslate，andI
hurriedon。
Ididnotlikere—enteringThornfield。Topassitsthresholdwastoreturntostagnation;tocrossthesilenthall，toascendthedarksomestaircase，toseekmyownlonelylittleroom，andthentomeettranquilMrs。Fairfax，andspendthelongwintereveningwithher，andheronly，wastoquellwhollythefaintexcitementwakenedbymywalk，—toslipagainovermyfacultiestheviewlessfettersofanuniformandtoostillexistence;ofanexistencewhoseveryprivilegesofsecurityandeaseIwasbecomingincapableofappreciating。Whatgooditwouldhavedonemeatthattimetohavebeentossedinthestormsofanuncertainstrugglinglife，andtohavebeentaughtbyroughandbitterexperiencetolongforthecalmamidstwhichInowrepined！Yes，justasmuchgoodasitwoulddoamantiredofsittingstillina\'tooeasychair\'totakealongwalk:andjustasnaturalwasthewishtostir，undermycircumstances，asitwouldbeunderhis。
Ilingeredatthegates;Ilingeredonthelawn;Ipacedbackwardsandforwardsonthepavement;theshuttersoftheglassdoorwereclosed;Icouldnotseeintotheinterior;andbothmyeyesandspiritseemeddrawnfromthegloomyhouse—fromthegreyhollowfilledwithraylesscells，asitappearedtome—tothatskyexpandedbeforeme，—ablueseaabsolvedfromtaintofcloud;themoonascendingitinsolemnmarch;herorbseemingtolookupassheleftthehill—tops，frombehindwhichshehadcome，farandfartherbelowher，andaspiredtothezenith，midnightdarkinitsfathomlessdepthandmeasurelessdistance;andforthosetremblingstarsthatfollowedhercourse;theymademyhearttremble，myveinsglowwhenIviewedthem。Littlethingsrecallustoearth;theclockstruckinthehall;thatsufficed;Iturnedfrommoonandstars，openedaside—door，andwentin。
Thehallwasnotdark，noryetwasitlit，onlybythehigh—hungbronzelamp;awarmglowsuffusedbothitandthelowerstepsoftheoakstaircase。Thisruddyshineissuedfromthegreatdining—room，whosetwo—leaveddoorstoodopen，andshowedagenialfireinthegrate，glancingonmarblehearthandbrassfire—irons，andrevealingpurpledraperiesandpolishedfurniture，inthemostpleasantradiance。Itrevealed，too，agroupnearthemantelpiece:Ihadscarcelycaughtit，andscarcelybecomeawareofacheerfulminglingofvoices，amongstwhichIseemedtodistinguishthetonesofAdele，whenthedoorclosed。
IhastenedtoMrs。Fairfax\'sroom;therewasafiretheretoo，butnocandle，andnoMrs。Fairfax。Instead，allalone，sittinguprightontherug，andgazingwithgravityattheblaze，Ibeheldagreatblackandwhitelong—haireddog，justliketheGytrashofthelane。ItwassolikeitthatIwentforwardandsaid—\'Pilot，\'andthethinggotupandcametomeandsnuffedme。Icaressedhim，andhewaggedhisgreattail;buthelookedaneeriecreaturetobealonewith，andIcouldnottellwhencehehadcome。Irangthebell，forIwantedacandle;andIwanted，too，togetanaccountofthisvisitant。Leahentered。
\'Whatdogisthis？\'
\'Hecamewithmaster。\'
\'Withwhom？\'
\'Withmaster—Mr。Rochester—heisjustarrived。\'
\'Indeed！andisMrs。Fairfaxwithhim？\'
\'Yes，andMissAdele;theyareinthedining—room，andJohnisgoneforasurgeon;formasterhashadanaccident;hishorsefellandhisankleissprained。\'
\'DidthehorsefallinHayLane？\'
\'Yes，comingdown—hill;itslippedonsomeice。\'
\'Ah！Bringmeacandle，willyou，Leah？\'
Leahbroughtit;sheentered，followedbyMrs。Fairfax，whorepeatedthenews;addingthatMr。Carterthesurgeonwascome，andwasnowwithMr。Rochester:thenshehurriedouttogiveordersabouttea，andIwentupstairstotakeoffmythings。
chapter13CHAPTERXIII
MR。ROCHESTER，itseems，bythesurgeon\'sorders，wenttobedearlythatnight;nordidherisesoonnextmorning。Whenhedidcomedown，itwastoattendtobusiness:hisagentandsomeofhistenantswerearrived，andwaitingtospeakwithhim。
AdeleandIhadnowtovacatethelibrary:itwouldbeindailyrequisitionasareception—roomforcallers。Afirewaslitinanapartmentupstairs，andthereIcarriedourbooks，andarrangeditforthefutureschoolroom。IdiscernedinthecourseofthemorningthatThornfieldHallwasachangedplace:nolongersilentasachurch，itechoedeveryhourortwotoaknockatthedoor，oraclangofthebell:steps，too，oftentraversedthehall，andnewvoicesspokeindifferentkeysbelow;arillfromtheouterworldwasflowingthroughit;ithadamaster:formypart，Ilikeditbetter。
Adelewasnoteasytoteachthatday;shecouldnotapply:
shekeptrunningtothedoorandlookingoverthebanisterstoseeifshecouldgetaglimpseofMr。Rochester;thenshecoinedpretextstogodownstairs，inorder，asIshrewdlysuspected，tovisitthelibrary，whereIknewshewasnotwanted;then，whenIgotalittleangry，andmadehersitstill，shecontinuedtotalkincessantlyofher\'ami，MonsieurEdouardFairfaxdeRochester，\'asshedubbedhim（Ihadnotbeforeheardhisprenomens），andtoconjecturewhatpresentshehadbroughther:foritappearshehadintimatedthenightbefore，thatwhenhisluggagecamefromMillcote，therewouldbefoundamongstitalittleboxinwhosecontentsshehadaninterest。
\'Etceladoitsignifier，\'saidshe，\'qu\'ilyauraladedansuncadeaupourmoi，etpeut—etrepourvousaussi，mademoiselle。
Monsieuraparledevous:ilm\'ademandelenomdemagouvernante，etsiellen\'etaitpasunepetitepersonne，assezminceetunpeupale。J\'aiditqu\'oui:carc\'estvrai，n\'est—cepas，mademoiselle？\'
IandmypupildinedasusualinMrs。Fairfax\'sparlour;
theafternoonwaswildandsnowy，andwepasseditintheschoolroom。AtdarkIallowedAdeletoputawaybooksandwork，andtorundownstairs;for，fromthecomparativesilencebelow，andfromthecessationofappealstothedoor—bell，IconjecturedthatMr。
Rochesterwasnowatliberty。Leftalone，Iwalkedtothewindow;
butnothingwastobeseenthence:twilightandsnowflakestogetherthickenedtheair，andhidtheveryshrubsonthelawn。Iletdownthecurtainandwentbacktothefireside。
IntheclearembersIwastracingaview，notunlikeapictureI
rememberedtohaveseenofthecastleofHeidelberg，ontheRhine，whenMrs。Fairfaxcamein，breakingupbyherentrancethefierymosaicIhadbeenpiecingtogether，andscatteringtoosomeheavyunwelcomethoughtsthatwerebeginningtothrongonmysolitude。
\'Mr。Rochesterwouldbegladifyouandyourpupilwouldtaketeawithhiminthedrawing—roomthisevening，\'saidshe:\'hehasbeensomuchengagedalldaythathecouldnotasktoseeyoubefore。\'
\'Whenishistea—time？\'Iinquired。
\'Oh，atsixo\'clock:hekeepsearlyhoursinthecountry。
Youhadbetterchangeyourfrocknow;Iwillgowithyouandfastenit。Hereisacandle。\'
\'Isitnecessarytochangemyfrock？\'
\'Yes，youhadbetter:IalwaysdressfortheeveningwhenMr。
Rochesterishere。\'
Thisadditionalceremonyseemedsomewhatstately;however，I
repairedtomyroom，and，withMrs。Fairfax\'said，replacedmyblackstuffdressbyoneofblacksilk;thebestandtheonlyadditionaloneIhad，exceptoneoflightgrey，which，inmyLowoodnotionsofthetoilette，Ithoughttoofinetobeworn，exceptonfirst—rateoccasions。
\'Youwantabrooch，\'saidMrs。Fairfax。IhadasinglelittlepearlornamentwhichMissTemplegavemeasapartingkeepsake:Iputiton，andthenwewentdownstairs。UnusedasIwastostrangers，itwasratheratrialtoappearthusformallysummonedinMr。Rochester\'spresence。IletMrs。Fairfaxprecedemeintothedining—room，andkeptinhershadeaswecrossedthatapartment;and，passingthearch，whosecurtainwasnowdropped，enteredtheelegantrecessbeyond。
Twowaxcandlesstoodlightedonthetable，andtwoonthemantelpiece;baskinginthelightandheatofasuperbfire，layPilot—Adelekneltnearhim。HalfreclinedonacouchappearedMr。
Rochester，hisfootsupportedbythecushion;hewaslookingatAdeleandthedog:thefireshonefullonhisface。Iknewmytravellerwithhisbroadandjettyeyebrows;hissquareforehead，madesquarerbythehorizontalsweepofhisblackhair。Irecognisedhisdecisivenose，moreremarkableforcharacterthanbeauty;hisfullnostrils，denoting，Ithought，choler;hisgrimmouth，chin，andjaw—yes，allthreewereverygrim，andnomistake。Hisshape，nowdivestedofcloak，Iperceivedharmonisedinsquarenesswithhisphysiognomy:Isupposeitwasagoodfigureintheathleticsenseoftheterm—broadchestedandthinflanked，thoughneithertallnorgraceful。
Mr。RochestermusthavebeenawareoftheentranceofMrs。
Fairfaxandmyself;butitappearedhewasnotinthemoodtonoticeus，forheneverliftedhisheadasweapproached。
\'HereisMissEyre，sir，\'saidMrs。Fairfax，inherquietway。Hebowed，stillnottakinghiseyesfromthegroupofthedogandchild。
\'LetMissEyrebeseated，\'saidhe:andtherewassomethingintheforcedstiffbow，intheimpatientyetformaltone，whichseemedfurthertoexpress，\'WhatthedeuceisittomewhetherMissEyrebethereornot？AtthismomentIamnotdisposedtoaccosther。\'
Isatdownquitedisembarrassed。Areceptionoffinishedpolitenesswouldprobablyhaveconfusedme:Icouldnothavereturnedorrepaiditbyansweringgraceandeleganceonmypart;butharshcapricelaidmeundernoobligation;onthecontrary，adecentquiescence，underthefreakofmanner，gavemetheadvantage。Besides，theeccentricityoftheproceedingwaspiquant:Ifeltinterestedtoseehowhewouldgoon。
Hewentonasastatuewould，thatis，heneitherspokenormoved。Mrs。Fairfaxseemedtothinkitnecessarythatsomeoneshouldbeamiable，andshebegantotalk。Kindly，asusual—and，asusual，rathertrite—shecondoledwithhimonthepressureofbusinesshehadhadallday;ontheannoyanceitmusthavebeentohimwiththatpainfulsprain:thenshecommendedhispatienceandperseveranceingoingthroughwithit。
\'Madam，Ishouldlikesometea，\'wasthesolerejoindershegot。
Shehastenedtoringthebell;andwhenthetraycame，sheproceededtoarrangethecups，spoons，etc。，withassiduouscelerity。IandAdelewenttothetable;butthemasterdidnotleavehiscouch。
\'WillyouhandMr。Rochester\'scup？\'saidMrs。Fairfaxtome;
\'Adelemightperhapsspillit。\'
Ididasrequested。Ashetookthecupfrommyhand，Adele，thinkingthemomentpropitiousformakingarequestinmyfavour，criedout—
\'N\'est—cepas，monsieur，qu\'ilyauncadeaupourMademoiselleEyredansvotrepetitcoffre？\'
\'Whotalksofcadeaux？\'saidhegruffly。\'Didyouexpectapresent，MissEyre？Areyoufondofpresents？\'andhesearchedmyfacewitheyesthatIsawweredark，irate，andpiercing。
\'Ihardlyknow，sir;Ihavelittleexperienceofthem:
theyaregenerallythoughtpleasantthings。\'
\'Generallythought？Butwhatdoyouthink？\'
\'Ishouldbeobligedtotaketime，sir，beforeIcouldgiveyouananswerworthyofyouracceptance:apresenthasmanyfacestoit，hasitnot？andoneshouldconsiderall，beforepronouncinganopinionastoitsnature。\'
\'MissEyre，youarenotsounsophisticatedasAdele:shedemandsa\"cadeau，\"clamorously，themomentsheseesme:youbeataboutthebush。\'
\'BecauseIhavelessconfidenceinmydesertsthanAdelehas:shecanprefertheclaimofoldacquaintance，andtherighttooofcustom;
forshesaysyouhavealwaysbeeninthehabitofgivingherplaythings;butifIhadtomakeoutacaseIshouldbepuzzled，sinceIamastranger，andhavedonenothingtoentitlemetoanacknowledgment。\'
\'Oh，don\'tfallbackonover—modesty！IhaveexaminedAdele，andfindyouhavetakengreatpainswithher:sheisnotbright，shehasnotalents;yetinashorttimeshehasmademuchimprovement。\'
\'Sir，youhavenowgivenmemy\"cadeau\";Iamobligedtoyou:itisthemeedteachersmostcovet—praiseoftheirpupils\'progress。\'
\'Humph！\'saidMr。Rochester，andhetookhisteainsilence。
\'Cometothefire，\'saidthemaster，whenthetraywastakenaway，andMrs。Fairfaxhadsettledintoacornerwithherknitting;
whileAdelewasleadingmebythehandroundtheroom，showingmethebeautifulbooksandornamentsontheconsolesandchiffonnieres。
Weobeyed，asindutybound;Adelewantedtotakeaseatonmyknee，butshewasorderedtoamuseherselfwithPilot。
\'Youhavebeenresidentinmyhousethreemonths？\'
\'Yes，sir。\'
\'Andyoucamefrom—？\'
\'Ah！acharitableconcern。Howlongwereyouthere？\'
\'Eightyears。\'
\'Eightyears！youmustbetenaciousoflife。Ithoughthalfthetimeinsuchaplacewouldhavedoneupanyconstitution！Nowonderyouhaveratherthelookofanotherworld。Imarvelledwhereyouhadgotthatsortofface。WhenyoucameonmeinHayLanelastnight，I
thoughtunaccountablyoffairytales，andhadhalfamindtodemandwhetheryouhadbewitchedmyhorse:Iamnotsureyet。Whoareyourparents？\'
\'Ihavenone。\'
\'Noreverhad，Isuppose:doyourememberthem？\'
\'No。\'
\'Ithoughtnot。Andsoyouwerewaitingforyourpeoplewhenyousatonthatstile？\'
\'Forwhom，sir？\'
\'Forthemeningreen:itwasapropermoonlighteveningforthem。DidIbreakthroughoneofyourrings，thatyouspreadthatdamnediceonthecauseway？\'
Ishookmyhead。\'ThemeningreenallforsookEnglandahundredyearsago，\'saidI，speakingasseriouslyashehaddone。\'AndnoteveninHayLane，orthefieldsaboutit，couldyoufindatraceofthem。Idon\'tthinkeithersummerorharvest，orwintermoon，willevershineontheirrevelsmore。\'
Mrs。Fairfaxhaddroppedherknitting，and，withraisedeyebrows，seemedwonderingwhatsortoftalkthiswas。
\'Well，\'resumedMr。Rochester，\'ifyoudisownparents，youmusthavesomesortofkinsfolk:unclesandaunts？\'
\'No;nonethatIeversaw。\'
\'Andyourhome？\'
\'Ihavenone。\'
\'Wheredoyourbrothersandsisterslive？\'
\'Ihavenobrothersorsisters。\'
\'Whorecommendedyoutocomehere？\'
\'Iadvertised，andMrs。Fairfaxansweredmyadvertisement。\'
\'Yes，\'saidthegoodlady，whonowknewwhatgroundwewereupon，\'andIamdailythankfulforthechoiceProvidenceledmetomake。
MissEyrehasbeenaninvaluablecompaniontome，andakindandcarefulteachertoAdele。\'
\'Don\'ttroubleyourselftogiveheracharacter，\'returnedMr。
Rochester:\'eulogiumswillnotbiasme;Ishalljudgeformyself。
Shebeganbyfellingmyhorse。\'
\'Sir？\'saidMrs。Fairfax。
\'Ihavetothankherforthissprain。\'
Thewidowlookedbewildered。
\'MissEyre，haveyoueverlivedinatown？\'
\'No，sir。\'
\'Haveyouseenmuchsociety？\'
\'NonebutthepupilsandteachersofLowood，andnowtheinmatesofThornfield。\'
\'Haveyoureadmuch？\'
\'Onlysuchbooksascameinmyway;andtheyhavenotbeennumerousorverylearned。\'
\'Youhavelivedthelifeofanun:nodoubtyouarewelldrilledinreligiousforms;—Brocklehurst，whoIunderstanddirectsLowood，isaparson，ishenot？\'
\'Yes，sir。\'
\'Andyougirlsprobablyworshippedhim，asaconventfullofreligieuseswouldworshiptheirdirector。\'
\'Oh，no。\'
\'Youareverycool！No！What！anovicenotworshipherpriest！Thatsoundsblasphemous。\'
\'IdislikedMr。Brocklehurst;andIwasnotaloneinthefeeling。
Heisaharshman;atoncepompousandmeddling;hecutoffourhair;andforeconomy\'ssakeboughtusbadneedlesandthread，withwhichwecouldhardlysew。\'
\'Thatwasveryfalseeconomy，\'remarkedMrs。Fairfax，whonowagaincaughtthedriftofthedialogue。
\'Andwasthattheheadandfrontofhisoffending？\'demandedMr。
Rochester。
\'Hestarveduswhenhehadthesolesuperintendenceoftheprovisiondepartment，beforethecommitteewasappointed;andheboreduswithlonglecturesonceaweek，andwitheveningreadingsfrombooksofhisowninditing，aboutsuddendeathsandjudgments，whichmadeusafraidtogotobed。\'
\'WhatagewereyouwhenyouwenttoLowood？\'
\'Aboutten。\'
\'Andyoustayedthereeightyears:youarenow，then，eighteen？\'
Iassented。
\'Arithmetic，yousee，isuseful;withoutitsaid，Ishouldhardlyhavebeenabletoguessyourage。Itisapointdifficulttofixwherethefeaturesandcountenancearesomuchatvarianceasinyourcase。AndnowwhatdidyoulearnatLowood？Canyouplay？\'
\'Alittle。\'
\'Ofcourse:thatistheestablishedanswer。Gointothelibrary—
Imean，ifyouplease。—（Excusemytoneofcommand;Iamusedtosay，\"Dothis，\"anditisdone:Icannotaltermycustomaryhabitsforonenewinmate。）—Go，then，intothelibrary;takeacandlewithyou;leavethedooropen;sitdowntothepiano，andplayatune。\'
Ideparted，obeyinghisdirections。
\'Enough！\'hecalledoutinafewminutes。\'Youplayalittle，I
see;likeanyotherEnglishschool—girl;perhapsratherbetterthansome，butnotwell。\'
Iclosedthepianoandreturned。Mr。Rochestercontinued—
\'Adeleshowedmesomesketchesthismorning，whichshesaidwereyours。Idon\'tknowwhethertheywereentirelyofyourdoing;probablyamasteraidedyou？\'
\'No，indeed！\'Iinterjected。
\'Ah！thatprickspride。Well，fetchmeyourportfolio，ifyoucanvouchforitscontentsbeingoriginal;butdon\'tpassyourwordunlessyouarecertain:Icanrecognisepatchwork。\'
\'ThenIwillsaynothing，andyoushalljudgeforyourself，sir。\'
Ibroughttheportfoliofromthelibrary。
\'Approachthetable，\'saidhe;andIwheeledittohiscouch。AdeleandMrs。Fairfaxdrewneartoseethepictures。
\'Nocrowding，\'saidMr。Rochester:\'takethedrawingsfrommyhandasIfinishwiththem;butdon\'tpushyourfacesuptomine。\'
Hedeliberatelyscrutinisedeachsketchandpainting。Threehelaidaside;theothers，whenhehadexaminedthem，hesweptfromhim。
\'Takethemofftotheothertable，Mrs。Fairfax，\'saidhe，\'andlookatthemwithAdele;—you\'（glancingatme）\'resumeyourseat，andanswermyquestions。Iperceivethosepicturesweredonebyonehand:wasthathandyours？\'
\'Yes。\'
\'Andwhendidyoufindtimetodothem？Theyhavetakenmuchtime，andsomethought。\'
\'IdidtheminthelasttwovacationsIspentatLowood，whenIhadnootheroccupation。\'
\'Wheredidyougetyourcopies？\'
\'Outofmyhead。\'
\'ThatheadIseenowonyourshoulders？\'
\'Yes，sir。\'
\'Hasitotherfurnitureofthesamekindwithin？\'
\'Ishouldthinkitmayhave:Ishouldhope—better。\'
Hespreadthepicturesbeforehim，andagainsurveyedthemalternately。
Whileheissooccupied，Iwilltellyou，reader，whattheyare:
andfirst，Imustpremisethattheyarenothingwonderful。Thesubjectshad，indeed，risenvividlyonmymind。AsIsawthemwiththespiritualeye，beforeIattemptedtoembodythem，theywerestriking;butmyhandwouldnotsecondmyfancy，andineachcaseithadwroughtoutbutapaleportraitofthethingIhadconceived。
Thesepictureswereinwater—colours。Thefirstrepresentedcloudslowandlivid，rollingoveraswollensea:allthedistancewasineclipse;so，too，wastheforeground;orrather，thenearestbillows，fortherewasnoland。Onegleamoflightliftedintoreliefahalf—submergedmast，onwhichsatacormorant，darkandlarge，withwingsfleckedwithfoam;itsbeakheldagoldbraceletsetwithgems，thatIhadtouchedwithasbrillianttintsasmypalettecouldyield，andasglitteringdistinctnessasmypencilcouldimpart。
Sinkingbelowthebirdandmast，adrownedcorpseglancedthroughthegreenwater;afairarmwastheonlylimbclearlyvisible，whencethebracelethadbeenwashedortorn。
Thesecondpicturecontainedforforegroundonlythedimpeakofahill，withgrassandsomeleavesslantingasifbyabreeze。
Beyondandabovespreadanexpanseofsky，darkblueasattwilight:
risingintotheskywasawoman\'sshapetothebust，portrayedintintsasduskandsoftasIcouldcombine。Thedimforeheadwascrownedwithastar;thelineamentsbelowwereseenasthroughthesuffusionofvapour;theeyesshonedarkandwild;thehairstreamedshadowy，likeabeamlesscloudtornbystormorbyelectrictravail。
Onthenecklayapalereflectionlikemoonlight;thesamefaintlustretouchedthetrainofthincloudsfromwhichroseandbowedthisvisionoftheEveningStar。
Thethirdshowedthepinnacleofanicebergpiercingapolarwintersky:amusterofnorthernlightsrearedtheirdimlances，closeserried，alongthehorizon。Throwingtheseintodistance，rose，intheforeground，ahead，—acolossalhead，inclinedtowardstheiceberg，andrestingagainstit。Twothinhands，joinedundertheforehead，andsupportingit，drewupbeforethelowerfeaturesasableveil;abrowquitebloodless，whiteasbone，andaneyehollowandfixed，blankofmeaningbutfortheglassinessofdespair，alonewerevisible。Abovethetemples，amidstwreathedturbanfoldsofblackdrapery，vagueinitscharacterandconsistencyascloud，gleamedaringofwhiteflame，gemmedwithsparklesofamoreluridtinge。
Thispalecrescentwas\'thelikenessofakinglycrown\';whatitdiademedwas\'theshapewhichshapehadnone。\'
\'Wereyouhappywhenyoupaintedthesepictures？\'askedMr。
Rochesterpresently。
\'Iwasabsorbed，sir:yes，andIwashappy。Topaintthem，inshort，wastoenjoyoneofthekeenestpleasuresIhaveeverknown。\'
\'Thatisnotsayingmuch。Yourpleasures，byyourownaccount，havebeenfew;butIdaresayyoudidexistinakindofartist\'sdreamlandwhileyoublentandarrangedthesestrangetints。Didyousitatthemlongeachday？\'
\'Ihadnothingelsetodo，becauseitwasthevacation，andIsatatthemfrommorningtillnoon，andfromnoontillnight:thelengthofthemidsummerdaysfavouredmyinclinationtoapply。\'
\'Andyoufeltself—satisfiedwiththeresultofyourardentlabours？\'
\'Farfromit。Iwastormentedbythecontrastbetweenmyideaandmyhandiwork:ineachcaseIhadimaginedsomethingwhichIwasquitepowerlesstorealise。\'
\'Notquite:youhavesecuredtheshadowofyourthought;
butnomore，probably。Youhadnotenoughoftheartist\'sskillandsciencetogiveitfullbeing:yetthedrawingsare，foraschool—girl，peculiar。Astothethoughts，theyareelfish。TheseeyesintheEveningStaryoumusthaveseeninadream。Howcouldyoumakethemlooksoclear，andyetnotatallbrilliant？fortheplanetabovequellstheirrays。Andwhatmeaningisthatintheirsolemndepth？Andwhotaughtyoutopaintwind？Thereisahighgaleinthatsky，andonthishill—top。WheredidyouseeLatmos？ForthatisLatmos。There！
putthedrawingsaway！\'
Ihadscarcetiedthestringsoftheportfolio，when，lookingathiswatch，hesaidabruptly—
\'Itisnineo\'clock:whatareyouabout，MissEyre，toletAdelesitupsolong？Takehertobed！\'
Adelewenttokisshimbeforequittingtheroom:heenduredthecaress，butscarcelyseemedtorelishitmorethanPilotwouldhavedone，norsomuch。