ButIlikedhisphysiognomyevenlessthanbefore:itstruckmeasbeingatthesametimeunsettledandinanimate。Hiseyewandered，andhadnomeaninginitswandering:thisgavehimanoddlook，suchasIneverrememberedtohaveseen。Forahandsomeandnotanunamiable—lookingman，herepelledmeexceedingly:therewasnopowerinthatsmooth—skinnedfaceofafullovalshape:nofirmnessinthataquilinenoseandsmallcherrymouth;therewasnothoughtonthelow，evenforehead;nocommandinthatblank，browneye。
AsIsatinmyusualnook，andlookedathimwiththelightofthegirandolesonthemantelpiecebeamingfulloverhim—forheoccupiedanarm—chairdrawnclosetothefireandkeptshrinkingstillnearer，asifhewerecold—IcomparedhimwithMr。Rochester。Ithink（withdeferencebeitspoken）thecontrastcouldnotbemuchgreaterbetweenasleekganderandafiercefalcon:betweenameeksheepandtherough—coatedkeen—eyeddog，itsguardian。
HehadspokenofMr。Rochesterasanoldfriend。Acuriousfriendshiptheirsmusthavebeen:apointedillustration，indeed，oftheoldadagethat\'extremesmeet。\'
Twoorthreeofthegentlemensatnearhim，andIcaughtattimesscrapsoftheirconversationacrosstheroom。AtfirstIcouldnotmakemuchsenseofwhatIheard;forthediscourseofLouisaEshtonandMaryIngram，whosatnearertome，confusedthefragmentarysentencesthatreachedmeatintervals。Theselastwerediscussingthestranger;theybothcalledhim\'abeautifulman。\'Louisasaidhewas\'aloveofacreature，\'andshe\'adoredhim\';andMaryinstancedhis\'prettylittlemouth，andnicenose，\'asheridealofthecharming。
\'Andwhatasweet—temperedforeheadhehast\'criedLouisa，—
\'sosmooth—noneofthosefrowningirregularitiesIdislikesomuch;andsuchaplacideyeandsmile！\'
Andthen，tomygreatrelief，Mr。HenryLynnsummonedthemtotheothersideoftheroom，tosettlesomepointaboutthedeferredexcursiontoHayCommon。
Iwasnowabletoconcentratemyattentiononthegroupbythefire，andIpresentlygatheredthatthenewcomerwascalledMr。Mason;
thenIlearnedthathewasbutjustarrivedinEngland，andthathecamefromsomehotcountry:whichwasthereason，doubtless，hisfacewassosallow，andthathesatsonearthehearth，andworeasurtoutinthehouse。PresentlythewordsJamaica，Kingston，SpanishTown，indicatedtheWestIndiesashisresidence;anditwaswithnolittlesurpriseIgathered，erelong，thathehadtherefirstseenandbecomeacquaintedwithMr。Rochester。Hespokeofhisfriend\'sdislikeoftheburningheats，thehurricanes，andrainyseasonsofthatregion。IknewMr。Rochesterhadbeenatraveller:Mrs。Fairfaxhadsaidso;butIthoughtthecontinentofEuropehadboundedhiswanderings;tillnowIhadneverheardahintgivenofvisitstomoredistantshores。
Iwasponderingthesethings，whenanincident，andasomewhatunexpectedone，brokethethreadofmymusings。Mr。Mason，shiveringassomeonechancedtoopenthedoor，askedformorecoaltobeputonthefire，whichhadburntoutitsflame，thoughitsmassofcinderstillshonehotandred。Thefootmanwhobroughtthecoal，ingoingout，stoppednearMr。Eshton\'schair，andsaidsomethingtohiminalowvoice，ofwhichIheardonlythewords，\'oldwoman，\'—\'quitetroublesome。\'
\'Tellhersheshallbeputinthestocksifshedoesnottakeherselfoff，\'repliedthemagistrate。
\'No—stop！\'interruptedColonelDent。\'Don\'tsendheraway，Eshton;
wemightturnthethingtoaccount;betterconsulttheladies。\'Andspeakingaloud，hecontinued—\'Ladies，youtalkedofgoingtoHayCommontovisitthegipsycamp;SamheresaysthatoneoftheoldMotherBunchesisintheservants\'hallatthismoment，andinsistsuponbeingbroughtinbefore\"thequality，\"totellthemtheirfortunes。Wouldyouliketoseeher？\'
\'Surely，colonel，\'criedLadyIngram，\'youwouldnotencouragesuchalowimpostor？Dismissher，byallmeans，atonce！\'
\'ButIcannotpersuadehertogoaway，mylady，\'saidthefootman;\'norcananyoftheservants:Mrs。Fairfaxiswithherjustnow，entreatinghertobegone;butshehastakenachairinthechimney—corner，andsaysnothingshallstirherfromittillshegetsleavetocomeinhere。\'
\'Whatdoesshewant？\'askedMrs。Eshton。
\'\"Totellthegentrytheirfortunes，\"shesays，ma\'am;
andsheswearsshemustandwilldoit。\'
\'Whatisshelike？\'inquiredtheMissesEshton，inabreath。
\'Ashockinglyuglyoldcreature，miss;almostasblackasacrock。\'
\'Why，she\'sarealsorceress！\'criedFrederickLynn。\'Letushaveherin，ofcourse。\'
\'Tobesure，\'rejoinedhisbrother;\'itwouldbeathousandpitiestothrowawaysuchachanceoffun。\'
\'Mydearboys，whatareyouthinkingabout？\'exclaimedMrs。Lynn。
\'Icannotpossiblycountenanceanysuchinconsistentproceeding，\'
chimedintheDowagerIngram。
\'Indeed，mama，butyoucan—andwill，\'pronouncedthehaughtyvoiceofBlanche，assheturnedroundonthepiano—stool;wheretillnowshehadsatsilent，apparentlyexaminingsundrysheetsofmusic。\'Ihaveacuriositytohearmyfortunetold:therefore，Sam，orderthebeldameforward。\'
\'MydarlingBlanche！recollect—\'
\'Ido—Irecollectallyoucansuggest;andImusthavemywill—
quick，Sam！\'
\'Yes—yes—yes！\'criedallthejuveniles，bothladiesandgentlemen。\'Lethercome—itwillbeexcellentsport！\'
Thefootmanstilllingered。\'Shelookssucharoughone，\'
saidhe。
\'Go！\'ejaculatedMissIngram，andthemanwent。
Excitementinstantlyseizedthewholeparty:arunningfireofrailleryandjestswasproceedingwhenSamreturned。
\'Shewon\'tcomenow，\'saidhe。\'Shesaysit\'snothermissiontoappearbeforethe\"vulgarherd\"（them\'sherwords）。Imustshowherintoaroombyherself，andthenthosewhowishtoconsulthermustgotoheronebyone。\'
\'Youseenow，myqueenlyBlanche，\'beganLadyIngram，\'sheencroaches。Beadvised，myangelgirl—and—\'
\'Showherintothelibrary，ofcourse，\'cutinthe\'angelgirl，\'
\'Itisnotmymissiontolistentoherbeforethevulgarherdeither:Imeantohaveheralltomyself。Isthereafireinthelibrary？\'
\'Yes，ma\'am—butshelookssuchatinkler。\'
\'Ceasethatchatter，blockhead！anddomybidding。\'
AgainSamvanished;andmystery，animation，expectationrosetofullflowoncemore。
\'She\'sreadynow，\'saidthefootman，ashereappeared。
\'Shewishestoknowwhowillbeherfirstvisitor。\'
\'IthinkIhadbetterjustlookinuponherbeforeanyoftheladiesgo，\'saidColonelDent。
\'Tellher，Sam，agentlemaniscoming。\'
Samwentandreturned。
\'Shesays，sir，thatshe\'llhavenogentlemen;theyneednottroublethemselvestocomenearher;nor，\'headded，withdifficultysuppressingatitter，\'anyladieseither，excepttheyoungandsingle。\'
\'ByJove，shehastaste！\'exclaimedHenryLynn。
MissIngramrosesolemnly:\'Igofirst，\'shesaid，inatonewhichmighthavebefittedtheleaderofaforlornhope，mountingabreachinthevanofhismen。
\'Oh，mybest！oh，mydearest！pause—reflect！\'washermama\'scry;butshesweptpastherinstatelysilence，passedthroughthedoorwhichColonelDentheldopen，andweheardherenterthelibrary。
Acomparativesilenceensued。LadyIngramthoughtit\'lecas\'towringherhands:whichshedidaccordingly。MissMarydeclaredshefelt，forherpart，sheneverdaredventure。AmyandLouisaEshtontitteredundertheirbreath，andlookedalittlefrightened。
Theminutespassedveryslowly:fifteenwerecountedbeforethelibrary—dooragainopened。MissIngramreturnedtousthroughthearch。
Wouldshelaugh？Wouldshetakeitasajoke？Alleyesmetherwithaglanceofeagercuriosity，andshemetalleyeswithoneofrebuffandcoldness;shelookedneitherflurriednormerry:shewalkedstifflytoherseat，andtookitinsilence。
\'Well，Blanche？\'saidLordIngram。
\'Whatdidshesay，sister？\'askedMary。
\'Whatdidyouthink？Howdoyoufeel？Isshearealfortune—teller？\'demandedtheMissesEshton。
\'Now，now，goodpeople，\'returnedMissIngram，\'don\'tpressuponme。Reallyyourorgansofwonderandcredulityareeasilyexcited:youseem，bytheimportanceyouall—mygoodmamaincluded—ascribetothismatter，absolutelytobelievewehaveagenuinewitchinthehouse，whoisinclosealliancewiththeoldgentleman。Ihaveseenagipsyvagabond;shehaspractisedinhackneyedfashionthescienceofpalmistryandtoldmewhatsuchpeopleusuallytell。Mywhimisgratified;andnowIthinkMr。Eshtonwilldowelltoputthehaginthestocksto—morrowmorning，ashethreatened。\'
MissIngramtookabook，leantbackinherchair，andsodeclinedfurtherconversation。Iwatchedherfornearlyhalfanhour:duringallthattimesheneverturnedapage，andherfacegrewmomentlydarker，moredissatisfied，andmoresourlyexpressiveofdisappointment。Shehadobviouslynotheardanythingtoheradvantage:
anditseemedtome，fromherprolongedfitofgloomandtaciturnity，thatsheherself，notwithstandingherprofessedindifference，attachedundueimportancetowhateverrevelationshadbeenmadeher。
Meantime，MaryIngram，AmyandLouisaEshton，declaredtheydarednotgoalone;andyettheyallwishedtogo。Anegotiationwasopenedthroughthemediumoftheambassador，Sam;andaftermuchpacingtoandfro，till，Ithink，thesaidSam\'scalvesmusthaveachedwiththeexercise，permissionwasatlast，withgreatdifficulty，extortedfromtherigorousSibyl，forthethreetowaituponherinabody。
TheirvisitwasnotsostillasMissIngram\'shadbeen:
weheardhystericalgigglingandlittleshrieksproceedingfromthelibrary;
andattheendofabouttwentyminutestheyburstthedooropen，andcamerunningacrossthehall，asiftheywerehalf—scaredoutoftheirwits。
\'Iamsuresheissomethingnotright！\'theycried，oneandall。
\'Shetoldussuchthings！Sheknowsallaboutus！\'andtheysankbreathlessintothevariousseatsthegentlemenhastenedtobringthem。
Pressedforfurtherexplanation，theydeclaredshehadtoldthemofthingstheyhadsaidanddonewhentheyweremerechildren;
describedbooksandornamentstheyhadintheirboudoirsathome:
keepsakesthatdifferentrelationshadpresentedtothem。Theyaffirmedthatshehadevendivinedtheirthoughts，andhadwhisperedintheearofeachthenameofthepersonshelikedbestintheworld，andinformedthemofwhattheymostwishedfor。
Herethegentlemeninterposedwithearnestpetitionstobefurtherenlightenedonthesetwolast—namedpoints;buttheygotonlyblushes，ejaculations，tremors，andtitters，inreturnfortheirimportunity。Thematrons，meantime，offeredvinaigrettesandwieldedfans;andagainandagainreiteratedtheexpressionoftheirconcernthattheirwarninghadnotbeentakenintime;andtheeldergentlemenlaughed，andtheyoungerurgedtheirservicesontheagitatedfairones。
Inthemidstofthetumult，andwhilemyeyesandearswerefullyengagedinthescenebeforeme，Iheardahemcloseatmyelbow:I
turned，andsawSam。
\'Ifyouplease，miss，thegipsydeclaresthatthereisanotheryoungsingleladyintheroomwhohasnotbeentoheryet，andsheswearsshewillnotgotillshehasseenall。Ithoughtitmustbeyou:thereisnooneelseforit。WhatshallItellher？\'
\'Oh，Iwillgobyallmeans，\'Ianswered:andIwasgladoftheunexpectedopportunitytogratifymymuch—excitedcuriosity。Islippedoutoftheroom，unobservedbyanyeye—forthecompanyweregatheredinonemassaboutthetremblingtriojustreturned—andI
closedthedoorquietlybehindme。
\'Ifyoulike，miss，\'saidSam，\'I\'llwaitinthehallforyou;
andifshefrightensyou，justcallandI\'llcomein。\'
\'No，Sam，returntothekitchen:Iamnotintheleastafraid。\'NorwasI;butIwasagooddealinterestedandexcited。
chapter19
CHAPTERXIX
THElibrarylookedtranquilenoughasIenteredit，andtheSibyl—ifSibylshewere—wasseatedsnuglyenoughinaneasy—chairatthechimney—corner。Shehadonaredcloakandablackbonnet:orrather，abroad—brimmedgipsyhat，tieddownwithastripedhandkerchiefunderherchin。Anextinguishedcandlestoodonthetable;shewasbendingoverthefire，andseemedreadinginalittleblackbook，likeaprayer—book，bythelightoftheblaze:shemutteredthewordstoherself，asmostoldwomendo，whilesheread;
shedidnotdesistimmediatelyonmyentrance:itappearedshewishedtofinishaparagraph。
Istoodontherugandwarmedmyhands，whichwererathercoldwithsittingatadistancefromthedrawing—roomfire。IfeltnowascomposedaseverIdidinmylife:therewasnothingindeedinthegipsy\'sappearancetotroubleone\'scalm。Sheshutherbookandslowlylookedup;herhat—brimpartiallyshadedherface，yetIcouldsee，assheraisedit，thatitwasastrangeone。Itlookedallbrownandblack:elf—locksbristledoutfrombeneathawhitebandwhichpassedunderherchin，andcamehalfoverhercheeks，orratherjaws:hereyeconfrontedmeatonce，withaboldanddirectgaze。
\'Well，andyouwantyourfortunetold？\'shesaid，inavoiceasdecidedasherglance，asharshasherfeatures。
\'Idon\'tcareaboutit，mother;youmaypleaseyourself:
butI
oughttowarnyou，Ihavenofaith。\'
\'It\'slikeyourimpudencetosayso:Iexpecteditofyou;
I
hearditinyourstepasyoucrossedthethreshold。\'
\'Didyou？You\'veaquickear。\'
\'Ihave;andaquickeyeandaquickbrain。\'
\'Youneedthemallinyourtrade。\'
\'Ido;especiallywhenI\'vecustomerslikeyoutodealwith。Whydon\'tyoutremble？\'
\'I\'mnotcold。\'
\'Whydon\'tyouturnpale？\'
\'Iamnotsick。\'
\'Whydon\'tyouconsultmyart？\'
\'I\'mnotsilly。\'
Theoldcrone\'nichered\'alaughunderherbonnetandbandage;
shethendrewoutashortblackpipe，andlightingitbegantosmoke。Havingindulgedawhileinthissedative，sheraisedherbentbody，tookthepipefromherlips，andwhilegazingsteadilyatthefire，saidverydeliberately—
\'Youarecold;youaresick;andyouaresilly。\'
\'Proveit，\'Irejoined。
\'Iwill，infewwords。Youarecold，becauseyouarealone:
nocontactstrikesthefirefromyouthatisinyou。Youaresick;
becausethebestoffeelings，thehighestandthesweetestgiventoman，keepsfarawayfromyou。Youaresilly，because，sufferasyoumay，youwillnotbeckonittoapproach，norwillyoustironesteptomeetitwhereitwaitsyou。\'
Sheagainputhershortblackpipetoherlips，andrenewedhersmokingwithvigour。
\'Youmightsayallthattoalmostanyonewhoyouknewlivedasasolitarydependantinagreathouse。\'
\'Imightsayittoalmostanyone:butwoulditbetrueofalmostanyone？\'
\'Inmycircumstances。\'
\'Yes;justso，inyourcircumstances:butfindmeanotherpreciselyplacedasyouare。\'
\'Itwouldbeeasytofindyouthousands。\'
\'Youcouldscarcelyfindmeone。Ifyouknewit，youarepeculiarlysituated:verynearhappiness;yes，withinreachofit。Thematerialsareallprepared;thereonlywantsamovementtocombinethem。Chancelaidthemsomewhatapart;letthembeonceapproachedandblissresults。\'
\'Idon\'tunderstandenigmas。Inevercouldguessariddleinmylife。\'
\'Ifyouwishmetospeakmoreplainly，showmeyourpalm。\'
\'AndImustcrossitwithsilver，Isuppose？\'
\'Tobesure。\'
Igaveherashilling:sheputitintoanoldstocking—footwhichshetookoutofherpocket，andhavingtieditroundandreturnedit，shetoldmetoholdoutmyhand。Idid。Sheapproachedherfacetothepalm，andporedoveritwithouttouchingit。
\'Itistoofine，\'saidshe。\'Icanmakenothingofsuchahandasthat;almostwithoutlines:besides，whatisinapalm？Destinyisnotwrittenthere。\'
\'Ibelieveyou，\'saidI。
\'No，\'shecontinued，\'itisintheface:ontheforehead，abouttheeyes，intheeyesthemselves，inthelinesofthemouth。Kneel，andliftupyourhead。\'
\'Ah！nowyouarecomingtoreality，\'Isaid，asIobeyedher。\'I
shallbegintoputsomefaithinyoupresently。\'
Ikneltwithinhalfayardofher。Shestirredthefire，sothatarippleoflightbrokefromthedisturbedcoal:theglare，however，asshesat，onlythrewherfaceintodeepershadow:mine，itillumined。
\'Iwonderwithwhatfeelingsyoucametometo—night，\'
shesaid，whenshehadexaminedmeawhile。\'Iwonderwhatthoughtsarebusyinyourheartduringallthehoursyousitinyonderroomwiththefinepeopleflittingbeforeyoulikeshapesinamagic—lantern:justaslittlesympatheticcommunionpassingbetweenyouandthemasiftheywerereallymereshadowsofhumanforms，andnottheactualsubstance。\'
\'Ifeeltiredoften，sleepysometimes，butseldomsad。\'
\'Thenyouhavesomesecrethopetobuoyyouupandpleaseyouwithwhispersofthefuture？\'
\'NotI。TheutmostIhopeis，tosavemoneyenoughoutofmyearningstosetupaschoolsomedayinalittlehouserentedbymyself。\'
\'Ameannutrimentforthespirittoexiston:andsittinginthatwindow—seat（youseeIknowyourhabits）—\'
\'Youhavelearnedthemfromtheservants。\'
\'Ah！youthinkyourselfsharp。Well，perhapsIhave:tospeaktruth，Ihaveanacquaintancewithoneofthem，Mrs。Poole—\'
IstartedtomyfeetwhenIheardthename。
\'Youhave—haveyou？\'thoughtI;\'thereisdiablerieinthebusinessafterall，then！\'
\'Don\'tbealarmed，\'continuedthestrangebeing;\'she\'sasafehandisMrs。Poole:closeandquiet;anyonemayreposeconfidenceinher。
But，asIwassaying:sittinginthatwindow—seat，doyouthinkofnothingbutyourfutureschool？Haveyounopresentinterestinanyofthecompanywhooccupythesofasandchairsbeforeyou？Istherenotonefaceyoustudy？onefigurewhosemovementsyoufollowwithatleastcuriosity？\'
\'Iliketoobserveallthefacesandallthefigures。\'
\'Butdoyouneversingleonefromtherest—oritmaybe，two？\'
\'Idofrequently;whenthegesturesorlooksofapairseemtellingatale:itamusesmetowatchthem。\'
\'Whattaledoyoulikebesttohear？\'
\'Oh，Ihavenotmuchchoice！Theygenerallyrunonthesametheme—courtship;andpromisetoendinthesamecatastrophe—
marriage。\'
\'Anddoyoulikethatmonotonoustheme？\'
\'Positively，Idon\'tcareaboutit:itisnothingtome。\'
\'Nothingtoyou？Whenalady，youngandfulloflifeandhealth，charmingwithbeautyandendowedwiththegiftsofrankandfortune，sitsandsmilesintheeyesofagentlemanyou—\'
\'Iwhat？\'
\'Youknow—andperhapsthinkwellof。\'
\'Idon\'tknowthegentlemenhere。Ihavescarcelyinterchangedasyllablewithoneofthem;andastothinkingwellofthem，Iconsidersomerespectable，andstately，andmiddle—aged，andothersyoung，dashing，handsome，andlively:butcertainlytheyareallatlibertytobetherecipientsofwhosesmilestheyplease，withoutmyfeelingdisposedtoconsiderthetransactionofanymomenttome。\'
\'Youdon\'tknowthegentlemenhere？Youhavenotexchangedasyllablewithoneofthem？Willyousaythatofthemasterofthehouse！\'
\'Heisnotathome。\'
\'Aprofoundremark！Amostingeniousquibble！HewenttoMillcotethismorning，andwillbebackhereto—nightorto—morrow:doesthatcircumstanceexcludehimfromthelistofyouracquaintance—blothim，asitwere，outofexistence？\'
\'No;butIcanscarcelyseewhatMr。Rochesterhastodowiththethemeyouhadintroduced。\'
\'Iwastalkingofladiessmilingintheeyesofgentlemen;
andoflatesomanysmileshavebeenshedintoMr。Rochester\'seyesthattheyoverflowliketwocupsfilledabovethebrim:haveyouneverremarkedthat？\'
\'Mr。Rochesterhasarighttoenjoythesocietyofhisguests。\'
\'Noquestionabouthisright:buthaveyouneverobservedthat，ofallthetalestoldhereaboutmatrimony，Mr。Rochesterhasbeenfavouredwiththemostlivelyandthemostcontinuous？\'
\'Theeagernessofalistenerquickensthetongueofanarrator。\'
Isaidthisrathertomyselfthantothegipsy，whosestrangetalk，voice，manner，hadbythistimewrappedmeinakindofdream。Oneunexpectedsentencecamefromherlipsafteranother，tillIgotinvolvedinawebofmystification;andwonderedwhatunseenspirithadbeensittingforweeksbymyheartwatchingitsworkingsandtakingrecordofeverypulse。
\'Eagernessofalistener！\'repeatedshe:\'yes;Mr。Rochesterhassatbythehour，hisearinclinedtothefascinatinglipsthattooksuchdelightintheirtaskofcommunicating;andMr。Rochesterwassowillingtoreceiveandlookedsogratefulforthepastimegivenhim;youhavenoticedthis？\'
\'Grateful！Icannotrememberdetectinggratitudeinhisface。\'
\'Detecting！Youhaveanalysed，then。Andwhatdidyoudetect，ifnotgratitude？\'
Isaidnothing。
\'Youhaveseenlove:haveyounot？—and，lookingforward，youhaveseenhimmarried，andbeheldhisbridehappy？\'
\'Humph！Notexactly。Yourwitch\'sskillisratheratfaultsometimes。\'
\'Whatthedevilhaveyouseen，then？\'
\'Nevermind:Icameheretoinquire，nottoconfess。IsitknownthatMr。Rochesteristobemarried？\'
\'Yes;andtothebeautifulMissIngram。\'
\'Shortly？\'
\'Appearanceswouldwarrantthatconclusion:and，nodoubt（though，withanaudacitythatwantschastisingoutofyou，youseemtoquestionit），theywillbeasuperlativelyhappypair。Hemustlovesuchahandsome，noble，witty，accomplishedlady;andprobablysheloveshim，or，ifnothisperson，atleasthispurse。IknowsheconsiderstheRochesterestateeligibletothelastdegree;though（Godpardonme！）Itoldhersomethingonthatpointaboutanhouragowhichmadeherlookwondrousgrave:thecornersofhermouthfellhalfaninch。Iwouldadviseherblack—avicedsuitortolookout:
ifanothercomes，withalongerorclearerrent—roll，—he\'sdished—\'
\'But，mother，IdidnotcometohearMr。Rochester\'sfortune:
I
cametohearmyown;andyouhavetoldmenothingofit。\'
\'Yourfortuneisyetdoubtful:whenIexaminedyourface，onetraitcontradictedanother。Chancehasmetedyouameasureofhappiness:
thatIknow。IknewitbeforeIcameherethisevening。Shehaslaiditcarefullyononesideforyou。Isawherdoit。Itdependsonyourselftostretchoutyourhand，andtakeitup:butwhetheryouwilldoso，istheproblemIstudy。Kneelagainontherug。\'
\'Don\'tkeepmelong;thefirescorchesme。\'
Iknelt。Shedidnotstooptowardsme，butonlygazed，leaningbackinherchair。Shebeganmuttering，—
\'Theflameflickersintheeye;theeyeshineslikedew;
itlookssoftandfulloffeeling;itsmilesatmyjargon;itissusceptible;
impressionfollowsimpressionthroughitsclearsphere;whereitceasestosmile，itissad;anunconsciouslassitudeweighsonthelid:thatsignifiesmelancholyresultingfromloneliness。Itturnsfromme;itwillnotsufferfurtherscrutiny;itseemstodeny，byamockingglance，thetruthofthediscoveriesIhavealreadymade，—
todisownthechargebothofsensibilityandchagrin:itsprideandreserveonlyconfirmmeinmyopinion。Theeyeisfavourable。
\'Astothemouth，itdelightsattimesinlaughter;itisdisposedtoimpartallthatthebrainconceives;thoughIdaresayitwouldbesilentonmuchtheheartexperiences。Mobileandflexible，itwasneverintendedtobecompressedintheeternalsilenceofsolitude;itisamouthwhichshouldspeakmuchandsmileoften，andhavehumanaffectionforitsinterlocutor。Thatfeaturetooispropitious。
\'Iseenoenemytoafortunateissuebutinthebrow;andthatbrowprofessestosay，—\"Icanlivealone，ifself—respectandcircumstancesrequiremesotodo。Ineednotsellmysoultobuybliss。Ihaveaninwardtreasurebornwithme，whichcankeepmealiveifallextraneousdelightsshouldbewithheld，orofferedonlyatapriceIcannotaffordtogive。\"Theforeheaddeclares，\"Reasonsitsfirmandholdsthereins，andshewillnotletthefeelingsburstawayandhurryhertowildchasms。Thepassionsmayragefuriously，liketrueheathens，astheyare;andthedesiresmayimagineallsortsofvainthings:butjudgmentshallstillhavethelastwordineveryargument，andthecastingvoteineverydecision。Strongwind，earthquake—shock，andfiremaypassby:butIshallfollowtheguidingofthatstillsmallvoicewhichinterpretsthedictatesofconscience。\"
\'Wellsaid，forehead;yourdeclarationshallberespected。
Ihaveformedmyplans—rightplansIdeemthem—andinthemIhaveattendedtotheclaimsofconscience，thecounselsofreason。Iknowhowsoonyouthwouldfadeandbloomperish，if，inthecupofblissoffered，butonedregofshame，oroneflavourofremorseweredetected;andIdonotwantsacrifice，sorrow，dissolution—suchisnotmytaste。Iwishtofoster，nottoblight—toearngratitude，nottowringtearsofblood—no，norofbrine:myharvestmustbeinsmiles，inendearments，insweet—Thatwilldo。IthinkIraveinakindofexquisitedelirium。Ishouldwishnowtoprotractthismomentadinfinitum;butIdarenot。SofarIhavegovernedmyselfthoroughly。IhaveactedasIinwardlysworeIwouldact;butfurthermighttrymebeyondmystrength。Rise，MissEyre:leaveme;