\'Certainly;betterthanshelikesanyoneelse。Shetalksofyoucontinually:thereisnosubjectsheenjoyssomuchortouchesuponsooften。\'
\'Itisverypleasanttohearthis，\'hesaid—\'very:goonforanotherquarterofanhour。\'Andheactuallytookouthiswatchandlaidituponthetabletomeasurethetime。
\'Butwhereistheuseofgoingon，\'Iasked，\'whenyouareprobablypreparingsomeironblowofcontradiction，orforgingafreshchaintofetteryourheart？\'
\'Don\'timaginesuchhardthings。Fancymeyieldingandmelting，asIamdoing:humanloverisinglikeafreshlyopenedfountaininmymindandoverflowingwithsweetinundationallthefieldIhavesocarefullyandwithsuchlabourprepared—soassiduouslysownwiththeseedsofgoodintentions，ofself—denyingplans。Andnowitisdelugedwithanectarousflood—theyounggermsswamped—deliciouspoisoncankeringthem:nowIseemyselfstretchedonanottomaninthedrawing—roomatValeHallatmybrideRosamondOliver\'sfeet:sheistalkingtomewithhersweetvoice—gazingdownonmewiththoseeyesyourskilfulhandhascopiedsowell—smilingatmewiththesecorallips。Sheismine—Iamhers—thispresentlifeandpassingworldsufficetome。Hush！saynothing—myheartisfullofdelight—
mysensesareentranced—letthetimeImarkedpassinpeace。\'
Ihumouredhim:thewatchtickedon:hebreathedfastandlow:I
stoodsilent。Amidstthishushthequartersped;hereplacedthewatch，laidthepicturedown，rose，andstoodonthehearth。
\'Now，\'saidhe，\'thatlittlespacewasgiventodeliriumanddelusion。Irestedmytemplesonthebreastoftemptation，andputmyneckvoluntarilyunderheryokeofflowers;Itastedhercup。Thepillowwasburning:thereisanaspinthegarland:thewinehasabittertaste:herpromisesarehollow—heroffersfalse:Iseeandknowallthis。\'
Igazedathiminwonder。
\'Itisstrange，\'pursuedhe，\'thatwhileIloveRosamondOliversowildly—withalltheintensity，indeed，ofafirstpassion，theobjectofwhichisexquisitelybeautiful，graceful，andfascinating—
I
experienceatthesametimeacalm，unwarpedconsciousnessthatshewouldnotmakemeagoodwife;thatsheisnotthepartnersuitedtome;thatIshoulddiscoverthiswithinayearaftermarriage;andthattotwelvemonths\'rapturewouldsucceedalifetimeofregret。ThisI
know。\'
\'Strangeindeed！\'Icouldnothelpejaculating。
\'Whilesomethinginme，\'hewenton，\'isacutelysensibletohercharms，somethingelseisasdeeplyimpressedwithherdefects:theyaresuchthatshecouldsympathiseinnothingIaspiredto—co—operateinnothingIundertook。Rosamondasufferer，alabourer，afemaleapostle？Rosamondamissionary\'swife？No！\'
\'Butyouneednotbeamissionary。Youmightrelinquishthatscheme。\'
\'Relinquish！What！myvocation？Mygreatwork？Myfoundationlaidonearthforamansioninheaven？Myhopesofbeingnumberedinthebandwhohavemergedallambitionsinthegloriousoneofbetteringtheirrace—ofcarryingknowledgeintotherealmsofignorance—ofsubstitutingpeaceforwar—freedomforbondage—religionforsuperstition—thehopeofheavenforthefearofhell？MustI
relinquishthat？Itisdearerthanthebloodinmyveins。ItiswhatI
havetolookforwardto，andtolivefor。\'
Afteraconsiderablepause，Isaid—\'AndMissOliver？Areherdisappointmentandsorrowofnointeresttoyou？\'
\'MissOliveriseversurroundedbysuitorsandflatterers:
inlessthanamonth，myimagewillbeeffacedfromherheart。Shewillforgetme;andwillmarry，probably，someonewhowillmakeherfarhappierthanIshoulddo。\'
\'Youspeakcoollyenough;butyousufferintheconflict。
Youarewastingaway。\'
\'No。IfIgetalittlethin，itiswithanxietyaboutmyprospects，yetunsettled—mydeparture，continuallyprocrastinated。Onlythismorning，Ireceivedintelligencethatthesuccessor，whosearrivalI
havebeensolongexpecting，cannotbereadytoreplacemeforthreemonthstocomeyet;andperhapsthethreemonthsmayextendtosix。\'
\'YoutrembleandbecomeflushedwheneverMissOliverenterstheschoolroom。\'
Againthesurprisedexpressioncrossedhisface。Hehadnotimaginedthatawomanwoulddaretospeaksotoaman。Forme，I
feltathomeinthissortofdiscourse。Icouldneverrestincommunicationwithstrong，discreet，andrefinedminds，whethermaleorfemale，tillIhadpassedtheoutworksofconventionalreserve，andcrossedthethresholdofconfidence，andwonaplacebytheirheart\'sveryhearthstone。
\'Youareoriginal，\'saidhe，\'andnottimid。Thereissomethingbraveinyourspirit，aswellaspenetratinginyoureye;butallowmetoassureyouthatyoupartiallymisinterpretmyemotions。Youthinkthemmoreprofoundandpotentthantheyare。YougivemealargerallowanceofsympathythanIhaveajustclaimto。WhenIcolour，andwhenIshakebeforeMissOliver，Idonotpitymyself。Iscorntheweakness。Iknowitisignoble:amerefeveroftheflesh:not，I
declare，theconvulsionofthesoul。Thatisjustasfixedasarock，firmsetinthedepthsofarestlesssea。KnowmetobewhatI
am—acold，hardman。\'
Ismiledincredulously。
\'Youhavetakenmyconfidencebystorm，\'hecontinued，\'andnowitismuchatyourservice。Iamsimply，inmyoriginalstate—
strippedofthatblood—bleachedrobewithwhichChristianitycovershumandeformity—acold，hard，ambitiousman。Naturalaffectiononly，ofallthesentiments，haspermanentpoweroverme。Reason，andnotfeeling，ismyguide;myambitionisunlimited:mydesiretorisehigher，todomorethanothers，insatiable。Ihonourendurance，perseverance，industry，talent;becausethesearethemeansbywhichmenachievegreatendsandmounttoloftyeminence。Iwatchyourcareerwithinterest，becauseIconsideryouaspecimenofadiligent，orderly，energeticwoman:notbecauseIdeeplycompassionatewhatyouhavegonethrough，orwhatyoustillsuffer。\'
\'Youwoulddescribeyourselfasamerepaganphilosopher，\'
Isaid。
\'No。Thereisthisdifferencebetweenmeanddeisticphilosophers:Ibelieve;andIbelievetheGospel。Youmissedyourepithet。Iamnotapagan，butaChristianphilosopher—afollowerofthesectofJesus。AsHisdiscipleIadoptHispure，Hismerciful，Hisbenignantdoctrines。Iadvocatethem:Iamsworntospreadthem。Woninyouthtoreligion，shehascultivatedmyoriginalqualitiesthus:—Fromtheminutegerm，naturalaffection，shehasdevelopedtheovershadowingtree，philanthropy。Fromthewildstringyrootofhumanuprightness，shehasrearedaduesenseoftheDivinejustice。Oftheambitiontowinpowerandrenownformywretchedself，shehasformedtheambitiontospreadmyMaster\'skingdom;toachievevictoriesforthestandardofthecross。Somuchhasreligiondoneforme;turningtheoriginalmaterialstothebestaccount;pruningandtrainingnature。Butshecouldnoteradicatenature:norwillitbeeradicated\"tillthismortalshallputonimmortality。\"\'
Havingsaidthis，hetookhishat，whichlayonthetablebesidemypalette。Oncemorehelookedattheportrait。
\'Sheislovely，\'hemurmured。\'SheiswellnamedtheRoseoftheWorld，indeed！\'
\'AndmayInotpaintonelikeitforyou？\'
\'Cuibono？No。\'
HedrewoverthepicturethesheetofthinpaperonwhichIwasaccustomedtorestmyhandinpainting，topreventthecard—boardfrombeingsullied。Whathesuddenlysawonthisblankpaper，itwasimpossibleformetotell;butsomethinghadcaughthiseye。Hetookitupwithasnatch;helookedattheedge;thenshotaglanceatme，inexpressiblypeculiar，andquiteincomprehensible:aglancethatseemedtotakeandmakenoteofeverypointinmyshape，face，anddress;forittraversedall，quick，keenaslightning。Hislipsparted，asiftospeak:buthecheckedthecomingsentence，whateveritwas。
\'Whatisthematter？\'Iasked。
\'Nothingintheworld，\'wasthereply;and，replacingthepaper，Isawhimdexterouslytearanarrowslipfromthemargin。Itdisappearedinhisglove;and，withonehastynodand\'good—afternoon，\'hevanished。
\'Well！\'Iexclaimed，usinganexpressionofthedistrict，\'thatcapstheglobe，however！\'
I，inmyturn，scrutinisedthepaper;butsawnothingonitsaveafewdingystainsofpaintwhereIhadtriedthetintinmypencil。
I
ponderedthemysteryaminuteortwo;butfindingitinsolvable，andbeingcertainitcouldnotbeofmuchmoment，Idismissed，andsoonforgotit。
chapter33CHAPTERXXXIII
WHENMr。St。Johnwent，itwasbeginningtosnow;thewhirlingstormcontinuedallnight。Thenextdayakeenwindbroughtfreshandblindingfalls;bytwilightthevalleywasdriftedupandalmostimpassable。Ihadclosedmyshutter，laidamattothedoortopreventthesnowfromblowinginunderit，trimmedmyfire，andaftersittingnearlyanhouronthehearthlisteningtothemuffledfuryofthetempest，Ilitacandle，tookdownMarmion，andbeginning—
\'DaysetonNorham\'scastledsteep，AndTweed\'sfairriverbroadanddeep，AndCheviot\'smountainslone;
Themassivetowers，thedonjonkeep，Theflankingwallsthatroundthemsweep，Inyellowlustreshone\'—
Isoonforgotstorminmusic。
Iheardanoise:thewind，Ithought，shookthedoor。No;
itwasSt。JohnRivers，who，liftingthelatch，cameinoutofthefrozenhurricane—thehowlingdarkness—andstoodbeforeme:thecloakthatcoveredhistallfigureallwhiteasaglacier。Iwasalmostinconsternation，solittlehadIexpectedanyguestfromtheblocked—upvalethatnight。
\'Anyillnews？\'Idemanded。\'Hasanythinghappened？\'
\'No。Howveryeasilyalarmedyouare！\'heanswered，removinghiscloakandhangingitupagainstthedoor，towardswhichheagaincoollypushedthematwhichhisentrancehadderanged。Hestampedthesnowfromhisboots。
\'Ishallsullythepurityofyourfloor，\'saidhe，\'butyoumustexcusemeforonce。\'Thenheapproachedthefire。\'Ihavehadhardworktogethere，Iassureyou，\'heobserved，ashewarmedhishandsovertheflame。\'Onedrifttookmeuptothewaist;happilythesnowisquitesoftyet。\'
\'Butwhyareyoucome？\'Icouldnotforbearsaying。
\'Ratheraninhospitablequestiontoputtoavisitor;butsinceyouaskit，Ianswersimplytohavealittletalkwithyou;Igottiredofmymutebooksandemptyrooms。Besides，sinceyesterdayIhaveexperiencedtheexcitementofapersontowhomatalehasbeenhalf—told，andwhoisimpatienttohearthesequel。\'
Hesatdown。Irecalledhissingularconductofyesterday，andreallyIbegantofearhiswitsweretouched。Ifhewereinsane，however，hiswasaverycoolandcollectedinsanity:Ihadneverseenthathandsome—featuredfaceofhislookmorelikechiselledmarblethanitdidjustnow，asheputasidehissnow—wethairfromhisforeheadandletthefirelightshinefreeonhispalebrowandcheekaspale，whereitgrievedmetodiscoverthehollowtraceofcareorsorrownowsoplainlygraved。Iwaited，expectinghewouldsaysomethingIcouldatleastcomprehend;buthishandwasnowathischin，hisfingeronhislip:hewasthinking。Itstruckmethathishandlookedwastedlikehisface。Aperhapsuncalled—forgushofpitycameovermyheart:Iwasmovedtosay—
\'IwishDianaorMarywouldcomeandlivewithyou:itistoobadthatyoushouldbequitealone;andyouarerecklesslyrashaboutyourownhealth。\'
\'Notatall，\'saidhe:\'Icareformyselfwhennecessary。
Iamwellnow。Whatdoyouseeamissinme？\'
Thiswassaidwithacareless，abstractedindifference，whichshowedthatmysolicitudewas，atleastinhisopinion，whollysuperfluous。Iwassilenced。
Hestillslowlymovedhisfingeroverhisupperlip，andstillhiseyedweltdreamilyontheglowinggrate;thinkingiturgenttosaysomething，Iaskedhimpresentlyifhefeltanycolddraughtfromthedoor，whichwasbehindhim。
\'No，no！\'herespondedshortlyandsomewhattestily。
\'Well，\'Ireflected，\'ifyouwon\'ttalk，youmaybestill;
I\'llletyoualonenow，andreturntomybook。\'
SoIsnuffedthecandleandresumedtheperusalofMarmion。
Hesoonstirred;myeyewasinstantlydrawntohismovements;heonlytookoutamoroccopocket—book，thenceproducedaletter，whichhereadinsilence，foldedit，putitback，relapsedintomeditation。Itwasvaintotrytoreadwithsuchaninscrutablefixturebeforeme;norcouldI，inmyimpatience，consenttobedumb;hemightrebuffmeifheliked，buttalkIwould。
\'HaveyouheardfromDianaandMarylately？\'
\'NotsincetheletterIshowedyouaweekago。\'
\'Therehasnotbeenanychangemadeaboutyourownarrangements？
YouwillnotbesummonedtoleaveEnglandsoonerthanyouexpected？\'
\'Ifearnot，indeed:suchchanceistoogoodtobefallme。\'Baffledsofar，Ichangedmyground。Ibethoughtmyselftotalkabouttheschoolandmyscholars。
\'MaryGarrett\'smotherisbetter，andMarycamebacktotheschoolthismorning，andIshallhavefournewgirlsnextweekfromtheFoundryClose—theywouldhavecometo—daybutforthesnow。\'
\'Indeed！\'
\'Mr。Oliverpaysfortwo。\'
\'Doeshe？\'
\'HemeanstogivethewholeschoolatreatatChristmas。\'
\'Iknow。\'
\'Wasityoursuggestion？\'
\'No。\'
\'Whose，then？\'
\'Hisdaughter\'s，Ithink。\'
\'Itislikeher:sheissogood—natured。\'
\'Yes。\'
Againcametheblankofapause:theclockstruckeightstrokes。Itarousedhim;heuncrossedhislegs，saterect，turnedtome。
\'Leaveyourbookamoment，andcomealittlenearerthefire，\'hesaid。
Wondering，andofmywonderfindingnoend，Icomplied。
\'Halfanhourago，\'hepursued，\'Ispokeofmyimpatiencetohearthesequelofatale:onreflection，Ifindthematterwillbebettermanagedbymyassumingthenarrator\'spart，andconvertingyouintoalistener。Beforecommencing，itisbutfairtowarnyouthatthestorywillsoundsomewhathackneyedinyourears;butstaledetailsoftenregainadegreeoffreshnesswhentheypassthroughnewlips。Fortherest，whethertriteornovel，itisshort。
\'Twentyyearsago，apoorcurate—nevermindhisnameatthismoment—fellinlovewitharichman\'sdaughter;shefellinlovewithhim，andmarriedhim，againsttheadviceofallherfriends，whoconsequentlydisownedherimmediatelyafterthewedding。Beforetwoyearspassed，therashpairwerebothdead，andlaidquietlysidebysideunderoneslab。（Ihaveseentheirgrave;itformedpartofthepavementofahugechurchyardsurroundingthegrim，soot—blackolddaughter，which，atitsverybirth，Charityreceivedinherlap—
coldasthatofthesnow—driftIalmoststuckfastinto—night。
Charitycarriedthefriendlessthingtothehouseofitsrichmaternalrelations;itwasrearedbyanaunt—in—law，called（Icometonamesnow）Mrs。ReedofGateshead。Youstart—didyouhearanoise？I
daresayitisonlyaratscramblingalongtheraftersoftheadjoiningschoolroom:itwasabarnbeforeIhaditrepairedandaltered，andbarnsaregenerallyhauntedbyrats。—Toproceed。Mrs。Reedkepttheorphantenyears:whetheritwashappyornotwithher，Icannotsay，neverhavingbeentold;butattheendofthattimeshetransferredittoaplaceyouknow—beingnootherthanLowoodSchool，whereyousolongresidedyourself。Itseemshercareertherewasveryhonourable:fromapupil，shebecameateacher，likeyourself—
reallyitstrikesmethereareparallelpointsinherhistoryandyours—sheleftittobeagoverness:there，again，yourfateswereanalogous;sheundertooktheeducationofthewardofacertainMr。
Rochester。\'
\'Mr。Rivers！\'Iinterrupted。
\'Icanguessyourfeelings，\'hesaid，\'butrestrainthemforawhile:Ihavenearlyfinished;hearmetotheend。OfMr。
Rochester\'scharacterIknownothing，buttheonefactthatheprofessedtoofferhonourablemarriagetothisyounggirl，andthatattheveryaltarshediscoveredhehadawifeyetalive，thoughalunatic。Whathissubsequentconductandproposalswereisamatterofpureconjecture;butwhenaneventtranspiredwhichrenderedinquiryafterthegovernessnecessary，itwasdiscoveredshewasgone—noonecouldtellwhen，where，orhow。ShehadleftThornfieldHallinthenight;everyresearchafterhercoursehadbeenvain:thecountryhadbeenscouredfarandwide;novestigeofinformationcouldbegatheredrespectingher。Yetthatsheshouldbefoundisbecomeamatterofseriousurgency:advertisementshavebeenputinallthepapers;ImyselfhavereceivedaletterfromoneMr。Briggs，asolicitor，communicatingthedetailsIhavejustimparted。Isitnotanoddtale？\'
\'Justtellmethis，\'saidI，\'andsinceyouknowsomuch，yousurelycantellitme—whatofMr。Rochester？Howandwhereishe？
Whatishedoing？Ishewell？\'
\'IamignorantofallconcerningMr。Rochester:theletternevermentionshimbuttonarratethefraudulentandillegalattemptI
haveadvertedto。Youshouldratheraskthenameofthegoverness—thenatureoftheeventwhichrequiresherappearance。\'
\'DidnoonegotoThornfieldHall，then？DidnooneseeMr。
Rochester？\'
\'Isupposenot。\'
\'Buttheywrotetohim？\'
\'Ofcourse。\'
\'Andwhatdidhesay？Whohashisletters？\'
\'Mr。BriggsintimatesthattheanswertohisapplicationwasnotfromMr。Rochester，butfromalady:itissigned\"AliceFairfax。\"\'
Ifeltcoldanddismayed:myworstfearsthenwereprobablytrue:
hehadinallprobabilityleftEnglandandrushedinrecklessdesperationtosomeformerhauntontheContinent。Andwhatopiateforhisseveresufferings—whatobjectforhisstrongpassions—hadhesoughtthere？Idarednotanswerthequestion。Oh，mypoormaster—
oncealmostmyhusband—whomIhadoftencalled\'mydearEdward！\'
\'Hemusthavebeenabadman，\'observedMr。Rivers。
\'Youdon\'tknowhim—don\'tpronounceanopinionuponhim，\'
I
said，withwarmth。
\'Verywell，\'heansweredquietly:\'andindeedmyheadisotherwiseoccupiedthanwithhim:Ihavemytaletofinish。Sinceyouwon\'taskthegoverness\'sname，Imusttellitofmyownaccord。
Stay！Ihaveithere—itisalwaysmoresatisfactorytoseeimportantpointswrittendown，fairlycommittedtoblackandwhite。\'
Andthepocket—bookwasagaindeliberatelyproduced，opened，soughtthrough;fromoneofitscompartmentswasextractedashabbyslipofpaper，hastilytornoff:Irecognisedinitstextureanditsstainsofultra—marine，andlake，andvermilion，theravishedmarginoftheportrait—cover。Hegotup，helditclosetomyeyes:andIread，tracedinIndianink，inmyownhandwriting，thewords\'JANEEYRE\'—
theworkdoubtlessofsomemomentofabstraction。
\'BriggswrotetomeofaJaneEyre:\'hesaid，\'theadvertisementsdemandedaJaneEyre:IknewaJaneElliott。—IconfessIhadmysuspicions，butitwasonlyyesterdayafternoontheywereatonceresolvedintocertainty。Youownthenameandrenouncethealias？\'
\'Yes—yes;butwhereisMr。Briggs？HeperhapsknowsmoreofMr。
Rochesterthanyoudo。\'
\'BriggsisinLondon。IshoulddoubthisknowinganythingatallaboutMr。Rochester;itisnotinMr。Rochesterheisinterested。
Meantime，youforgetessentialpointsinpursuingtrifles:youdonotinquirewhyMr。Briggssoughtafteryou—whathewantedwithyou。\'
\'Well，whatdidhewant？\'
\'Merelytotellyouthatyouruncle，Mr。EyreofMadeira，isdead;thathehasleftyouallhisproperty，andthatyouarenowrich—merelythat—nothingmore。\'
\'I！—rich？\'
\'Yes，you，rich—quiteanheiress。\'
Silencesucceeded。
\'Youmustproveyouridentityofcourse，\'resumedSt。Johnpresently:\'astepwhichwilloffernodifficulties;youcanthenenteronimmediatepossession。YourfortuneisvestedintheEnglishfunds;Briggshasthewillandthenecessarydocuments。\'
Herewasanewcardturnedup！Itisafinething，reader，tobeliftedinamomentfromindigencetowealth—averyfinething;butnotamatteronecancomprehendorconsequentlyenjoy，allatonce。
Andthenthereareotherchancesinlifefarmorethrillingandrapture—giving:thisissolid，anaffairoftheactualworld，nothingidealaboutit:allitsassociationsaresolidandsober，anditsmanifestationsarethesame。Onedoesnotjump，andspring，andshouthurrah！athearingonehasgotafortune;onebeginstoconsiderresponsibilities，andtoponderbusiness;onabaseofsteadysatisfactionrisecertaingravecares，andwecontainourselves，andbroodoverourblisswithasolemnbrow。
Besides，thewordsLegacy，Bequest，gosidebysidewiththewords，Death，Funeral。MyuncleIhadheardwasdead—myonlyrelative;
eversincebeingmadeawareofhisexistence，Ihadcherishedthehopeofonedayseeinghim:now，Inevershould。Andthenthismoneycameonlytome:nottomeandarejoicingfamily，buttomyisolatedself。
Itwasagrandboondoubtless;andindependencewouldbeglorious—
yes，Ifeltthat—thatthoughtswelledmyheart。
\'Youunbendyourforeheadatlast，\'saidMr。Rivers。\'I
thoughtMedusahadlookedatyou，andthatyouwereturningtostone。
Perhapsnowyouwillaskhowmuchyouareworth？\'
\'HowmuchamIworth？\'
\'Oh，atrifle！Nothingofcoursetospeakof—twentythousandpounds，Ithinktheysay—butwhatisthat？\'
\'Twentythousandpounds？\'
Herewasanewstunner—Ihadbeencalculatingonfourorfivethousand。Thisnewsactuallytookmybreathforamoment:Mr。St。
John，whomIhadneverheardlaughbefore，laughednow。
\'Well，\'saidhe，\'ifyouhadcommittedamurder，andI
hadtoldyouyourcrimewasdiscovered，youcouldscarcelylookmoreaghast。\'
\'Itisalargesum—don\'tyouthinkthereisamistake？\'
\'Nomistakeatall。\'
\'Perhapsyouhavereadthefigureswrong—itmaybetwothousand！\'
\'Itiswritteninletters，notfigures，—twentythousand。\'
Iagainfeltratherlikeanindividualofbutaveragegastronomicalpowerssittingdowntofeastaloneatatablespreadwithprovisionsforahundred。Mr。Riversrosenowandputhiscloakon。
\'Ifitwerenotsuchaverywildnight，\'hesaid，\'IwouldsendHannahdowntokeepyoucompany:youlooktoodesperatelymiserabletobeleftalone。ButHannah，poorwoman！couldnotstridethedriftssowellasI:herlegsarenotquitesolong:soImuste\'enleaveyoutoyoursorrows。Good—night。\'
Hewasliftingthelatch:asuddenthoughtoccurredtome。
\'Stoponeminute！\'Icried。
\'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。\'