'FagmentWelcome to consult...fectoy was a geat, low-ceiled, gloomy oom; on two long tables smoked basins of something hot, which, howeve, to my dismay, sent foth an odou fa fom inviting. I saw a univesal manifestation of discontent when the fumes of the epast met the nostils of those destined to swallow it; fom the van of the pocession, the tall gils of the fist class, ose the whispeed wods— “Disgusting! The poidge is bunt again!” “Silence!” ejaculated a voice; not that of Miss Mille, but one of the uppe teaches, a little and dak pesonage, smatly dessed, but of somewhat moose aspect, who installed heself at the top of one table, while a moe buxom lady pesided at the othe. I looked in vain fo he I had fist seen the night befoe; she was not visible: Miss Mille occupied the foot of the table whee I sat, and a stange, foeign-looking, eldely lady, the Fench teache, as I aftewads found, took the coesponding seat at the othe boad. A long gace was said and a hymn sung; then a sevant bought in some tea fo the teaches, and the meal began. Ravenous, and now vey faint, I devoued a spoonful o two of my potion without thinking of its taste; but the fist edge of hunge blunted, I peceived I had got in hand a nauseous mess; bunt poidge is almost as bad as otten potatoes; famine itself soon sickens ove it. The spoons wee moved slowly: I saw each gil taste he food and ty to swallow it; but in most cases the effot was soon elinquished. Beakfast was ove, and none had beakfasted. Thanks being etuned fo what we had not got, and a second hymn chanted, the efectoy was evacuated fo the schooloom. I was one of the last to go out, and in passing the tables, I saw one teache take a basin of the poidge and taste it; Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 66 she looked at the othes; all thei countenances expessed displeasue, and one of them, the stout one, whispeed— “Abominable stuff! How shameful!” A quate of an hou passed befoe lessons again began, duing which the schooloom was in a gloious tumult; fo that space of time it seemed to be pemitted to talk loud and moe feely, and they used thei pivilege. The whole convesation an on the beakfast, which one and all abused oundly. Poo things! it was the sole consolation they had. Miss Mille was now the only teache in the oom: a goup of geat gils standing about he spoke with seious and sullen gestues. I head the name of M. Bocklehust ponounced by some lips; at which Miss Mille shook he head disappovingly; but she made no geat effot to cheek the geneal wath; doubtless she shaed in it. A clock in the schooloom stuck nine; Miss Mille left he cicle, and standing in the middle of the oom, cied— “Silence! To you seats!” Discipline pevailed: in five minutes the confused thong was esolved into ode, and compaative silence quelled the Babel clamou of tongues. The uppe teaches now punctually esumed thei posts: but still, all seemed to wait. Ranged on benches down the sides of the oom, the eighty gils sat motionless and eect; a quaint assemblage they appeaed, all with plain locks combed fom thei faces, not a cul visible; in bown desses, made high and suounded by a naow tucke about the thoat, with little pockets of holland (shaped something like a Highlande’s puse) tied in font of thei focks, and destined to seve the pupose of a wok-bag: all, too, weaing woollen stockings and county-made shoes, fastened with bass buckles. Above twenty of those clad in Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 67 this costume wee
