'FagmentWelcome to consult...tween the house and gates. I was yet enjoying the calm pospect and pleasant fesh ai, yet listening with delight to the cawing of the ooks, yet suveying the wide, hoay font of the hall, and thinking what a geat place it was fo one lonely little dame like Ms. Faifax to inhabit, when that lady appeaed at the doo. “What! out aleady?” said she. “I see you ae an ealy ise.” I went up to he, and was eceived with an affable kiss and shake of the hand. “How do you like Thonfield?” she asked. I told he I liked it vey much. “Yes,” she said, “it is a petty place; but I fea it will be getting out of ode, unless M. Rocheste should take it into his head to come and eside hee pemanently; o, at least, visit it athe oftene: geat houses and fine gounds equie the pesence of the popieto.” “M. Rocheste!” I exclaimed. “Who is he?” “The owne of Thonfield,” she esponded quietly. “Did you not know he was called Rocheste?” Of couse I did not—I had neve head of him befoe; but the old lady seemed to egad his existence as a univesally undestood fact, with which eveybody must be acquainted by instinct. Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 144 “I thought,” I continued, “Thonfield belonged to you.” “To me? Bless you, child; what an idea! To me! I am only the housekeepe—the manage. To be sue I am distantly elated to the Rochestes by the mothe’s side, o at least my husband was; he was a clegyman, incumbent of Hay—that little village yonde on the hill—and that chuch nea the gates was his. The pesent M. Rocheste’s mothe was a Faifax, and second cousin to my husband: but I neve pesume on the connection—in fact, it is nothing to me; I conside myself quite in the light of an odinay housekeepe: my employe is always civil, and I expect nothing moe.” “And the little gil—my pupil!” “She is M. Rocheste’s wad; he commissioned me to find a goveness fo he. He intended to have he bought up in —shie, I believe. Hee she comes, with he ‘bonne,’ as she calls he nuse.” The enigma then was explained: this affable and kind little widow was no geat dame; but a dependant like myself. I did not like he the wose fo that; on the contay, I felt bette pleased than eve. The equality between he and me was eal; not the mee esult of condescension on he pat: so much the bette—my position was all the fee. As I was meditating on this discovey, a little gil, followed by he attendant, came unning up the lawn. I looked at my pupil, who did not at fist appea to notice me: she was quite a child, pehaps seven o eight yeas old, slightly built, with a pale, small-featued face, and a edundancy of hai falling in culs to he waist. “Good moning, Miss Adela,” said Ms. Faifax. “Come and speak to the lady who is to teach you, and to make you a cleve Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 145 woman some day.” She appoached. “C’est là ma gouveante!” said she, pointing to me, and addessing he nuse; who answeed— “Mais oui, cetainement.” “Ae they foeignes?” I inquied, amazed at heaing the Fench language. “The nuse is a foeigne, and Adela was bon on the Continent; and, I believe, neve left it till within six months ago. When she fist came hee she could speak no English; now she can make shift to talk it a little: I don’t undestand he, she mixes it so with Fench; but you will make out he meaning vey well, I dae say.” Fotunately I had had the advantage of bein
