Hefretted，pished，andpshawed。“Verygood，”Ithought;“youmayfumeandfidgetasyouplease:butthisisthebestplantopursuewithyou，Iamcertain。IlikeyoumorethanIcansay;butI’llnotsinkintoabathosofsentiment:andwiththisneedleofreparteeI’llkeepyoufromtheedgeofthegulftoo;and，moreover，maintainbyitspungentaidthatdistancebetweenyouandmyselfmostconducivetoourrealmutualadvantage。”
　　Fromlesstomore，Iworkedhimuptoconsiderableirritation;then，afterhehadretired，indudgeon，quitetotheotherendoftheroom，Igotup，andsaying，“Iwishyougood—night，sir，”inmynaturalandwontedrespectfulmanner，Islippedoutbytheside—doorandgotaway。
　　Thesystemthusenteredon，Ipursuedduringthewholeseasonofprobation;andwiththebestsuccess。Hewaskept，tobesure，rathercrossandcrusty;butonthewholeIcouldseehewasexcellentlyentertained，andthatalamb—likesubmissionandturtle—dovesensibility，whilefosteringhisdespotismmore，wouldhavepleasedhisjudgment，satisfiedhiscommon—sense，andevensuitedhistasteless。
　　Inotherpeople’spresenceIwas，asformerly，deferentialandquiet;anyotherlineofconductbeinguncalledfor:itwasonlyintheeveningconferencesIthusthwartedandafflictedhim。Hecontinuedtosendformepunctuallythemomenttheclockstruckseven;thoughwhenIappearedbeforehimnow，hehadnosuchhoneyedtermsas“love”and“darling”onhislips:thebestwordsatmyservicewere“provokingpuppet，”“maliciouself，”“sprite，”“changeling，”&c。Forcaresses，too，Inowgotgrimaces;forapressureofthehand，apinchonthearm;forakissonthecheek，aseveretweakoftheear。Itwasallright:atpresentIdecidedlypreferredthesefiercefavourstoanythingmoretender。Mrs。Fairfax，Isaw，approvedme:heranxietyonmyaccountvanished;thereforeIwascertainIdidwell。Meantime，Mr。RochesteraffirmedIwaswearinghimtoskinandbone，andthreatenedawfulvengeanceformypresentconductatsomeperiodfastcoming。Ilaughedinmysleeveathismenaces。“Icankeepyouinreasonablechecknow，”Ireflected;“andIdon’tdoubttobeabletodoithereafter:ifoneexpedientlosesitsvirtue，anothermustbedevised。”
　　Yetafterallmytaskwasnotaneasyone;oftenIwouldratherhavepleasedthanteasedhim。Myfuturehusbandwasbecomingtomemywholeworld;andmorethantheworld:almostmyhopeofheaven。Hestoodbetweenmeandeverythoughtofreligion，asaneclipseintervenesbetweenmanandthebroadsun。Icouldnot，inthosedays，seeGodforHiscreature:ofwhomIhadmadeanidol。
　　Chapter25
　　Themonthofcourtshiphadwasted:itsverylasthourswerebeingnumbered。Therewasnoputtingoffthedaythatadvanced—thebridalday;andallpreparationsforitsarrivalwerecomplete。I，atleast，hadnothingmoretodo:thereweremytrunks，packed，locked，corded，rangedinarowalongthewallofmylittlechamber;to—morrow，atthistime，theywouldbefarontheirroadtoLondon:andsoshouldI（D。V。），—orrather，notI，butoneJaneRochester，apersonwhomasyetIknewnot。Thecardsofaddressaloneremainedtonailon:theylay，fourlittlesquares，inthedrawer。Mr。Rochesterhadhimselfwrittenthedirection，“Mrs。Rochester，—Hotel，London，”oneach:Icouldnotpersuademyselftoaffixthem，ortohavethemaffixed。Mrs。Rochester！Shedidnotexist:shewouldnotbeborntillto—morrow，sometimeaftereighto’clocka。m。;andIwouldwaittobeassuredshehadcomeintotheworldalivebeforeIassignedtoherallthatproperty。Itwasenoughthatinyondercloset，oppositemydressing—table，garmentssaidtobehershadalreadydisplacedmyblackstuffLowoodfrockandstrawbonnet:fornottomeappertainedthatsuitofweddingraiment;thepearl—colouredrobe，thevapouryveilpendentfromtheusurpedportmanteau。Ishuttheclosettoconcealthestrange，wraith—likeapparelitcontained;which，atthiseveninghour—nineo’clock—gaveoutcertainlyamostghostlyshimmerthroughtheshadowofmyapartment。“Iwillleaveyoubyyourself，whitedream，”Isaid。“Iamfeverish:Ihearthewindblowing:Iwillgooutofdoorsandfeelit。”
　　Itwasnotonlythehurryofpreparationthatmademefeverish;notonlytheanticipationofthegreatchange—thenewlifewhichwastocommenceto—morrow:boththesecircumstanceshadtheirshare，doubtless，inproducingthatrestless，excitedmoodwhichhurriedmeforthatthislatehourintothedarkeninggrounds:butathirdcauseinfluencedmymindmorethanthey。
　　Ihadatheartastrangeandanxiousthought。SomethinghadhappenedwhichIcouldnotcomprehend;nooneknewoforhadseentheeventbutmyself:ithadtakenplacetheprecedingnight。Mr。Rochesterthatnightwasabsentfromhome;norwasheyetreturned:businesshadcalledhimtoasmallestateoftwoorthreefarmshepossessedthirtymilesoff—businessitwasrequisiteheshouldsettleinperson，previoustohismeditateddeparturefromEngland。Iwaitednowhisreturn;eagertodisburthenmymind，andtoseekofhimthesolutionoftheenigmathatperplexedme。Staytillhecomes，reader;and，whenIdisclosemysecrettohim，youshallsharetheconfidence。
　　Isoughttheorchard，driventoitsshelterbythewind，whichalldayhadblownstrongandfullfromthesouth，without，however，bringingaspeckofrain。Insteadofsubsidingasnightdrewon，itseemedtoaugmentitsrushanddeepenitsroar:thetreesblewsteadfastlyoneway，neverwrithinground，andscarcelytossingbacktheirboughsonceinanhour;socontinuouswasthestrainbendingtheirbranchyheadsnorthward—thecloudsdriftedfrompoletopole，fastfollowing，massonmass:noglimpseofblueskyhadbeenvisiblethatJulyday。
　　ItwasnotwithoutacertainwildpleasureIranbeforethewind，deliveringmytroubleofmindtothemeasurelessair—torrentthunderingthroughspace。Descendingthelaurelwalk，Ifacedthewreckofthechestnut—tree;itstoodupblackandriven:thetrunk，splitdownthecentre，gaspedghastly。Theclovenhalveswerenotbrokenfromeachother，forthefirmbaseandstrongrootskeptthemunsunderedbelow;thoughcommunityofvitalitywasdestroyed—thesapcouldflownomore:theirgreatboughsoneachsideweredead，andnextwinter’stempestswouldbesuretofelloneorbothtoearth:asyet，however，theymightbesaidtoformonetree—aruin，butanentireruin。
　　“Youdidrighttoholdfasttoeachother，”Isaid:asifthemonster—splinterswerelivingthings，andcouldhearme。“Ithink，scathedasyoulook，andcharredandscorched，theremustbealittlesenseoflifeinyouyet，risingoutofthatadhesionatthefaithful，honestroots:youwillneverhavegreenleavesmore—nevermoreseebirdsmakingnestsandsingingidylsinyourboughs;thetimeofpleasureandloveisoverwithyou:butyouarenotdesolate:eachofyouhasacomradetosympathisewithhiminhisdecay。”AsIlookedupatthem，themoonappearedmomentarilyinthatpartoftheskywhichfilledtheirfissure;herdiskwasblood—redandhalfovercast;sheseemedtothrowonmeonebewildered，drearyglance，andburiedherselfagaininstantlyinthedeepdriftofcloud。Thewindfell，forasecond，roundThornfield;butfarawayoverwoodandwater，pouredawild，melancholywail:itwassadtolistento，andIranoffagain。
　　HereandthereIstrayedthroughtheorchard，gathereduptheappleswithwhichthegrassroundthetreerootswasthicklystrewn;thenIemployedmyselfindividingtheripefromtheunripe;Icarriedthemintothehouseandputthemawayinthestore—room。ThenIrepairedtothelibrarytoascertainwhetherthefirewaslit，for，thoughsummer，IknewonsuchagloomyeveningMr。Rochesterwouldliketoseeacheerfulhearthwhenhecamein:yes，thefirehadbeenkindledsometime，andburntwell。Iplacedhisarm—chairbythechimney—corner:Iwheeledthetablenearit:Iletdownthecurtain，andhadthecandlesbroughtinreadyforlighting。Morerestlessthanever，whenIhadcompletedthesearrangementsIcouldnotsitstill，norevenremaininthehouse:alittletime—pieceintheroomandtheoldclockinthehallsimultaneouslystruckten。
　　“Howlateitgrows！”Isaid。“Iwillrundowntothegates:itismoonlightatintervals;Icanseeagoodwayontheroad。Hemaybecomingnow，andtomeethimwillsavesomeminutesofsuspense。”
　　Thewindroaredhighinthegreattreeswhichemboweredthegates;buttheroadasfarasIcouldsee，totherighthandandtheleft，wasallstillandsolitary:savefortheshadowsofcloudscrossingitatintervalsasthemoonlookedout，itwasbutalongpaleline，unvariedbyonemovingspeck。
　　ApuerileteardimmedmyeyewhileIlooked—atearofdisappointmentandimpatience;ashamedofit，Iwipeditaway。Ilingered;themoonshutherselfwhollywithinherchamber，anddrewclosehercurtainofdensecloud:thenightgrewdark;raincamedrivingfastonthegale。
　　“Iwishhewouldcome！Iwishhewouldcome！”Iexclaimed，seizedwithhypochondriacforeboding。Ihadexpectedhisarrivalbeforetea;nowitwasdark:whatcouldkeephim？Hadanaccidenthappened？Theeventoflastnightagainrecurredtome。Iinterpreteditasawarningofdisaster。Ifearedmyhopesweretoobrighttoberealised;andIhadenjoyedsomuchblisslatelythatIimaginedmyfortunehadpasseditsmeridian，andmustnowdecline。
　　“Well，Icannotreturntothehouse，”Ithought;“Icannotsitbythefireside，whileheisabroadininclementweather:bettertiremylimbsthanstrainmyheart;Iwillgoforwardandmeethim。”
　　Isetout;Iwalkedfast，butnotfar:ereIhadmeasuredaquarterofamile，Iheardthetrampofhoofs;ahorsemancameon，fullgallop;adogranbyhisside。Awaywithevilpresentiment！Itwashe:herehewas，mountedonMesrour，followedbyPilot。Hesawme;forthemoonhadopenedabluefieldinthesky，androdeinitwaterybright:hetookhishatoff，andwaveditroundhishead。Inowrantomeethim。
　　“There！”heexclaimed，ashestretchedouthishandandbentfromthesaddle:“Youcan’tdowithoutme，thatisevident。Steponmyboot—toe;givemebothhands:mount！”
　　Iobeyed:joymademeagile:Isprangupbeforehim。AheartykissingIgotforawelcome，andsomeboastfultriumph，whichIswallowedaswellasIcould。Hecheckedhimselfinhisexultationtodemand，“Butisthereanythingthematter，Janet，thatyoucometomeetmeatsuchanhour？Isthereanythingwrong？”
　　“No，butIthoughtyouwouldnevercome。Icouldnotbeartowaitinthehouseforyou，especiallywiththisrainandwind。”
　　“Rainandwind，indeed！Yes，youaredrippinglikeamermaid;pullmycloakroundyou:butIthinkyouarefeverish，Jane:bothyourcheekandhandareburninghot。Iaskagain，isthereanythingthematter？
　　“Nothingnow;Iamneitherafraidnorunhappy。”
　　“Thenyouhavebeenboth？”
　　“Rather:butI’lltellyouallaboutitby—and—bye，sir;andIdaresayyouwillonlylaughatmeformypains。”
　　“I’lllaughatyouheartilywhento—morrowispast;tillthenIdarenot:myprizeisnotcertain。Thisisyou，whohavebeenasslipperyasaneelthislastmonth，andasthornyasabriar—rose？IcouldnotlayafingeranywherebutIwaspricked;andnowIseemtohavegatheredupastraylambinmyarms。Youwanderedoutofthefoldtoseekyourshepherd，didyou，Jane？”
　　“Iwantedyou:butdon’tboast。HereweareatThornfield:nowletmegetdown。”
　　Helandedmeonthepavement。AsJohntookhishorse，andhefollowedmeintothehall，hetoldmetomakehasteandputsomethingdryon，andthenreturntohiminthelibrary;andhestoppedme，asImadeforthestaircase，toextortapromisethatIwouldnotbelong:norwasIlong;infiveminutesIrejoinedhim。Ifoundhimatsupper。
　　“Takeaseatandbearmecompany，Jane:pleaseGod，itisthelastmealbutoneyouwilleatatThornfieldHallforalongtime。”
　　Isatdownnearhim，buttoldhimIcouldnoteat。“Isitbecauseyouhavetheprospectofajourneybeforeyou，Jane？IsitthethoughtsofgoingtoLondonthattakesawayyourappetite？”
　　“Icannotseemyprospectsclearlyto—night，sir;andIhardlyknowwhatthoughtsIhaveinmyhead。Everythinginlifeseemsunreal。”
　　“Exceptme:Iamsubstantialenough—touchme。”
　　“You，sir，arethemostphantom—likeofall:youareameredream。”
　　Heheldouthishand，laughing。“Isthatadream？”saidhe，placingitclosetomyeyes。Hehadarounded，muscular，andvigoroushand，aswellasalong，strongarm。
　　“Yes;thoughItouchit，itisadream，”saidI，asIputitdownfrombeforemyface。“Sir，haveyoufinishedsupper？”
　　“Yes，Jane。”
　　Irangthebellandorderedawaythetray。Whenwewereagainalone，Istirredthefire，andthentookalowseatatmymaster’sknee。
　　“Itisnearmidnight，”Isaid。
　　“Yes:butremember，Jane，youpromisedtowakewithmethenightbeforemywedding。”
　　“Idid;andIwillkeepmypromise，foranhourortwoatleast:Ihavenowishtogotobed。”
　　“Areallyourarrangementscomplete？”
　　“All，sir。”
　　“Andonmypartlikewise，”hereturned，“Ihavesettledeverything;andweshallleaveThornfieldto—morrow，withinhalf—an—hourafterourreturnfromchurch。”
　　“Verywell，sir。”
　　“Withwhatanextraordinarysmileyouutteredthatword—‘verywell，’Jane！Whatabrightspotofcolouryouhaveoneachcheek！andhowstrangelyyoureyesglitter！Areyouwell？”
　　“IbelieveIam。”
　　“Believe！Whatisthematter？Tellmewhatyoufeel。”
　　“Icouldnot，sir:nowordscouldtellyouwhatIfeel。Iwishthispresenthourwouldneverend:whoknowswithwhatfatethenextmaycomecharged？”
　　“Thisishypochondria，Jane。Youhavebeenover—excited，orover—fatigued。”
　　“Doyou，sir，feelcalmandhappy？”
　　“Calm？—no:buthappy—totheheart’score。”
　　Ilookedupathimtoreadthesignsofblissinhisface:itwasardentandflushed。
　　“Givemeyourconfidence，Jane，”hesaid:“relieveyourmindofanyweightthatoppressesit，byimpartingittome。Whatdoyoufear？—thatIshallnotproveagoodhusband？”
　　“Itistheideafarthestfrommythoughts。”
　　“Areyouapprehensiveofthenewsphereyouareabouttoenter？—ofthenewlifeintowhichyouarepassing？”
　　“No。”
　　“Youpuzzleme，Jane:yourlookandtoneofsorrowfulaudacityperplexandpainme。Iwantanexplanation。”
　　“Then，sir，listen。Youwerefromhomelastnight？”
　　“Iwas:Iknowthat;andyouhintedawhileagoatsomethingwhichhadhappenedinmyabsence:—nothing，probably，ofconsequence;but，inshort，ithasdisturbedyou。Letmehearit。Mrs。Fairfaxhassaidsomething，perhaps？oryouhaveoverheardtheservantstalk？—yoursensitiveself—respecthasbeenwounded？”
　　“No，sir。”Itstrucktwelve—Iwaitedtillthetime—piecehadconcludeditssilverchime，andtheclockitshoarse，vibrittingstroke，andthenIproceeded。
　　“AlldayyesterdayIwasverybusy，andveryhappyinmyceaselessbustle;forIamnot，asyouseemtothink，troubledbyanyhauntingfearsaboutthenewsphere，etcetera:Ithinkitagloriousthingtohavethehopeoflivingwithyou，becauseIloveyou。No，sir，don’tcaressmenow—letmetalkundisturbed。YesterdayItrustedwellinProvidence，andbelievedthateventswereworkingtogetherforyourgoodandmine:itwasafineday，ifyourecollect—thecalmnessoftheairandskyforbadeapprehensionsrespectingyoursafetyorcomfortonyourjourney。Iwalkedalittlewhileonthepavementaftertea，thinkingofyou;andIbeheldyouinimaginationsonearme，Iscarcelymissedyouractualpresence。Ithoughtofthelifethatlaybeforeme—yourlife，sir—anexistencemoreexpansiveandstirringthanmyown:asmuchmoresoasthedepthsoftheseatowhichthebrookrunsarethantheshallowsofitsownstraitchannel。Iwonderedwhymoralistscallthisworldadrearywilderness:formeitblossomedlikearose。Justatsunset，theairturnedcoldandtheskycloudy:Iwentin，Sophiecalledmeupstairstolookatmywedding—dress，whichtheyhadjustbrought;andunderitintheboxIfoundyourpresent—theveilwhich，inyourprincelyextravagance，yousentforfromLondon:resolved，Isuppose，sinceIwouldnothavejewels，tocheatmeintoacceptingsomethingascostly。IsmiledasIunfoldedit，anddevisedhowIwouldteaseyouaboutyouraristocratictastes，andyoureffortstomasqueyourplebeianbrideintheattributesofapeeress。IthoughhowIwouldcarrydowntoyouthesquareofunembroideredblondIhadmyselfpreparedasacoveringformylow—bornhead，andaskifthatwasnotgoodenoughforawomanwhocouldbringherhusbandneitherfortune，beauty，norconnections。Isawplainlyhowyouwouldlook;andheardyourimpetuousrepublicananswers，andyourhaughtydisavowalofanynecessityonyourparttoaugmentyourwealth，orelevateyourstanding，bymarryingeitherapurseoracoronet。”
　　“Howwellyoureadme，youwitch！”interposedMr。Rochester:“butwhatdidyoufindintheveilbesidesitsembroidery？Didyoufindpoison，oradagger，thatyoulooksomournfulnow？”
　　“No，no，sir;besidesthedelicacyandrichnessofthefabric，IfoundnothingsaveFairfaxRochester’spride;andthatdidnotscareme，becauseIamusedtothesightofthedemon。But，sir，asitgrewdark，thewindrose:itblewyesterdayevening，notasitblowsnow—wildandhigh—but‘withasullen，moaningsound’farmoreeerie。Iwishedyouwereathome。Icameintothisroom，andthesightoftheemptychairandfirelesshearthchilledme。ForsometimeafterIwenttobed，Icouldnotsleep—asenseofanxiousexcitementdistressedme。Thegalestillrising，seemedtomyeartomuffleamournfulunder—sound;whetherinthehouseorabroadIcouldnotatfirsttell，butitrecurred，doubtfulyetdolefulateverylull;atlastImadeoutitmustbesomedoghowlingatadistance。Iwasgladwhenitceased。Onsleeping，Icontinuedindreamstheideaofadarkandgustynight。Icontinuedalsothewishtobewithyou，andexperiencedastrange，regretfulconsciousnessofsomebarrierdividingus。Duringallmyfirstsleep，Iwasfollowingthewindingsofanunknownroad;totalobscurityenvironedme;rainpeltedme;Iwasburdenedwiththechargeofalittlechild:averysmallcreature，tooyoungandfeebletowalk，andwhichshiveredinmycoldarms，andwailedpiteouslyinmyear。Ithought，sir，thatyouwereontheroadalongwaybeforeme;andIstrainedeverynervetoovertakeyou，andmadeeffortonefforttoutteryournameandentreatyoutostop—butmymovementswerefettered，andmyvoicestilldiedawayinarticulate;whileyou，Ifelt，withdrewfartherandfarthereverymoment。”
　　“Andthesedreamsweighonyourspiritsnow，Jane，whenIamclosetoyou？Littlenervoussubject！Forgetvisionarywoe，andthinkonlyofrealhappiness！Yousayyouloveme，Janet:yes—Iwillnotforgetthat;andyoucannotdenyit。thosewordsdidnotdieinarticulateonyourlips。Iheardthemclearandsoft:athoughttoosolemnperhaps，butsweetasmusic—‘Ithinkitisagloriousthingtohavethehopeoflivingwithyou，Edward，becauseIloveyou。’Doyouloveme，Jane？—repeatit。”
　　“Ido，sir—Ido，withmywholeheart。”
　　“Well，”hesaid，aftersomeminutes’silence，“itisstrange;butthatsentencehaspenetratedbybreastpainfully。Why？Ithinkbecauseyousaiditwithsuchanearnest，religiousenergy，andbecauseyourupwardgazeatmenowistheverysublimeoffaith，truth，anddevotion:itistoomuchasifsomespiritwerenearme。Lookwicked，Jane:asyouknowwellhowtolook:coinoneofyourwild，shy，provokingsmiles;tellmeyouhateme—teaseme，vexme;doanythingbutmoveme:Iwouldratherbeincensedthansaddened。”
　　“Iwillteaseyouandvexyoutoyourheart’scontent，whenIhavefinishedmytale:buthearmetotheend。”
　　“Ithought，Jane，youhadtoldmeall。IthoughtIhadfoundthesourceofyourmelancholyinadream。”
　　Ishookmyhead。“What！istheremore？ButIwillnotbelieveittobeanythingimportant。Iwarnyouofincredulitybeforehand。Goon。”
　　Thedisquietudeofhisair，thesomewhatapprehensiveimpatienceofhismanner，surprisedme:butIproceeded。
　　“Idreamtanotherdream，sir:thatThornfieldHallwasadrearyruin，theretreatofbatsandowls。Ithoughtthatofallthestatelyfrontnothingremainedbutashell—likewall，veryhighandveryfragile—looking。Iwandered，onamoonlightnight，throughthegrass—grownenclosurewithin:hereIstumbledoveramarblehearth，andthereoverafallenfragmentofcornice。Wrappedupinashawl，Istillcarriedtheunknownlittlechild:Imightnotlayitdownanywhere，howevertiredweremyarms—howevermuchitsweightimpededmyprogress，Imustretainit。Iheardthegallopofahorseatadistanceontheroad;Iwassureitwasyou;andyouweredepartingformanyyearsandforadistantcountry。Iclimbedthethinwallwithfranticperiloushaste，eagertocatchoneglimpseofyoufromthetop:thestonesrolledfromundermyfeet，theivybranchesIgraspedgaveway，thechildclungroundmyneckinterror，andalmoststrangledme;atlastIgainedthesummit。Isawyoulikeaspeckonawhitetrack，lesseningeverymoment。TheblastblewsostrongIcouldnotstand。Isatdownonthenarrowledge;Ihushedthescaredinfantinmylap:youturnedanangleoftheroad:Ibentforwardtotakealastlook;thewallcrumbled;Iwasshaken;thechildrolledfrommyknee，Ilostmybalance，fell，andwoke。”
　　“Now，Jane，thatisall。”
　　“Allthepreface，sir;thetaleisyettocome。Onwaking，agleamdazzledmyeyes;Ithought—Oh，itisdaylight！ButIwasmistaken;itwasonlycandlelight。Sophie，Isupposed，hadcomein。Therewasalightinthedressing—table，andthedoorofthecloset，where，beforegoingtobed，Ihadhungmywedding—dressandveil，stoodopen;Iheardarustlingthere。Iasked，‘Sophie，whatareyoudoing？’Nooneanswered;butaformemergedfromthecloset;ittookthelight，helditaloft，andsurveyedthegarmentspendentfromtheportmanteau。‘Sophie！Sophie！’Iagaincried:andstillitwassilent。Ihadrisenupinbed，Ibentforward:firstsurprise，thenbewilderment，cameoverme;andthenmybloodcreptcoldthroughmyveins。Mr。Rochester，thiswasnotSophie，itwasnotLeah，itwasnotMrs。Fairfax:itwasnot—no，Iwassureofit，andamstill—itwasnoteventhatstrangewoman，GracePoole。”
　　“Itmusthavebeenoneofthem，”interruptedmymaster。
　　“No，sir，Isolemnlyassureyoutothecontrary。TheshapestandingbeforemehadnevercrossedmyeyeswithintheprecinctsofThornfieldHallbefore;theheight，thecontourwerenewtome。”
　　“Describeit，Jane。”
　　“Itseemed，sir，awoman，tallandlarge，withthickanddarkhairhanginglongdownherback。Iknownotwhatdressshehadon:itwaswhiteandstraight;butwhethergown，sheet，orshroud，Icannottell。”
　　“Didyouseeherface？”
　　“Notatfirst。Butpresentlyshetookmyveilfromitsplace;shehelditup，gazedatitlong，andthenshethrewitoverherownhead，andturnedtothemirror。AtthatmomentIsawthereflectionofthevisageandfeaturesquitedistinctlyinthedarkoblongglass。”
　　“Andhowwerethey？”
　　“Fearfulandghastlytome—oh，sir，Ineversawafacelikeit！Itwasadiscolouredface—itwasasavageface。IwishIcouldforgettherolloftheredeyesandthefearfulblackenedinflationofthelineaments！”
　　“Ghostsareusuallypale，Jane。”
　　“This，sir，waspurple:thelipswereswelledanddark;thebrowfurrowed:theblackeyebrowswidelyraisedoverthebloodshoteyes。ShallItellyouofwhatitremindedme？”
　　“Youmay。”
　　“OfthefoulGermanspectre—theVampyre。”
　　“Ah！—whatdiditdo？”
　　“Sir，itremovedmyveilfromitsgaunthead，rentitintwoparts，andflingingbothonthefloor，trampledonthem。”
　　“Afterwards？”
　　“Itdrewasidethewindow—curtainandlookedout;perhapsitsawdawnapproaching，for，takingthecandle，itretreatedtothedoor。Justatmybedside，thefigurestopped:thefieryeyesglareduponme—shethrustuphercandleclosetomyface，andextinguisheditundermyeyes。Iwasawareherluridvisageflamedovermine，andIlostconsciousness:forthesecondtimeinmylife—onlythesecondtime—Ibecameinsensiblefromterror。”
　　“Whowaswithyouwhenyourevived？”
　　“Noone，sir，butthebroadday。Irose，bathedmyheadandfaceinwater，drankalongdraught;feltthatthoughenfeebledIwasnotill，anddeterminedthattononebutyouwouldIimpartthisvision。Now，sir，tellmewhoandwhatthatwomanwas？”
　　“Thecreatureofanover—stimulatedbrain;thatiscertain。Imustbecarefulofyou，mytreasure:nerveslikeyourswerenotmadeforroughhandling。”
　　“Sir，dependonit，mynerveswerenotinfault;thethingwasreal:thetransactionactuallytookplace。”
　　“Andyourpreviousdreams，weretheyrealtoo？IsThornfieldHallaruin？AmIseveredfromyoubyinsuperableobstacles？AmIleavingyouwithoutatear—withoutakiss—withoutaword？”
　　“Notyet。”
　　“AmIabouttodoit？Why，thedayisalreadycommencedwhichistobindusindissolubly;andwhenweareonceunited，thereshallbenorecurrenceofthesementalterrors:Iguaranteethat。”
　　“Mentalterrors，sir！IwishIcouldbelievethemtobeonlysuch:Iwishitmorenowthanever;sinceevenyoucannotexplaintomethemysteryofthatawfulvisitant。”
　　“AndsinceIcannotdoit，Jane，itmusthavebeenunreal。”
　　“But，sir，whenIsaidsotomyselfonrisingthismorning，andwhenIlookedroundtheroomtogathercourageandcomfortfromthecheerfulaspectofeachfamiliarobjectinfulldaylight，there—onthecarpet—Isawwhatgavethedistinctlietomyhypothesis，—theveil，tornfromtoptobottomintwohalves！”
　　IfeltMr。Rochesterstartandshudder;hehastilyflunghisarmsroundme。“ThankGod！”heexclaimed，“thatifanythingmalignantdidcomenearyoulastnight，itwasonlytheveilthatwasharmed。Oh，tothinkwhatmighthavehappened！”
　　Hedrewhisbreathshort，andstrainedmesoclosetohim，Icouldscarcelypant。Aftersomeminutes’silence，hecontinued，cheerily—
　　“Now，Janet，I’llexplaintoyouallaboutit。Itwashalfdream，halfreality。Awomandid，Idoubtnot，enteryourroom:andthatwomanwas—musthavebeen—GracePoole。Youcallherastrangebeingyourself:fromallyouknow，youhavereasonsotocallher—whatdidshedotome？whattoMason？Inastatebetweensleepingandwaking，younoticedherentranceandheractions;butfeverish，almostdeliriousasyouwere，youascribedtoheragoblinappearancedifferentfromherown:thelongdishevelledhair，theswelledblackface，theexaggeratedstature，werefigmentsofimagination;resultsofnightmare:thespitefultearingoftheveilwasreal:anditislikeher。IseeyouwouldaskwhyIkeepsuchawomaninmyhouse:whenwehavebeenmarriedayearandaday，Iwilltellyou;butnotnow。Areyousatisfied，Jane？Doyouacceptmysolutionofthemystery？”
　　Ireflected，andintruthitappearedtometheonlypossibleone:satisfiedIwasnot，buttopleasehimIendeavouredtoappearso—relieved，Icertainlydidfeel;soIansweredhimwithacontentedsmile。Andnow，asitwaslongpastone，Ipreparedtoleavehim。
　　“DoesnotSophiesleepwithAdèleinthenursery？”heasked，asIlitmycandle。
　　“Yes，sir。”
　　“AndthereisroomenoughinAdèle’slittlebedforyou。Youmustshareitwithherto—night，Jane:itisnowonderthattheincidentyouhaverelatedshouldmakeyounervous，andIwouldratheryoudidnotsleepalone:promisemetogotothenursery。”
　　“Ishallbeverygladtodoso，sir。”
　　“Andfastenthedoorsecurelyontheinside。WakeSophiewhenyougoupstairs，underpretenceofrequestinghertorouseyouingoodtimeto—morrow;foryoumustbedressedandhavefinishedbreakfastbeforeeight。Andnow，nomoresombrethoughts:chasedullcareaway，Janet。Don’tyouheartowhatsoftwhispersthewindhasfallen？andthereisnomorebeatingofrainagainstthewindow—panes:lookhere”（heliftedupthecurtain）—“itisalovelynight！”
　　Itwas。Halfheavenwaspureandstainless:theclouds，nowtroopingbeforethewind，whichhadshiftedtothewest，werefilingoffeastwardinlong，silveredcolumns。Themoonshonepeacefully。
　　“Well，”saidMr。Rochester，gazinginquiringlyintomyeyes，“howismyJanetnow？”
　　“Thenightisserene，sir;andsoamI。”
　　“Andyouwillnotdreamofseparationandsorrowto—night;butofhappyloveandblissfulunion。”
　　Thispredictionwasbuthalffulfilled:Ididnotindeeddreamofsorrow，butaslittledidIdreamofjoy;forIneversleptatall。WithlittleAdèleinmyarms，Iwatchedtheslumberofchildhood—sotranquil，sopassionless，soinnocent—andwaitedforthecomingday:allmylifewasawakeandastirinmyframe:andassoonasthesunroseIrosetoo。IrememberAdèleclungtomeasIlefther:IrememberIkissedherasIloosenedherlittlehandsfrommyneck;andIcriedoverherwithstrangeemotion，andquittedherbecauseIfearedmysobswouldbreakherstillsoundrepose。Sheseemedtheemblemofmypastlife;andheIwasnowtoarraymyselftomeet，thedread，butadored，typeofmyunknownfutureday。