He held out his hand; I gave him mine: he took it first in one, them in both his own. ‘You have saved my life: I have a pleasure in owing you so immense a debt. I cannot say more. Nothing else that has being would have been tolerable to me in the character of […]
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He listened very gravely; his face, as I went on, expressed more concern than astonishment; he did not immediately speak when I had concluded. ‘Shall I call Mrs. Fairfax?’ I asked. ‘Mrs. Fairfax? No; what the deuce would you call her for? What can she do? Let her sleep unmolested.’ ‘Then I will fetch Leah, […]
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‘Was that Grace Poole? and is she possessed with a devil?’ thought I. Impossible now to remain longer by myself: I must go to Mrs. Fairfax. I hurried on my frock and a shawl; I withdrew the bolt and opened the door with a trembling hand. There was a candle burning just outside, and on […]
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Though I had now extinguished my candle and was laid down in bed, I could not sleep for thinking of his look when he paused in the avenue, and told how his destiny had risen up before him, and dared him to be happy at Thornfield. ‘Why not?’ I asked myself. ‘What alienates him from […]
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It was not till after I had withdrawn to my own chamber for the night, that I steadily reviewed the tale Mr. Rochester had told me. As he had said, there was probably nothing at all extraordinary in the substance of the narrative itself: a wealthy Englishman’s passion for a French dancer, and her treachery […]
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I almost expected a rebuff for this hardly well-timed question, but, on the contrary, waking out of his scowling abstraction, he turned his eyes towards me, and the shade seemed to clear off his brow. ‘Oh, I had forgotten Celine! Well, to resume. When I saw my charmer thus come in accompanied by a cavalier, […]
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‘And so may you,’ I thought. My eye met his as the idea crossed my mind: he seemed to read the glance, answering as if its import had been spoken as well as imagined— ‘Yes, yes, you are right,’ said he; ‘I have plenty of faults of my own: I know it, and I don’t […]
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I did not feel insensible to his condescension, and would not seem so. ‘I am willing to amuse you, if I can, sir—quite willing; but I cannot introduce a topic, because how do I know what will interest you? Ask me questions, and I will do my best to answer them.’ ‘Then, in the first […]
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