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autumn morning; the early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and 
still green fields; advancing on to the lawn; I looked up and surveyed 
the front of the mansion。 It was three storeys high; of proportions 
not vast; though considerable: a gentleman's manor…house; not a 
nobleman's seat: battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look。 
Its grey front stood out well from the background of a rookery; 
whose cawing tenants were now on the wing: they flew over the lawn and 
grounds to alight in a great meadow; from which these were separated 
by a sunk fence; and where an array of mighty old thorn trees; strong; 
knotty; and broad as oaks; at once explained the etymology of the 
mansion's designation。 Farther off were hills: not so lofty as those 
round Lowood; nor so craggy; nor so like barriers of separation from 
the living world; but yet quiet and lonely hills enough; and seeming 
to embrace Thornfield with a seclusion I had not expected to find 
existent so near the stirring locality of Millcote。 A little hamlet; 
whose roofs were blent with trees; straggled up the side of one of 
these hills; the church of the district stood nearer Thornfield: its 
old tower…top looked over a knoll between the house and gates。 
   I was yet enjoying the calm prospect and pleasant fresh air; yet 
listening with delight to the cawing of the rooks; yet surveying the 
wide; hoary front of the hall; and thinking what a great place it 
was for one lonely little dame like Mrs。 Fairfax to inhabit; when that 
lady appeared at the door。 
   'What! out already?' said she。 'I see you are an early riser。' I 
went up to her; and was received with an affable kiss and shake of the 
hand。 
   'How do you like Thornfield?' she asked。 I told her I liked it very 
much。 
   'Yes;' she said; 'it is a pretty place; but I fear it will be 
getting out of order; unless Mr。 Rochester should take it into his 
head to come and reside here permanently; or; at least; visit it 
rather oftener: great houses and fine grounds require the presence 
of the proprietor。' 
   'Mr。 Rochester!' I exclaimed。 'Who is he?' 
   'The owner of Thornfield;' she responded quietly。 'Did you not know 
he was called Rochester?' 
   Of course I did not… I had never heard of him before; but the old 
lady seemed to regard his existence as a universally understood 
fact; with which everybody must be acquainted by instinct。 
   'I thought;' I continued; 'Thornfield belonged to you。' 
   'To me? Bless you; child; what an idea! To me! I am only the 
housekeeper… the manager。 To be sure I am distantly related to the 
Rochesters by the mother's side; or at least my husband was; he was 
a clergyman; incumbent of Hay… that little village yonder on the hill… 
and that church near the gates was his。 The present Mr。 Rochester's 
mother was a Fairfax; second cousin to my husband: but I never presume 
on the connection… in fact; it is nothing to me; I consider myself 
quite in the light of an ordinary housekeeper: my employer is always 
civil; and I expect nothing more。' 
   'And the little girl… my pupil!' 
   'She is Mr。 Rochester's ward; he commissioned me to find a 
believe。 Here she comes; with her 〃bonne;〃 as she calls her nurse。' 
The enigma then was explained: this affable and kind little widow 
was no great dame; but a dependant like myself。 I did not like her the 
worse for that; on the contrary; I felt better pleased than ever。 
The equality between her and me was real; not the mere result of 
condescension on her part: so much the better… my position was all the 
freer。 
   As I was meditating on this discovery; a little girl; followed by 
her attendant; came running up the lawn。 I looked at my pupil; who did 
not at first appear to notice me: she was quite a child; perhaps seven 
or eight years old; slightly built; with a pale; small…featured 
face; and a redundancy of hair falling in curls to her waist。 
   'Good morning; Miss Adela;' said Mrs。 Fairfax。 'Come and speak to 
the lady who is to teach you; and to make you a clever woman some 
day。' She approached。 
   'C'est la ma gouvernante!' said she; pointing to me; and addressing 
her nurse; who answered… 
   'Mais oui; certainement。' 
   'Are they foreigners?' I inquired; amazed at hearing the French 
language。 
   'The nurse is a foreigner; and Adela was born on the Continent; 
and; I believe; never left it till within six months ago。 When she 
first came here she could speak no English; now she can make shift 
to talk it a little: I don't understand her; she mixes it so with 
French; but you will make out her meaning very well; I daresay。' 
   Fortunately I had had the advantage of being taught French by a 
French lady; and as I had always made a point of conversing with 
Madame Pierrot as often as I could; and had besides; during the last 
seven years; learnt a portion of French by heart daily… applying 
myself to take pains with my accent; and imitating as closely as 
possible the pronunciation of my teacher; I had acquired a certain 
degree of readiness and correctness in the language; and was not 
likely to be much at a loss with Mademoiselle Adela。 She came and 
shook hands with me when she heard that I was her governess; and as 
I led her in to breakfast; I addressed some phrases to her in her 
own tongue: she replied briefly at first; but after we were seated 
at the table; and she had examined me some ten minutes with her 
large hazel eyes; she suddenly commenced chattering fluently。 
   'Ah!' cried she; in French; 'you speak my language as well as Mr。 
Rochester does: I can talk to you as I can to him; and so can 
Sophie。 She will be glad: nobody here understands her: Madame 
Fairfax is all English。 Sophie is my nurse; she came with me over 
the sea in a great ship with a chimney that smoked… how it did smoke!… 
and I was sick; and so was Sophie; and so was Mr。 Rochester。 Mr。 
Rochester lay down on a sofa in a pretty room called the salon; and 
Sophie and I had little beds in another place。 I nearly fell out of 
mine; it was like a shelf。 And Mademoiselle… what is your name?' 
   'Eyre… Jane Eyre。' 
   'Aire? Bah! I cannot say it。 Well; our ship stopped in the morning; 
before it was quite daylight; at a great city… a huge city; with 
very dark houses and all smoky; not at all like the pretty clean 
town I came from; and Mr。 Rochester carried me in his arms over a 
plank to the land; and Sophie came after; and we all got into a coach; 
which took us to a beautiful large house; larger than this and 
finer; called an hotel。 We stayed there nearly a week: I and Sophie 
used to walk every day in a great green place full of trees; called 
the Park; and there were many children there besides me; and a pond 
with beautiful birds in it; that I fed with crumbs。' 
   'Can you understand her when she runs on so fast?' asked Mrs。 
Fairfax。 
   I understood her very well; for I had been accustomed to the fluent 
tongue of Madame Pierrot。 
   'I wish;' continued the good lady; 'you would ask her a question or 
two about her parents: I wonder if she remembers them?' 
   'Adele;' I inquired; 'with whom did you live when you were in 
that pretty clean town you spoke of?' 
   'I lived long ago with mama; but she is gone to the Holy Virgin。 
Mama used to teach me to dance and sing; and to say verses。 A great 
many gentlemen and ladies came to see mama; and I used to dance before 
them; or to sit on their knees and sing to them: I liked it。 Shall I 
let you hear me sing now?' 
   She had finished her breakfast; so I permitted her to give a 
specimen of her accomplishments。 Descending from her chair; she came 
and placed herself on my knee; then; folding her little hands demurely 
before her; shaking back her curls and lifting her eyes to the 
ceiling; she commenced singing a song from some opera。 It was the 
strain of a forsaken lady; who; after bewailing the perfidy of her 
lover; calls pride to her aid; desires her attendant to deck her in 
her brightest jewels and richest robes; and resolves to meet the false 
one that night at a ball; and prove to him; by the gaiety of her 
demeanour; how little his desertion has affected her。 
   The subject seemed strangely chosen for an infant singer; but I 
suppose the point of the exhibition lay in hearing the notes of love 
and jealousy warbled with the lisp of childhood; and in very bad taste 
that point was: at least I thought so。 
   Adele sang the canzonette tunefully enough; and with the naivete of 
her age。 This achieved; she jumped from my knee and said; 'Now; 
Mademoiselle; I will repeat you some poetry。' 
   Assuming an attitude; she began 'La Ligue des Rats: fable de La 
Fontaine。' She then declaimed the little piece with an attention to 
punctuation and emphasis; a flexibility of voice and an 
appropriateness of gesture; very unusual indeed at her age; and 
which proved she had been carefully trained。 
   'Was it your mama who taught you that piece?' I asked。 
   'Yes; and she just used to say it in this way: 〃Qu'avez vous 
donc? lui dit un de ces rats; parlez!〃 She made me lift my hand… so… 
to remind me to raise my voice at the question。 Now shall I danc

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