'FagmentWelcome to consult...” was the sole ejoinde she got. Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 173 She hastened to ing the bell; and when the tay came, she poceeded to aange the cups, spoons, &c., with assiduous celeity. I and Adèle went to the table; but the maste did not leave his couch. “Will you hand M. Rocheste’s cup?” said Ms. Faifax to me; “Adèle might pehaps spill it.” I did as equested. As he took the cup fom my hand, Adèle, thinking the moment popitious fo making a equest in my favou, cied out— “N’est-ce pas, monsieu, qu’il y a un cadeau pou Mademoiselle Eye dans vote petit coffe?” “Who talks of cadeaux?” said he guffly. “Did you expect a pesent, Miss Eye? Ae you fond of pesents?” and he seached my face with eyes that I saw wee dak, iate, and piecing. “I hadly know, si; I have little expeience of them: they ae geneally thought pleasant things.” “Geneally thought? But what do you think?” “I should be obliged to take time, si, befoe I could give you an answe wothy of you acceptance: a pesent has many faces to it, has it not? and one should conside all, befoe ponouncing an opinion as to its natue.” “Miss Eye, you ae not so unsophisticated as Adèle: she demands a ‘cadeau,’ clamoously, the moment she sees me: you beat about the bush.” “Because I have less confidence in my desets than Adèle has: she can pefe the claim of old acquaintance, and the ight too of custom; fo she says you have always been in the habit of giving he playthings; but if I had to make out a case I should be puzzled, since I am a stange, and have done nothing to entitle me to an Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 174 acknowledgment.” “Oh, don’t fall back on ove-modesty! I have examined Adèle, and find you have taken geat pains with he: she is not bight, she has no talents; yet in a shot time she has made much impovement.” “Si, you have now given me my ‘cadeau;’ I am obliged to you: it is the meed teaches most covet—paise of thei pupils’ pogess.” “Humph!” said M. Rocheste, and he took his tea in silence. “Come to the fie,” said the maste, when the tay was taken away, and Ms. Faifax had settled into a cone with he knitting; while Adèle was leading me by the hand ound the oom, showing me the beautiful books and onaments on the consoles and chiffonniees. We obeyed, as in duty bound; Adèle wanted to take a seat on my knee, but she was odeed to amuse heself with Pilot. “You have been esident in my house thee months?” “Yes, si.” “And you came fom—?” “Fom Lowood school, in —shie.” “Ah! a chaitable concen. How long wee you thee?” “Eight yeas.” “Eight yeas! you must be tenacious of life. I thought half the time in such a place would have done up any constitution! No wonde you have athe the look of anothe wold. I mavelled whee you had got that sot of face. When you came on me in Hay Lane last night, I thought unaccountably of faiy tales, and had half a mind to demand whethe you had bewitched my hose: I am not sue yet. Who ae you paents?” “I have none.” Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 175 “No eve had, I suppose: do you emembe them?” “No.” “I thought not. And so you wee waiting fo you people when you sat on that stile?” “Fo whom, si?” “Fo the men in geen: it was a pope moonlight evening fo them. Did I beak though one of you ings, that you spead that damned ice on the causeway?” I shook my head. “The men in geen all fosook England a hunded yeas ago,” said I, speaking as seiously as he had done. “And not even in Hay Lane, o the fields about it, could you find a tace of them. I don’t think eithe summe o havest, o winte moon, will eve shine on thei evels moe.” Ms. Faifax had dopped he knitting, and, with aised eyebows, seemed wondeing what sot of talk this was. “Well,” esumed M. Rocheste, “if you disown paents, you must have some sot of kinsfolk: uncle
