"I believe she thought I had forgotten my station, and yours, sir."

"Station! station!--your station is in my heart, and on the necks of

those who would insult you, now or hereafter.--Go."

I was soon dressed; and when I heard Mr. Rochester quit Mrs.

Fairfax's parlour, I hurried down to it. The old lady, had been

reading her morning portion of Scripture--the Lesson for the day;

her Bible lay open before her, and her spectacles were upon it. Her

occupation, suspended by Mr. Rochester's announcement, seemed now

forgotten: her eyes, fixed on the blank wall opposite, expressed

the surprise of a quiet mind stirred by unwonted tidings. Seeing

me, she roused herself: she made a sort of effort to smile, and

framed a few words of congratulation; but the smile expired, and the

sentence was abandoned unfinished. She put up her spectacles, shut

the Bible, and pushed her chair back from the table.

"I feel so astonished," she began, "I hardly know what to say to

you, Miss Eyre. I have surely not been dreaming, have I? Sometimes

I half fall asleep when I am sitting alone and fancy things that

have never happened. It has seemed to me more than once when I have

been in a doze, that my dear husband, who died fifteen years since,

has come in and sat down beside me; and that I have even heard him

call me by my name, Alice, as he used to do. Now, can you tell me

whether it is actually true that Mr. Rochester has asked you to

marry him? Don't laugh at me. But I really thought he came in here

five minutes ago, and said that in a month you would be his wife."

"He has said the same thing to me," I replied.

"He has! Do you believe him? Have you accepted him?"

"Yes."

She looked at me bewildered. "I could never have thought it. He is

a proud man: all the Rochesters were proud: and his father, at

least, liked money. He, too, has always been called careful. He

means to marry you?"

"He tells me so."

She surveyed my whole person: in her eyes I read that they had

there found no charm powerful enough to solve the enigma.

"It passes me!" she continued; "but no doubt, it is true since you

say so. How it will answer, I cannot tell: I really don't know.

Equality of position and fortune is often advisable in such cases;

and there are twenty years of difference in your ages. He might

almost be your father."




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