"Shall I have the pleasure of seeing Miss Fairfax to-night?" I

asked, when I had partaken of what she offered me.

"What did you say, my dear? I am a little deaf," returned the good

lady, approaching her ear to my mouth.

I repeated the question more distinctly.

"Miss Fairfax? Oh, you mean Miss Varens! Varens is the name of

your future pupil."

"Indeed! Then she is not your daughter?"

"No,--I have no family."

I should have followed up my first inquiry, by asking in what way

Miss Varens was connected with her; but I recollected it was not

polite to ask too many questions: besides, I was sure to hear in

time.

"I am so glad," she continued, as she sat down opposite to me, and

took the cat on her knee; "I am so glad you are come; it will be

quite pleasant living here now with a companion. To be sure it is

pleasant at any time; for Thornfield is a fine old hall, rather

neglected of late years perhaps, but still it is a respectable

place; yet you know in winter-time one feels dreary quite alone in

the best quarters. I say alone--Leah is a nice girl to be sure, and

John and his wife are very decent people; but then you see they are

only servants, and one can't converse with them on terms of

equality: one must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing

one's authority. I'm sure last winter (it was a very severe one, if

you recollect, and when it did not snow, it rained and blew), not a

creature but the butcher and postman came to the house, from

November till February; and I really got quite melancholy with

sitting night after night alone; I had Leah in to read to me

sometimes; but I don't think the poor girl liked the task much: she

felt it confining. In spring and summer one got on better:

sunshine and long days make such a difference; and then, just at the

commencement of this autumn, little Adela Varens came and her nurse:

a child makes a house alive all at once; and now you are here I

shall be quite gay."

My heart really warmed to the worthy lady as I heard her talk; and I

drew my chair a little nearer to her, and expressed my sincere wish

that she might find my company as agreeable as she anticipated.

"But I'll not keep you sitting up late to-night," said she; "it is

on the stroke of twelve now, and you have been travelling all day:

you must feel tired. If you have got your feet well warmed, I'll

show you your bedroom. I've had the room next to mine prepared for

you; it is only a small apartment, but I thought you would like it

better than one of the large front chambers: to be sure they have

finer furniture, but they are so dreary and solitary, I never sleep

in them myself."




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