The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-28

owner of Thorntield with stiff, impatient bow which said plainly What the deuce is it to me if she is?'
 "Jane, who had been much embarrassed at first, now sat down quite at her ease. A reception of finished polteness would have confused her, but harsh caprice laid her under no obligations. It merely gave a piquancy to the situation, and she felt much interested to see how her em- ployer would go on. At first he did not
 go on at all. Finally. in response to the
 voluble condolences of Mrs. Fairfax, ne said sharply; Madam, 1 would like some tea"
 Little Adele asked him in her childish
 way if he had brought any presents for her "and Mile. Eyre"
 "Who talks of presents?' said MT. Rochester gruffly Did you expect presents?' and he searched lanes face
 with eyes that were dark, irate and piercing.
 T should be obliged to take time, sir replied Jane, before l could give you an answer worthy of your acceptance. a present has so many faces to it, has it not2"
 You are less frank than Adele" re- l piled MT Rochester. "She asked frankly 1 for her present; you beat about the bush. | Don't fall back on overmodesty," and i then Jane was subjected to a short, sharp 1 catechism as to who she was, where she | game from, her relatives and her accom- l plishments.
 MT. Rochester demanded to see some of I her drawings, and pronounced them good. | Then he told her to go into the next room ! and play on the piano. When she had
 played few minutes he called out:
 Enough You play like any other
 English schoolgirl; rather better per | haps, but not well.'
 D -to at field
 and at first Jane saw but little of him. l Then she began to see him daily He would send for her in the evening. and | always there was that same peculiar, ! abrupt manner that same frankness, all
 most brutal, on his part, and on the part | of Jane a careful selection of her an- l swers, though she sometimes almost flat
 ly contradicted him when his views did ] not agree with hers. It was soon evident | that he liked the society of Jane, and she l on her part was fascinated with the orig l inality of her employer.
 l One right, when they had sat for some | time before the fire in silence MT. Roch- 1 ester suddenly said: Miss Eyre, do you l think me handsome?'
 | No" replied Jane promptly. | By my word" rejoined the master of | Thornf1eld, there is something singular 1 about youl You sit there with the air of 1 nonnette-quiet grave, simple-and 1 when one asks you question or makes l a remark to which you object you rap | out an answer which, if not blunt, is at l least brusque What do you mean by it?'' Sir l was too plain. I beg your par l don." said Jane quietly. "I should have
 replied that 1t is not easy to give an inn | promptu answer to question of appear
 ances; that tastes differ; that beauty is | o1 little consequence"
 You ought to have done nothing of the l sort" retorted Rochester. Soon after he
 took an opportunity to tell Jane that she | was no more pretty than he was hand
 some" But they got on very well to- | gether, nevertheless, and talked there far
 into the night.
 Their daily conversations were all of
 this nature, and they seemed to enjoy
 them immensely. Unrealized by either of l them, these two strange people were | making love to each other in their l strange way.
 There was mystery about part of 1 MT. Rochesters past life; so much Jane | learned from Mrs. Fairfax by persistent l questioning after that gentleman's arr 1 rival at Thornfeld. All that Mrs. Fair ] fax knew about it was that early in his | career, as a young man. Rochester had | been wronged, as he thought, by some act | of HIS father and elder brother, both now l dead Rochester would often hint at some 1 wrong he had once suffered at the hands | of others.
 | Concerning that wild portion of his life ] which he had spent on the Continent, l Rochester was amazingly frank telling Jane all the details and giving names | am dates in a perfectly matter-of-fact l manner. Then he would ask the little | governess if she thought there was any 1 hope for him-if he could be reformed ] permanently and come. at last, to know | real happiness. To one of these outburst 1 of confidence Jane replied: Tt seems to ! me, sir, that if you tried hard you would, in time, find it possible to become what | you yourself would approve; and that if | from this day you begin with a resolu- tion to correct your thoughts and actions
 you would, in a few years, have laid up ] a new and stainless store of recollectons i to which you might revert with pleasure. :"
 These words of wisdom seemed to affect l deeply Rochester. He replied: Justly
 thought; rightly said. Certainly my as- l sociations and pursuits shall be other
 than they have been"
 One night Janee was awakened by q l smell of something burning. Hastily
 throwing on a wrap she went into the | hall and saw smoke coming from Mir 1 Rochesters room. Entering that room | she saw the owner of 'rhornfield sleeping | soundly with the bed curtains blazing | above him.
 Jane was a resolute young woman; she 1 did not shrek for help or even stop to
 
 aweken the sleeper. Instead. with the | water in the ewer on Rochester's dressing
 table. and with water which she quickly | procured from her own room. she extin- ! guished the blaze-naturally arousng MT q, Rochester in the process.
 When he learned what had happened,
 Rochester took candle and telling Jane 1 to stay where she was, went up into the third story. Presently he returned ''I have found it all out It is as l sus- | pected." he said
 How, sr?" asked Jane. Rochester | made no reply, but commanded that she
 mention the events of that night to none l and told her to go to bed.
 The next day Rochester went away for | fortnights visit to a country house in the neighborhood. When he returned he 1 brought with him a gay company of la
 dies and gentlemen and for a couple of
 weeks Thornfield Hall was the scene of
 bounteous hospitality and of many fes- tivites.
 Among the guests was a certain
 Blanche Ingram, the Dowager Lady In- | grams portionless daughter. Blanche was beauty of the naughty and com-