The diamond drill., 1920-12-25


er. who had desired him To marry
fortune. He invited the clergyman. the
lawyer. and Mr.. Mason 10 come up 10
Thornheld and see what sort OF a be-
ing he had been cheated into espous-
Ing. and Judge whether or not he had
right TO break the compact.
Az Thornfield he took them 10 the
third story. In room without win
dow, there burnt fire. guarded by n
high and strong fender. and lamp
suspended from the ceiling by chain.
A trusty maid servant bent over the
fire, apparently cooking something. In
the deep shade. at the further end OF
the room. figure ran backwards and
forwards. What II was. mt first sight,
one could not tell: II grovelled, seem
ingly. on all fours; IL snatched and
growled like some strange wild ami
NAL; hut IL was covered with clothing I;
and n quantity OF dark. grizzled hair.
wild as n name, hid It's head and face.
"That is my wife," said Mr.. Roches-
ter.
Then all withdrew.
That night Jane stole away from
Thornfield. The few shilllngs that she
possessed she gave to the driver of the
first coach she saw 20 take her as far
as he would for the money. Thirty
SIX hours later he let her of at n
crossroads In the moorlands. Into the
heather she walked. That night she
ate bilberrles. and slept under crag.
Two days later, famished and
drenched she was taken into Marsh
End. the house of Rev. st. John Rivers,
young and ambitious clergyman I'm
the neighborlng village OF Morton. His
two sisters Mary and Diana, were
more than kind TO Jane. They were
soon TO return 10 their work ms gov
ernesses I'm n large south-of England
city.
st. John secured employment for
Jane as mistress OF the new girls
school In Morton. His plan was TO be-
come missionary I'm India. He asked
Jane 10 become his wife and 90 with
him. But something kept her from
consentlng: he did not really love her I;
he felt the call to missionary work. but
she did not.
Then he discovered for her that her
uncle had died, leaving her 100000.
This was confirmed by Mr.. Briggs, the
solicitor In London. She discovered.
too, that the mother of ST. John and
Mary and Diana had been her fathers
sister, so that they too should have
been heirs to her uncle In Madeira. She
insisted on n division OF the legacy
with them.
One night st. John was pressing her
for her final decision. The one candle
was dying out: the room was full OF
moonlight. She heard voice from
somewhere cry
"Janel Janel Jane"
Next day she was on her way TO
Thornneld. In thlrty-sIx hours she ar-
rived at "rhe Rochester Arms" two
miles away. With much mIsgivlng she
walked up TO Thornheld-to find only
blackened ruin.
Back at the Inn she learned that
Thornfeld Hall had burned down about
harvest time In the previous year The
fire had broken out In the dead OF
night. Mr.. Rochester had tried 20 res
cue his wife. She had climbed onto
the roof. where she had stood. waving
her arms. and shouting out till they
could hear her mile OFF Mr.. Roches-
ter had ascended through the skyllght.
The crowd had heard him call. "Ber-
tina - They had seen him approach
her and then she had yelled. and Civ
en- spring and the next minute she
had lain dead on the pavement.
Mr.. Rochester had been taken from
the ruins, alive, hut sadly hurt; one
eye had been Knocked out. and one
hand so crushed that the surgeon had
had 10 amputnte IL directly. The other
eye infamed; he lost the sight OF that
also. e.alsssrrg-,7S','' r III
He was now at Ferndean. n manor
house on a farm he had, about thirty
miles OFF; quite desolate spot. There
Jane found him. sad. helpless and Grip
pied. She married him. Eventually
the sight returned 20 his eye so that
when his first-born was Bput into his
arms he could see that the boy had
Inherited his own eyes. as they once
were-large. brilliant and black. on
that occasion. with a full henrt, he
acknowledged that God had tempered
Judgment With mercy.
Diana and Mary Rivers were both
married soon after. and alternately.
once year, came TO visit Jane and
Mr. Rochester. ST. John Rivers left
for India. 10 labor until called NJ length
into the Joy Of his Lord
Copyright. 1919 by ~, Post Publishing CO.
Crhe Boston PosD.
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