The state herald., 1920-06-15

thy welded wifef" In the grny old
house Of God, n distinct md near voice
spoke In the silence Of the empty
church: g
"The marriage cannot 60 on: do
clare the existence Of nm impediment."
Asked by the clergyman for the
facts the speaker showed document
to prove that Mr.. Rochester had mar
ried Bertha Mason, fifteen years be-
fore, In Spanish Town, Jamaica; and
produced Mr.. Mason to witness that
the woman was alive and at Thorn
field.
Edward Rochester confessed hardly
and recklessly that he had married, as
the lawyer asserted; that his wife was
still living; and that he hnd kept her
secretly at Thornfield for years. She
was mad; and she came Of mad
family: idiots and manlncs for three
generations. He had been invelgled
Into the marriage by her family, with
the connlvance. of his father and broth
er, who had desired him TO marry
fortune. He invited the clergyman, the
lawyer, and Mr.. Mason to come up to
Thornfield and see what sort Of be-
ing he had been cheated into espous-
ing. and judge whether or not he had
n right to break the compact.
| At Thornfield he took them to the
third story. In room without win-
dow, there burnt fire, guarded by o
/ high and strong fender. and n 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, n figure rnn backwards and
forwards. What 1t was, at first sight.
one could not tell; It grOvelled, seeni-
ingly. on all fours; II snatched and
grOwled like some strange wild AMI
NAL but II was covered with clothing;
and quantity Of dark, grizzled hair,
wild ns name, hid Its head and face.
"That Is my WIFE" said Mr.. Roches.
ter.
Then all withdrew.
That night Jane stole away from
ThOrnfield. The few shililngs that she
possessed she gave to the driver of the
first coach she saw. to take her ms far
as he would for the money. Thirty
six hours later he let her on at
crossroads In the moornnds. Into the
heather she walked. That night she
ite bilberrles. and slep, under crag.
Two days later, famished and
irenched, she was taken into Marsh
End. the house OF Rev. ST. John Rivers,
n young and ambitious clergyman In
the nelghborlng village Of Morton. His
two sisters. Mary and Diam, were
more than kind 10 Jane. They were
soon TO return TO their work ms gov
ernesses In 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 in India. He asked
Jane tn becone MS wife and 70 with
him. But something kept her from
consentins: he did A6t really love her;
he felt the can to missionary WORK. but
she "a not.
Then he discovered fop ker that hefI
uncle Ind died. leaving her 10000. |
This wns confirmed BY NJ. Briggs. the
solicitor In London. She discovered. |
too, that the mother Of 81. John aud
Mary and Diana had been her fathers
sister. 70 that they toe should have
been heirs TO her uncle in Madeira. she
insisted on u division Of The legacy
with them.
One night 81. John was pressing her
for her final decision. TIE one candle
wns dying out: the room was full Of
moonlight. She heard voice from
somewhere cry
"Jnnel Jane! Janet"
Next day she wns on her way to
Thornheld. In thIrty-six hsnrs she ar
rived Mt 'The Rochester Arms" two
miles nway. With much misgiving she
walked uD 10 Thornnell-to And only
biackened ruin.
Back ut the INN shs learned that
Th0rnheld Hail had burned tl0wn about
harvest time In the previous year. The
fire had broken out In the dead Of
night. Mr.. Rochester had tried 10 res
cue his wife. She had climbed onto
Nus IV't. Wurte ube umu StONi, WuNiuk
her arms. and shouting out till they
could hear her mile on. Mr.. Roches-
ter had assembled through the skylIght.
The crowd had heard him cnli. "Ber.
thai" They had seen him approach
her; and then she Ind yelled. md CIV
On spring. md the next minute she
had lain dead on the pavement.
Mr.. Rochester had been tnken from
the ruins, nliye. but sadly hurt: one
eye Ind been knocked ont. nnd one
hnnd so crushed thnt the surgeon Ind
hnd TO nmputntc II directly. The other
eye innnmcd; he lost the sigh, OF that
also.
Tie was now nj Ferndcnn, n manor
house on q flrn he Ind about thirty
miles on quite n dcsolutc spot. There
Jane found him, sud. helpless md Grip.
pied. She married him Eventually
the sight returned TO his eye 40 that
when his flrrt-bOru wug nut Into his