t day commenced as before, getting up and dressing by rus; but to dispense er in tcaken place in t long, urned tents of to ice.
Before t ready to peris-time came at last, and t burnt; ty able, tity small. ion seemed! I wis had been doubled.
In tasks and occupations or of t Loo become an actor t first, being little accustomed to learn by , to me bot; t cask to task, too, beernoon, Miss Smit into my oget me to sit in a quiet corner of tions to t of t one class still stood round Miss Scatc, t of togetted ions of Miss Scatc ance of t t of t top of t for some error of pronunciation, or some inattention to stops, s to ttom. Even in t obscure position, Miss Scatcinued to make of constant notice: sinually addressing to he following:—
“Burns” (suc seems urn your toes out immediately.” “Burns, you poke your c unpleasantly; dra in.” “Burns, I insist on your attitude,” amp;c. amp;c.
A cer of tions about tonnage and poundage and s of to ansill, every little difficulty antly ance of t. I kept expecting t Miss Scatctention; but, instead of t, s—
“You dirty, disagreeable girl! you his morning!”
Burns made no ans I, “does s explain t ser was frozen?”
My attention o , salked to me from time to time, asking c, amp;c.; till s pursue my observations on Miss Scatcs. urned to my seat, t lady delivering an order of c; but Burns immediately left to t, returned in e, carrying in ied toget one end. tool sed to Miss Scatcful curtesy; tly, and being told, unloosed eacantly and sed on rokes a tear rose to Burns’ eye; and, acle iment of unavailing and impotent anger, not a feature of ered its ordinary expression.
“c you of your slatternly s: carry the rod away.”
Burns obeyed: I looked at ; s putting back o , and trace of a tear glistened on hin cheek.
t test fraction of t Lo of bread, t of coffee s five o’clock ality, if it satisfied raint of t s fires being alloo burn a little more brigo supply, in some measure, t yet introduced: ty.
On tcables and laug a companion, yet not feeling lonely: ; it sno, a drift tting my ear close to tinguisumult e moan of tside.
Probably, if I ely left a good s, t keenly ted tion; t ; turbed my peace! as it range excitement, and reckless and feveriso o deepen to darkness, and to rise to clamour.
Jumping over forms, and creeping under tables, I made my o one of t, abstracted from all round he embers.
“Is it still Rasselas?” I asked, coming behind her.
“Yes,” s finis.”
And in five minutes more s it up. I I, “I can per o talk.” I sat down by he floor.
“ is your name besides Burns?”
“helen.”
“Do you come a long way from here?”
“I come from a place farte on tland.”
“ill you ever go back?”
“I nobody can be sure of ture.”
“You must wiso leave Lowood?”
“No! o Loo get an education; and it il I tained t object.”
“But t teacco you?”
“Cruel? Not at all! Ss.”
“And if I rod, I s it from under her nose.”
“Probably you : but if you did, Mr. Brockle grief to your relations. It is far better to endure patiently a smart o commit a y action o all connected urn good for evil.”
“But t seems disgraceful to be flogged, and to be sent to stand in t girl: I am far younger t bear it.”
“Yet it y to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is o say you cannot bear is your fate to be required to bear.”
I comprerine of endurance; and still less could I understand or sympatiser. Still I felt t invisible to my eyes. I suspected s be rig I ponder tter deeply; like Felix, I put it off to a more convenient season.
“You say you s, are to me you seem very good.”
“t to judge by appearances: I am, as Miss Scatcternly; I seldom put, and never keep, t rules; I read bear to be subjected to systematic arrangements. to Miss Scatcurally neat, punctual, and particular.”
“And cross and cruel,” I added; but admit my addition: s silence.
“Is Miss temple as severe to you as Miss Scatcherd?”
At tterance of Miss temple’s name, a soft smile flitted over her grave face.
“Miss temple is full of goodness; it pains o be severe to any one, even t in tells me of tly; and, if I do anytrong proof of my cive nature is, t even ulations, so mild, so rational, influence to cure me of my faults; and even most stimulate me to continued care and foresight.”
“t is curious,” said I, “it is so easy to be careful.”
“For you I it is. I observed you in your class ttentive: your ts never seemed to inually rove ao Miss Scatcing all sy, often I lose to a sort of dream. Sometimes I t ttle brook o my turn to reply, I o be aening to the visionary brook, I have no answer ready.”
“Yet ernoon.”
“It ed me. ternoon, instead of dreaming of Deepden, I ly and unimes did; and I t y it , egrity and conscientiousness, ives of t been able to look to a distance, and see t of tending! Still, I like C y : t to shey kill him!”
alking to ten I could not very and I , or nearly so, of t so my level.
“And eacs hen?”
“No, certainly, not often; because Miss temple o say ion ses is often just w I wiso gain.”
“ell, temple you are good?”
“Yes, in a passive ; I folloion guides me. t in such goodness.”
“A great deal: you are good to to you. It is all I ever desire to be. If people to t, t all ter, but a reason, eacruck us never to do it again.”
“You a little untaught girl.”
“But I feel t dislike tever I do to please t in disliking me; I must resist tly. It is as natural as t I sion, or submit to punis w is deserved.”
“ribes doctrine, but Cians and civilised nations diso.”
“ understand.”
“It is not violence t best overcomes e—nor vengeance t most certainly heals injury.”
“ then?”
“Read testament, and observe w C says, and s; make your example.”
“ does he say?”
“Love your enemies; bless t curse you; do good to t e you and despitefully use you.”
“t do; I should bless her son John, which is impossible.”
In urn, o explain, and I proceeded forto pour out, in my oale of my sufferings and resentments. Bitter and truculent , reserve or softening.
iently to ted s shing.
“ell,” I asked impatiently, “is not Mrs. Reed a ed, bad woman?”
“So you, no doubt; because you see, s of cer, as Miss Scatc ely you remember all so you! a singularly deep impression ice seems to ! No ill-usage so brands its record on my feelings. ould you not be ried to forget y, togete emotions it excited? Life appears to me too s to be spent in nursing animosity or registering be, one and all, burdened s in t time , ting off our corruptible bodies; and t, pure as tor to inspire ture: urn; pero be communicated to some being o pass tions of glory, from to brigo t rary, be suffered to degenerate from man to fiend? No; I cannot believe t: I augion; but in o ends o all: it makes Eternity a rest—a mig a terror and an abyss. Besides, inguis , degradation never too deeply disgusts me, injustice never crusoo loo the end.”
tle loalk to me, but rato converse s. S alloation: a monitor, a great rougly came up, exclaiming in a strong Cumberland accent—
“ go and put your drae, I’ll tell Miss Scatco come and look at it!”
ting up, obeyed tor reply as delay.