沙发TV官方官方版 'It is well I drew the curtain,' thought I; and I wishedfervently he might not discover my hiding-place: nor would John Reedhave found it out himself; he was not quick either of vision orconception; but Eliza just put her head in at the door, and said atonce-
In five minutes more the cloud of bewilderment dissolved: I knewquite well that I was in my own bed, and that the red glare was thenursery fire. It was night: a candle burnt on the table; Bessiestood at the bed-foot with a basin in her hand, and a gentleman sat ina chair near my pillow, leaning over me.沙发TV官方官方版 'I suppose, Miss Temple, the thread I bought at Lowton will do;it struck me that it would be just of the quality for the calicochemises, and I sorted the needles to match. You may tell Miss Smiththat I forgot to make a memorandum of the darning needles, but sheshall have some papers sent in next week; and she is not, on anyaccount, to give out more than one at a time to each pupil: if theyhave more, they are apt to be careless and lose them. And, O ma'am!I wish the woollen stockings were better looked to!- when I was herelast, I went into the kitchen-garden and examined the clothes dryingon the line; there was a quantity of black hose in a very bad state ofrepair: from the size of the holes in them I was sure they had notbeen well mended from time to time.'
'And what are the other teachers called?'
'What a beautiful room!' I exclaimed, as I looked round; for Ihad never before seen any half so imposing.
This scheme I went over twice, thrice; it was then digested in mymind; I had it in a clear practical form: I felt satisfied, and fellasleep.
'Oh, very well!' returned Miss Temple; 'we must make it do,Barbara, I suppose.' And as the girl withdrew she added, smiling,'Fortunately, I have it in my power to supply deficiencies for thisonce.'
I would fain exercise some better faculty than that of fiercespeaking; fain find nourishment for some less fiendish feeling thanthat of sombre indignation. I took a book- some Arabian tales; I satdown and endeavoured to read. I could make no sense of the subject; myown thoughts swam always between me and the page I had usually foundfascinating. I opened the glass-door in the breakfast-room: theshrubbery was quite still: the black frost reigned, unbroken by sun orbreeze, through the grounds. I covered my head and arms with the skirtof my frock, and went out to walk in a part of the plantation whichwas quite sequestered; but I found no pleasure in the silent trees,the falling fir-cones, the congealed relics of autumn, russetleaves, swept by past winds in heaps, and now stiffened together. Ileaned against a gate, and looked into an empty field where no sheepwere feeding, where the short grass was nipped and blanched. It wasa very grey day; a most opaque sky, 'onding on snaw,' canopied all;thence flakes fell at
'Boh! Madam Mope!' cried the voice of John Reed; then he paused: hefound the room apparently empty.
'Can you understand her when she runs on so fast?' asked Mrs.Fairfax.
I was a discord in Gateshead Hall: I was like nobody there; I hadnothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or her chosenvassalage. If they did not love me, in fact, as little did I lovethem. They were not bound to regard with affection a thing thatcould not sympathise with one amongst them; a heterogeneous thing,opposed to them in temperament, in capacity, in propensities; auseless thing, incapable of serving their interest, or adding to theirpleasure; a noxious thing, cherishing the germs of indignation attheir treatment, of contempt of their judgment. I know that had I beena sanguine, brilliant, careless, exacting, handsome, romping child-though equally dependent and friendless- Mrs. Reed would haveendured my presence more complacently; her children would haveentertained for me more of the cordiality of fellow-feeling; theservants would have been less prone to make me the scapegoat of thenursery.
'Et cela doit signifier,' said she, 'qu'il y aura la dedans uncadeau pour moi, et peut-etre pour vous aussi, mademoiselle.Monsieur a parle de vous: il m'a demande le nom de ma gouvernante,et si elle n'etait pas une petite personne, assez mince et un peupale. J'ai dit qu'oui: car c'est vrai, n'est-ce pas, mademoiselle?'
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