brilliant prelude; talking meantime. She appeared to be on her high
horse to-night; both her words and her air seemed intended to excite
not only the admiration, but the amazement of her auditors: she was
evidently bent on striking them as something very dashing and daring
indeed.
'Oh, I am so sick of the young men of the present day!' exclaimed
she, rattling away at the instrument. 'Poor, puny things, not fit to
stir a step beyond papa's park gates: nor to go even so far without
mama's permission and guardianship! Creatures so absorbed in care
about their pretty faces, and their white hands, and their small feet;
as if a man had anything to do with beauty! As if loveliness were
not the special prerogative of woman- her legitimate appanage and
heritage! I grant an ugly woman is a blot on the fair face of
creation; but as to the gentlemen, let them be solicitous to possess
only strength and valour: let their motto be:- Hunt, shoot, and fight:
the rest is not worth a fillip. Such should be my device, were I a
man.'
'Whenever I marry,' she continued after a pause which none
interrupted, 'I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a
foil to me. I will suffer no competitor near the throne; I shall exact
an undivided homage: his devotions shall not be shared between me
and the shape he sees in his mirror. Mr. Rochester, now sing, and I
will play for you.'
'I am all obedience,' was the response.
'Here then is a Corsair-song. Know that I doat on Corsairs; and for
that reason, sing it con spirito.'
'Commands from Miss Ingram's lips would put spirit into a mug of
milk and water.'
'Take care, then: if you don't please me, I will shame you by
showing how such things should be done.'
'That is offering a premium on incapacity: I shall now endeavour to
fail.'
'Gardez-vous en bien! If you err wilfully, I shall devise a
proportionate punishment.'
'Miss Ingram ought to be clement, for she has it in her power to
inflict a chastisement beyond mortal endurance.'
'Ha! explain!' commanded the lady.
'Pardon me, madam: no need of explanation; your own fine sense must
inform you that one of your frowns would be a sufficient substitute
for capital punishment.'
'Sing!' said she, and again touching the piano, she commenced an
accompaniment in spirited style.
'Now is my time to slip away,' thought I: but the tones that then
severed the air arrested me. Mrs. Fairfax had said Mr. Rochester
possessed a fine voice: he did- a mellow, powerful bass, into which he
threw his own feeling, his own force: finding a way through the ear to
the heart, and there waking sensation strangely. I waited till the
last deep and full vibration had expired- till the tide of talk,
checked an instant, had resumed its flow; I then quitted my
sheltered corner and made my exit by the side-door, which was
fortunately near. Thence a narrow passage led into the hall: in
crossing it, I perceived my sandal was loose; I stopped to tie it,
kneeling down for that purpose on the mat at the foot of the
staircase. I heard the dining-room door unclose; a gentleman came out;
rising hastily, I stood face to face with him: it was Mr. Rochester.
'How do you do?' he asked.
'I am very well, sir.'
'Why did you not come and speak to me in the room?'
I thought I might have retorted the question on him who put it: but
I would not take that freedom. I answered-
'I did not wish to disturb you, as you seemed engaged, sir.'
'What have you been doing during my absence?'
'Nothing particular; teaching Adele as usual.'
'And getting a good deal paler than you were- as I saw at first
sight. What is the matter?'
'Nothing at all, sir.'
'Did you take any cold that night you half drowned me?'
'Not the least.'
'Return to the drawing-room: you are deserting too early.'
'I am tired, sir.'
He looked at me for a minute.
'And a little depressed,' he said. 'What about? Tell me.'
'Nothing- nothing, sir. I am not depressed.'
'But I affirm that you are: so much depressed that a few more words
would bring tears to your eyes- indeed, they are there now, shining
and swimming; and a bead has slipped from the lash and fallen on to
the flag. If I had time, and was not in mortal dread of some prating
prig of a servant passing, I would know what all this means. Well,
to-night I excuse you; but understand that so long as my visitors
stay, I expect you to appear in the drawing-room every evening; it
is my wish; don't neglect it. Now go, and send Sophie for Adele.
Good-night, my-' He stopped, bit his lip, and abruptly left me.
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CHAPTER XVIII
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MERRY days were these at Thornfield Hall; and busy days too: how
different from the first three months of stillness, monotony, and
solitude I had passed beneath its roof! All sad feelings seemed now
driven from the house, all gloomy associations forgotten: there was
life everywhere, movement all day long. You could not now traverse the
gallery, once so hushed, nor enter the front chambers, once so
tenantless, without encountering a smart lady's-maid or a dandy valet.
The kitchen, the butler's pantry, the servants' hall, the
entrance hall, were equally alive; and the saloons were only left void
and still when the blue sky and halcyon sunshine of the genial
spring weather called their occupants out into the grounds. Even
when that weather was broken, and continuous rain set in for some
days, no damp seemed cast over enjoyment: indoor amusements only
became more lively and varied, in consequence of the stop put to
outdoor gaiety.
I wondered what they were going to do the first evening a change of
entertainment was proposed: they spoke of 'playing charades,' but in
my ignorance I did not understand the term. The servants were called
in, the dining-room tables wheeled away, the lights otherwise
disposed, the chairs placed in a semicircle opposite the arch. While
Mr. Rochester and the other gentlemen directed these alterations,
the ladies were running up and down stairs ringing for their maids.
Mrs. Fairfax was summoned to give information respecting the resources
of the house in shawls, dresses, draperies of any kind; and certain
wardrobes of the third storey were ransacked, and their contents, in
the shape of brocaded and hooped petticoats, satin sacques, black
modes, lace lappets, etc., were brought down in armfuls by the
abigails; then a selection was made, and such things as were chosen
were carried to the boudoir within the drawing-room.
Meantime, Mr. Rochester had again summoned the ladies round him,
and was selecting certain of their number to be of his party. 'Miss
Ingram is mine, of course,' said he: afterwards he named the two
Misses Eshton, and Mrs. Dent. He looked at me: I happened to be near
him, as I had been fastening the clasp of Mrs. Dent's bracelet,
which had got loose.
'Will you play?' he asked. I shook my head. He did not insist,
which I rather feared he would have done; he allowed me to return
quietly to my usual seat.
He and his aids now withdrew behind the curtain: the other party,
which was headed by Colonel Dent, sat down on the crescent of
chairs. One of the gentlemen, Mr. Eshton, observing me, seemed to
propose that I should be asked to join them; but Lady Ingram instantly
negatived the notion.
'No,' I heard her say: 'she looks too stupid for any game of the
sort.'
Ere long a bell tinkled, and the curtain drew up. Within the
arch, the bulky figure of Sir George Lynn, whom Mr. Rochester had
likewise chosen, was seen enveloped in a white sheet: before him, on a
table, lay open a large book; and at his side stood Amy Eshton, draped
in Mr. Rochester's cloak, and holding a book in her hand. Somebody,
unseen, rang the bell merrily; then Adele (who had insisted on being
one of her guardian's party), bounded forward, scattering round her
the contents of a basket of flowers she carried on her arm. Then
appeared the magnificent figure of Miss Ingram, clad in white, a
long veil on her head, and a wreath of roses round her brow; by her
side walked Mr. Rochester, and together they drew near the table. They
knelt; while Mrs. Dent and Louisa Eshton, dressed also in white,
took up their stations behind them. A ceremony followed, in dumb show,
in which it was easy to recognise the pantomime of a marriage. At
its termination, Colonel Dent, and his party consulted in whispers for
two minutes, then the Colonel called out-
'Bride!' Mr. Rochester bowed, and the curtain fell.
A considerable interval elapsed before it again rose. Its second
rising displayed a more elaborately prepared scene than the last.
The drawing-room, as I have before observed, was raised two steps
above the dining-room, and on the top of the upper step, placed a yard
or two back within the room, appeared a large marble basin, which I
recognised as an ornament of the conservatory- where it usually stood,
surrounded by exotics, and tenanted by gold fish- and whence it must
have been transported with some trouble, on account of its size and
weight.
Seated on the carpet, by the side of this basin, was seen Mr.
Rochester, costumed in shawls, with a turban on his head. His dark
eyes and swarthy skin and Paynim features suited the costume
exactly: he looked the very model of an Eastern emir, an agent or a
victim of the bowstring. Presently advanced into view Miss Ingram.
She, too, was attired in oriental fashion: a crimson scarf tied
sash-like round the waist; an embroidered handkerchief knotted about
her temples; her beautifully moulded arms bare, one of them upraised
in the act of supporting a pitcher, poised gracefully on her head.
Both her cast of form and feature, her complexion and her general air,
suggested the idea of some Israelitish princess of the patriarchal
days; and such was doubtless the character she intended to represent.
She approached the basin, and bent over it as if to fill her
pitcher; she again lifted it to her head. The personage on the
well-brink now seemed to accost her; to make some request:- 'She
hasted, let down her pitcher on her hand, and gave him to drink.' From
the bosom of his robe he then produced a casket, opened it and
showed magnificent bracelets and earrings; she acted astonishment
and admiration; kneeling, he laid the treasure at her feet;
incredulity and delight were expressed by her looks and gestures;
the stranger fastened the bracelets on her arms and the rings in her
ears. It was Eliezer and Rebecca: the camels only were wanting.
The divining party again laid their heads together: apparently they
could not agree about the word or syllable the scene illustrated.
Colonel Dent, their spokesman, demanded 'the tableau of the whole';
whereupon the curtain again descended.
On its third rising only a portion of the drawing-room was
disclosed; the rest being concealed by a screen, hung with some sort
of dark and coarse drapery. The marble basin was removed; in its place
stood a deal table and a kitchen chair: these objects were visible
by a very dim light proceeding from a horn lantern, the wax candles
being all extinguished.
Amidst this sordid scene, sat a man with his clenched hands resting
on his knees, and his eyes bent on the ground. I knew Mr. Rochester;
though the begrimed face, the disordered dress (his coat hanging loose
from one arm, as if it had been almost torn from his back in a
scuffle), the desperate and scowling countenance the rough,
bristling hair might well have disguised him. As he moved, a chain
clanked; to his wrists were attached fetters.
'Bridewell!' exclaimed Colonel Dent, and the charade was solved.
A sufficient interval having elapsed for the performers to resume
their ordinary costume, they re-entered the dining-room. Mr. Rochester
led in Miss Ingram; she was complimenting him on his acting.
'Do you know,' said she, 'that, of the three characters, I liked
you in the last best? Oh, had you but lived a few years earlier,
what a gallant gentleman-highwayman you would have made!'
'Is all the soot washed from my face?' he asked, turning it towards
her.
'Alas! yes: the more's the pity! Nothing could be more becoming
to your complexion than that ruffian's rouge.'
'You would like a hero of the road then?'
'An English hero of the road would be the next best thing to an
Italian bandit; and that could only be surpassed by a Levantine
pirate.'
'Well, whatever I am, remember you are my wife; we were married
an hour since, in the presence of all these witnesses.' She giggled,
and her colour rose.
'Now, Dent,' continued Mr. Rochester, 'it is your turn.' And as the
other party withdrew, he and his band took the vacated seats. Miss
Ingram placed herself at her leader's right hand; the other diviners
filled the chairs on each side of him and her. I did not now watch the
actors; I no longer waited with interest for the curtain to rise; my
attention was absorbed by the spectators; my eyes, erewhile fixed on
the arch, were now irresistibly attracted to the semicircle of chairs.
What charade Colonel Dent and his party played, what word they
