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第1章 和智、茂的对战

　　Eliza and Georgiana, evidently acting according to orders, spoke tome as little as possible: John thrust his tongue in his cheek wheneverhe saw me, and once attempted chastisement; but as I instantlyturned against him, roused by the same sentiment of deep ire anddesperate revolt which had stirred my corruption before, he thought itbetter to desist, and ran from me uttering execrations, and vowing Ihad burst his nose. I had indeed levelled at that prominent feature ashard a blow as my knuckles could inflict; and when I saw that eitherthat or my look daunted him, I had the greatest inclination tofollow up my advantage to purpose; but he was already with his mama. Iheard him in a blubbering tone commence the tale of how 'that nastyJane Eyre' had flown at him like a mad cat: he was stopped ratherharshly-

　　At last both slept: the fire and the candle went out. For me, thewatches of that long night passed in ghastly wakefulness; ear, eye,and mind were alike strained by dread: such dread as children only canfeel.

　　'No, sir.'

　　'But you two are my visitors to-night; I must treat you as such.'She rang her bell.

　　The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in, I mightsay never, indeed, unless when a chance influx of visitors atGateshead Hall rendered it necessary to turn to account all theaccommodation it contained: yet it was one of the largest andstateliest chambers in the mansion. A bed supported on massive pillarsof mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask, stood out like atabernacle in the centre; the two large windows, with their blindsalways drawn down, were half shrouded in festoons and falls of similardrapery; the carpet was red; the table at the foot of the bed wascovered with a crimson cloth; the walls were a soft fawn colour with ablush of pink in it; the wardrobe, the toilet-table, the chairs wereof darkly polished old mahogany. Out of these deep surroundingshades rose high, and glared white, the piled-up mattresses andpillows of the bed, spread with a snowy Marseilles counterpane.Scarcely less prominent was an ample cushioned easy-chair near thehead of the bed, also white, with a footst

　　'What?' said Mrs. Reed under her breath: her usually coldcomposed grey eye became troubled with a look like fear; she tookher hand from my arm, and gazed at me as if she really did not knowwhether I were child or fiend. I was now in for it.

　　'Oh! I daresay she is crying because she could not go out withMissis in the carriage,' interposed Bessie.

　　'I came on purpose to find you, Jane Eyre,' said she; 'I want youin my room; and as Helen Burns is with you, she may come too.'

　　The garden was a wide enclosure, surrounded with walls so high asto exclude every glimpse of prospect; a covered verandah ran downone side, and broad walks bordered a middle space divided intoscores of little beds: these beds were assigned as gardens for thepupils to cultivate, and each bed had an owner. When full of flowersthey would doubtless look pretty; but now, at the latter end ofJanuary, all was wintry blight and brown decay. I shuddered as I stoodand looked round me: it was an inclement day for outdoor exercise; notpositively rainy, but darkened by a drizzling yellow fog; all underfoot was still soaking wet with the floods of yesterday. Thestronger among the girls ran about and engaged in active games, butsundry pale and thin ones herded together for shelter and warmth inthe verandah; and amongst these, as the dense mist penetrated to theirshivering frames, I heard frequently the sound of a hollow cough.