'FagmentWelcome to consult...ach othe’s society. This, pa paenthèse, will be thought cool language by pesons who entetain solemn doctines about the angelic natue of childen, and the duty of those chaged with thei education to conceive fo them an idolatous devotion: but I am not witing to flatte paental egotism, to echo cant, o pop up humbug; I am meely telling the tuth. I felt a conscientious solicitude fo Adèle’s welfae and pogess, and a quiet liking fo he little self: just as I Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 156 cheished towads Ms. Faifax a thankfulness fo he kindness, and a pleasue in he society popotionate to the tanquil egad she had fo me, and the modeation of he mind and chaacte. Anybody may blame me who likes, when I add futhe, that, now and then, when I took a walk by myself in the gounds; when I went down to the gates and looked though them along the oad; o when, while Adèle played with he nuse, and Ms. Faifax made jellies in the stoeoom, I climbed the thee staicases, aised the tap-doo of the attic, and having eached the leads, looked out afa ove sequesteed field and hill, and along dim sky-line—that then I longed fo a powe of vision which might ovepass that limit; which might each the busy wold, towns, egions full of life I had head of but neve seen—that then I desied moe of pactical expeience than I possessed; moe of intecouse with my kind, of acquaintance with vaiety of chaacte, than was hee within my each. I valued what was good in Ms. Faifax, and what was good in Adèle; but I believed in the existence of othe and moe vivid kinds of goodness, and what I believed in I wished to behold. Who blames me? Many, no doubt; and I shall be called discontented. I could not help it: the estlessness was in my natue; it agitated me to pain sometimes. Then my sole elief was to walk along the coido of the thid stoey, backwads and fowads, safe in the silence and solitude of the spot, and allow my mind’s eye to dwell on whateve bight visions ose befoe it—and, cetainly, they wee many and glowing; to let my heat be heaved by the exultant movement, which, while it swelled it in touble, expanded it with life; and, best of all, to open my inwad ea to a tale that was neve ended—a tale my imagination ceated, and Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 157 naated continuously; quickened with all of incident, life, fie, feeling, that I desied and had not in my actual existence. It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tanquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions ae condemned to a stille doom than mine, and millions ae in silent evolt against thei lot. Nobody knows how many ebellions besides political ebellions fement in the masses of life which people eath. Women ae supposed to be vey calm geneally: but women feel just as men feel; they need execise fo thei faculties, and a field fo thei effots, as much as thei bothes do; they suffe fom too igid a estaint, too absolute a stagnation, pecisely as men would suffe; and it is naow-minded in thei moe pivileged fellow-ceatues to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and emboideing bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, o laugh at them, if they seek to do moe o lean moe than custom has ponounced necessay fo thei sex. When thus alone, I not unfequently head Gace Poole’s laugh: the same peal, the same low, slow ha! ha! which, when fist head, had thilled me: I head, too, he eccentic mumus; stange than he laugh. Thee wee days when she was quite silent; but thee wee othes when I could not account fo the sounds she made. Sometimes I saw he: she would come out of he oom with a basin, o a plate, o a tay in he hand, go down to the kitchen and shotly etun, gene
