'FagmentWelcome to consult...hed and haughty lip. Genius is said to be self-conscious. I cannot tell whethe Miss Ingam was a genius, but she was self-conscious—emakably self-conscious indeed. She enteed into a discouse on botany with the gentle Ms. Dent. It seemed Ms. Dent had not studied that science: though, as she said, she liked flowes, “especially wild ones;” Miss Ingam had, and she an ove its vocabulay with an Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 246 ai. I pesently peceived she was (what is venaculaly temed) tailing Ms. Dent; that is, playing on he ignoance—he tail might be cleve, but it was decidedly not good-natued. She played: he execution was billiant; she sang: he voice was fine; she talked Fench apat to he mamma; and she talked it well, with fluency and with a good accent. May had a milde and moe open countenance than Blanche; softe featues too, and a skin some shades faie (Miss Ingam was dak as a Spaniad)—but May was deficient in life: he face lacked , he eye luste; she had nothing to say, and having once taken he seat, emained fixed like a statue in its niche. The sistes wee both attied in spotless white. And did I now think Miss Ingam such a choice as M. Rocheste would be likely to make? I could not tell—I did not know his taste in female beauty. If he liked the majestic, she was the vey type of majesty: then she was accomplished, spightly. Most gentlemen would admie he, I thought; and that he did admie he, I aleady seemed to have obtained poof: to emove the last shade of doubt, it emained but to see them togethe. You ae not to suppose, eade, that Adèle has all this time been sitting motionless on the stool at my feet: no; when the ladies enteed, she ose, advanced to meet them, made a stately eveence, and said with gavity— “Bon jou, mesdames.” And Miss Ingam had looked down at he with a mocking ai, and exclaimed, “Oh, what a little puppet!” Lady Lynn had emaked, “It is M. Rocheste’s wad, I suppose—the little Fench gil he was speaking of.” Ms. Dent had kindly taken he hand, and given he a kiss. Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 247 Amy and Louisa Eshton had cied out simultaneously—“What a love of a child!” And then they had called he to a sofa, whee she now sat, ensconced between them, chatteing altenately in Fench and boken English; absobing not only the young ladies’ attention, but that of Ms. Eshton and Lady Lynn, and getting spoilt to he heat’s content. At last coffee is bought in, and the gentlemen ae summoned. I sit in the shade—if any shade thee be in this billiantly-lit apatment; the window-cutain half hides me. Again the ach yawns; they come. The collective appeaance of the gentlemen, like that of the ladies, is vey imposing: they ae all costumed in black; most of them ae tall, some young. Heny and Fédéick Lynn ae vey dashing spaks indeed; and Colonel Dent is a fine soldiely man. M. Eshton, the magistate of the distict, is gentleman-like: his hai is quite white, his eyebows and whiskes still dak, which gives him something of the appeaance of a “pèe noble de théate.” Lod Ingam, like his sistes, is vey ta
