PART THREE - A YOUNG WOMAN AT THORNFIELD
CHAPTER EIGHT
Life with Mr. Rochester
"I'm sorry if I'm rude, Miss Eyre. But I'm twenty years older, and more experienced, than you. Don't you think I can tell you when to speak?"
"Well, no, sir, not just because you're older than me. But if you had learned from your experiences and were very wise, maybe you could [-----1-----] me then." I said.
"Well, Miss Eyre, I haven't learned anything, so I don't agree with you! But will you obey my orders anyway?"
"Sir, not many masters ask if their servants want to obey them," I said, smiling.
"Of course! I'd forgotten that I pay you money! So will you agree because of the money?"
"No, sir, not because of that, I will agree because I see that you care whether a servant of yours is comfortable or not."
"You are honest, and have feeling. There are not many girls like you.But perhaps I go too fast. Perhaps you have awful faults inside your head!"
"And perhaps you have too," I thought.
He seemed to know what I was thinking, because he said quickly, "Yes, you're right. I have plenty of faults. When I was young I made terrible mistakes, and I have never made everything right again. I could have been a very different person. I might have been as good as you. I am not a bad man, but I have done wrong. Why am I telling you all this? Because you're the kind of person people can really talk to. You listen and can give them hope."
"Do you think so, sir?"
"I do. You see, when my life was difficult, I became [-----2-----], and did some terrible things. Now all I can do is regret the past."
"Asking forgiveness might help you, sir."
"How do you know this, a young girl like you? You have never been out in the world, you have no experience in life. But you are right. I will try to lead a better life."
I stood up. The [-----3-----] was becoming very serious, and hard to understand.
"I must put Adele to bed now, sir," I said.
"Don't be afraid of me, Miss Eyre. I have already said that you are a very serious person. You don't laugh very much, perhaps because of your hard life at the Lowood School. But I know you have a strong mind, and in time you will learn to laugh and talk freely. You are like a bird in a cage. When you get out of the cage, you'll fly very high. Good night!"
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