CHAPTER ONE The Fight
We couldn’t go outside at all on that cold, rainy afternoon. The rain was pouring down, and the wind was blowing hard. I didn't care and I was happy to stay indoors. Trying to take long walks in the winter was terrible! It was supposed to be healthy for our bodies. But I hated coming home in the dark with my feet and hands as cold as ice. And I was always unhappy because Bessie, one of the servants, was always scolding me. I had always known that I was different from my cousins, John, Eliza, and Georgiana Reed. They were prettier and taller than I, and everyone loved them.
These three children were not very nice to other people or to each other. Usually they spent their time fighting and crying with each other. However, today they were with their mother in the sitting room, sitting quietly and talking in front of the warm fire. I wanted to join them, but Mrs. Reed. My aunt, said I could not. She was angry with me because Bessie had told her I was being troublesome.
“No, I’m sorry, Jane,” she said, looking at me as if I was a rat on the floor. “Until I know that you are really trying to be good and quiet, I will not treat you like one of my children. They are good!” “What did Bessie tell you? What have I done?” I asked.
“Jane Eyre, do not ask me any more questions. You must do what you are told. If you cannot speak nicely and obey me. Then be quiet!”
After she left me I went into the little room next door. I got a picture book from the shelf and climbed on to the window seat, closing the curtains around me. Now no one could find me. I stared out the window at the cold, gray November day. The rain fell hard on the garden, which had no leaves or flowers. Then I looked at the picture book. I was inside a world of imagination. For a while, I forgot my sad, lonely life and felt a little happier. I was only afraid that the Reed children might find me. Because they were cruel to me, I tried to talk to them as little as I could.
Suddenly the door opened. John Reed ran in.
“where are you, your little rat?” he said. He did not see my hiding place. “Eliza! Georgy! Jane is not here! Tell Mamma she’s gone outside—what a bad girl she is!”
“How lucky I drew the curtain!” I thought. I knew he would never find me, because he was very stupid. But his sister Eliza was not stupid, and she knew exactly where I was.
“She’s in the window seat, John!” she said, immediately I came out, because I didn't want them to be angry with me, "what do you want?" I asked him.
“Say, what you would like master Reed?” he said, sitting in a comfortable chair. “I want you to come here.”
John Reed was fourteen, and I was only ten. He was large, ugly, and fat. He often ate too much at meals, which made him look like a pig. Usually he was away at school, but his mother had made him come home for a while, because she thought his health was not good. He did not have anything to do but fight with his sisters, get into trouble with Bessie, and treat me badly.
John did not love his mother or his sisters, and he hated me. He was always cruel to me. Sometimes he hit me, and sometimes he just threatened me. But I was always afraid when he was near. I did not know how to make him treat me well. The servants did not want to make him angry, so they did whatever he wanted. Mrs. Reed, his mother, loved him too much and thought he never did anything wrong.
While I walked over to John I thought about how ugly he was, I think he knew what I was thinking, because he suddenly hit me hard on the face.
“That is for your rudeness to Mamma just now,” he said, “and for hiding, and for looking at me like that, you dirty little rat!” I was too afraid of John to hit him back.
“Now, what were you doing behind that curtain?” he asked.
“I was reading,” I answered softly.
“Give me the book.” I gave it to him.
“You can’t touch these books!” he said. “You have no money, because your father gave you nothing when he died. You’re nothing but a poor street rat. You ought to beg in the city, not live here with a gentleman’s family. Anyway, all these books are mine, and so is the whole house! I’ll teach you not to touch my things again!” before I could run away, he lifted the heavy book and threw it hard at me.
It hit me and I fell, cutting my head on the door, I was in great pain, and suddenly for the first time in my life, I was so angry that forgot my fear of John Reed.
“You awful, cruel boy!” I shouted at him. ”Why did you hit me? I haven’t done anything to you. You don’t even read those books, anyway. You are nothing but a stupid pig! You are as bad as a murderer!”
“What! What!” he screamed. “How dare you say these things to me? Do you hear this, sisters? I’ll tell Mamma, but first…”
He ran to attack me, but now he was fighting with an angry girl. In those moments I really thought he was as bad as a murderer. I felt the blood running down my face, and the pain gave me strength. I fought him as hard as I could, kicking and biting. My strength surprised him, and he shouted for help. His sisters ran and told their mother. She called Bessie and Miss Abbott, her maid. They pulled us apart and I heard them say, “what a wild little animal! She attacked Master John!”
Mrs. Reed said calmly, “Take her away to the red room and lock her in there.” And so they took me upstairs.
As soon as we arrived in the red room, I became quiet again. I knew that it was a mistake to fight John. The servants looked at angrily.
“Really, Miss Eyre,” said Bessie, “how could you hit him? He ‘s your young master!”
“Why is he my master? I am not a servant!” I cried.
“No, Miss Eyre, you are not a servant. But you are less than one, because you do not work here,” said Miss Abbott. They looked at me firmly.
“You must remember, Miss Jane,” said Bessie, ”your aunt pays for your food and clothes, and you should be grateful to her. You have no other family.”
All my life people had told me this, and I could say nothing. I stayed quiet, listening to these painful words.
“And if you are angry and rude, Mrs. Reed may send you away,” said Bessie.
Miss Abbott said, “God will punish you, Jane Eyre, if you’re not careful. Pray to God, and say you’re sorry!” they left the room and locked the door behind them.
The red room was a cold, silent room. It was the largest bedroom in the house, but no one slept in it .Nine years ago my uncle, Mr. Reed, had died in this room. Since then no one wanted to go into the room.
Now that I was alone I thought about the terrible people I lived with. John Reed, his sister, his mother, the servants, they all scolded and hated me. Why could I never please them? Eliza was selfish, but it did not matter. Georgiana had a bad temper, but everyone loved her because she was beautiful. John was ugly, cruel and violent, but nobody punished him. I tried to be good and make no mistakes, but they called me bad every day. Now that I had fought John to protect myself, everyone blamed me.
I spent the rest of the day in the red room asking myself why I had to suffer and why life was so unfair. “Perhaps I should run away, or starve myself to death,” I thought sadly.
Soon it was dark outside. It was raining, and I could hear the wind in the trees. It sounded like ghosts crying. I was no longer angry, and I began to think the Reeds might be right. Perhaps I was really bad inside. Did I deserve to die like my uncle Reed? I did not remember him. Just before he died, he had made my Aunt Reed promise to care for me like their own children. Now she probably wished she had never made that promise to him!
As I sat there in the dark, I began to think strange things. If Mr. Reed had lived, maybe he would have been nice to me. As I looked around the dark, quiet room, I was afraid that Mr. Reed’s ghost might come back. What if he was angry with his wife for treating me badly? He might rise from his grave, and appear in this room! I was so scared by this thought that I could not breathe. Suddenly I saw a light moving on the ceiling. It was probably from a lamp outside, but I was so afraid that I did not think clearly. I thought it must be a ghost, an angry ghost from the land of the dead! My heart beat fast. Was that something moving near me? Screaming loudly, I ran to the door and hit it with my fists. I wanted to break it open and run far away from that cold, dark room. Soon Miss Abbott and Bessie came running to open it.
“Miss Eyre, what is wrong? Are you ill?” asked Bessie.
“Please! Please! Let met leave this room. I screamed
"Why ? What happened?" she asked.
"I saw a strange light in the room , I know it was a ghost,” I cried, holding tightly onto Bessie.
“There’s nothing wrong with her!” said Miss Abbott. “She screamed just to make us come. I know all her little tricks!”
I heard footsteps in the hall. “What is all that noise?” said an angry voice. Mrs. Reed came in. “Abbott and Bessie, I told you to leave Jane Eyre in this room until I said she could leave!”
“She screamed so loudly, Mrs. Reed,” said Bessie softly.
“Let go of her, Bessie,” Mrs. Reed said. “Jane Eyre, you will not leave this room until I say you can. Your tricks don’t work with me! Now, you will stay here one hour more!”
“Oh Aunt, forgive me! I shall die if you keep me here…” I screamed and kicked as she held me.
“Be quiet!” she pushed me back into the red room and locked the door. There I was in the darkness again, with the ghosts and the silence. I screamed until I must have fainted, because I do not remember anything more. |