CHAPTER SIX Life at Lowood Continues
As spring came and the days grew warmer, life at Lowood no longer seemed so hard. We enjoyed walking and playing outside, under a blue sky. But the warm weather also brought sickness to our area. By May, more than half the girls were seriously ill. Because of the poor food and bad living conditions, many girls died.
There was fear and death inside the school, but outside the sun shone on the flowers and on the little streams of water flowing through the valleys. Fortunately, a few of the girls and I did not get sick. We enjoyed the beautiful summer weather, with no lessons or rules to follow at all!
Sadly, Helen Burns could not come outside with me, because she had tuberculosis . when I learned how sick she was, I decided to visit her. I found her lying in bed, looking pale and weak.
“You have come to say goodbye,” she whispered, coughing. “You are just in time. I ‘m going soon.”
“Where, Helen? Are you gong home?” I asked.
“Yes, to my long home--- my last home.”
“No, no, Helen!” I was crying at the thought of losing her.
“Jane, your feet are cold. Lie down with me and cover them with my blanket.” I did so.
“Don’t worry about me, Jane. I am happy,” she continued. “Please don’t cry. If I die young, I won’t suffer. I am going to Heaven.”
“Is Heaven a real place?” I asked.
“Yes, Jane , I’m sure of it. Our souls go there when we die,” she answered firmly.
“Will I see you again. Helen, when I die?”
“Yes, you will go to heaven too, Jane.”
I could not quite believe that Heaven existed, and I held tightly to Helen. I did not want to let her go; I was afraid that she would die that minute. We kissed goodnight and fell asleep. In the morning Miss Temple found me asleep with Helen Burns dead in my arms. She was buried in a pretty place near a church.
Gradually the sickness left Lowood. I soon discovered that often, there were good sides to all the sad troubles in life. Because so many girls had died, other people learned of the terrible conditions at the school. Immediately, money was raised to build a new school in a better place, and many improvements were made. We had warm clothes, softer beds, and good food to eat. The best part was, Mr. Brocklehurst left the school! So Lowood became a truly good place for a girl to get an education. I stayed for eight years, and for the last two years I was a teacher. All that time I was happy, and my dear friend Miss Temple helped me greatly.
But when Miss Temple married and moved away, I decided it was time to change my life too. I had been at Lowood for many years, and I wanted to find new activities. I decided to find a job as a governess. Soon I received an answer from a woman named Mrs. Fairfax. She wanted a governess for a little girl about eight years old. The school gave me permission to go, so I accepted the job. Soon, I thought, I would have a new life. What would it be like? |