1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë audiobooks (1-11) + Summary 1/38 + film Level 3

Film Jane Eyre 1997

Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Brontë

Chapter 1 -  My Story Begins

In 1825, I was ten years old. My father and mother were dead.

I lived with my aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mr.’s Reed.

Their house was called Gates head Hall.

The house was in Yorkshire, in the north of England.

My Aunt and Uncle Reed had two children a boy, John, and a girl, Eliza.

I liked my Uncle Reed and he liked me. 

But in 1825, my uncle died. 

After that, I was very unhappy. My Aunt Reed did not like me.

And John and Eliza were unkind to me. It was a cold, rainy day in December. 

All of us were in the house. I wanted to be alone.
I wanted to read. I opened a book. Then I heard my Cousin John’s voice.
‘Jane! Jane Eyre! Where are you?’ John shouted. 

He came into the room and he saw me.
‘Why are you reading my book?’ he asked. ‘Give it to me!’
John took the book. He hit my head with it. I screamed. John hit me again.
I pulled his hair and I kicked him.
‘Help! Help, Mamma!’ John shouted. ‘Jane Eyre is hurting me!’
Aunt Reed ran into the room. She pulled me away from John.

 ‘John hit me with a book,’

I said. ‘I hate him. And I hate you too!’
‘You are a bad girl, Jane,’ my aunt said. ‘Why do you hate me?’
‘You don’t like me,’ I replied. ‘John and Eliza are unkind to me. 

I want to leave Gateshead Hall.’
‘You want to leave!’ Aunt Reed said. ‘Where will you go? 

Your parents are dead. You cannot live alone.’ Aunt Reed thought for a moment.
‘My friend, Mr. Brocklehurst, is the owner of a school,’ she said.
‘I will send you to Mr. Brocklehurst’s school.’

A few days later, Mr. Brocklehurst came to Gateshead Hall. 

He was a very tall man. His eyes were dark and his face was cruel.
‘Jane Eyre,’ he said to me. ‘God does not like bad children. 

God punishes bad children,Jane Eyre.’
‘God will punish John Reed,’ I replied. ‘John Reed hits me and he shouts at me.’
‘That is not true. You are a liar, Jane Eyre,’ Mr. Brocklehurst said. 

‘You must not tell lies.
And you must not live here with your cousins. You will come to Lowood School. 

You will become a good girl.’
‘I want to come to your school, sir,’ I said. ‘I want to leave this house.’
‘Bad girls are punished at my school, Jane Eyre,’ Mr. Brocklehurst said. 

‘The girls work very hard at Lowood.’
‘I will work hard. I will be a good pupil, Mr. Brocklehurst,’ I said.
Two weeks later, I left Gateshead Hall. I went to Lowood School.

Chapter 2 - Lowood School

It was the month of January. I arrived at Lowood School at night. 

A servant took me up some stairs and into a big bedroom. 

There were many beds in the room. The girls in the beds were asleep. 

The servant took me to an empty bed. I put on my nightclothes and I got into bed. 

Soon, I was asleep too.
I woke up very early. A loud bell was ringing. The bedroom was dark and cold. 

I watched the other girls. They washed in cold water and they dressed quickly.

There was a plain brown dress next to my bed. 

And there was a pair of ugly, heavy shoes. 

I washed quickly.Then I put on my new clothes.
I was very hungry. I followed the other girls down the stairs.

 We sat down at long tables in a large dining-room. Our food was terrible.
‘The food is bad again,’ one of the girls said.
‘Stand up!’ a teacher shouted. ‘Don’t talk!’
We stood up. We did not speak. 

We walked into a big schoolroom and we sat down.
There were about eighty girls in the schoolroom. And there were four classes.
The oldest girls were in the fourth class. I was in the first class.
Four teachers came into the room and we began our lessons. 

The lessons were not interesting. First, we read some pages in a book. 

Then our teacher asked us questions about those pages.
After four hours, we went outside. It was very cold. Very soon, a bell rang.

Lessons started again.
Three weeks passed. One afternoon, the head teacher came into the schoolroom. 

The head teacher’s name was Miss Temple. Mr. Brocklehurst was with her. 

We all stood up. I stood behind an older girl.

 I did not want Mr. Brocklehurst to see me.

Mr. Brocklehurst walked slowly round the room. Everybody was very quiet.
And then I dropped my book!

Mr. Brocklehurst stopped walking. He looked at me.
‘Ah! The new girl,’ he said. ‘Come here, Jane Eyre!’ Then he pointed at two of the older girls. ‘You two girls  put Jane Eyre on that high chair!’ he said.
‘Look at Jane Eyre, everybody!’ Mr. Brocklehurst said. ‘This child is bad. 

She is a liar.
She will be punished! Miss Temple! Teachers! Girls! Do not talk to this child.’
Then he spoke to me again.

‘Jane Eyre, you must stand on that chair for two hours,’ he said. ‘You are a bad girl!’
That evening, I cried and cried. But Miss Temple was kind to me.
‘You are a good pupil, Jane,’ she said. ‘And you are not a bad girl.
I am your friend, Jane.’‘Thank you, Miss Temple,’ I said.
Lowood School was in an unhealthy place. The buildings were wet and cold. 

Mr. Brocklehurst owned the school. He was a rich man. 

But he did not buy warm clothes for us. And he did not buy good food for us. 

Everybody hated him.In the spring, many of the girls became sick. 

Some of them left the school.
They never came back. Many of the girls died.
That spring was a terrible time. We had no lessons. 

Miss Temple and the other teachers took care of the sick pupils. 

Mr. Brocklehurst had to buy better food for us.

 And he had to buy warm clothes for us. 

 Mr. Brocklehurst never came to the school.

The next year, Lowood School moved to a better place. It was a healthier place.

There were new schoolrooms, new bedrooms and a new dining-room. 

The new buildings were bright and clean. The teachers were happy.
After that, I was happy at Lowood School too.
I was a pupil at Lowood School for six years. Then I became a teacher.

I was a teacher at the school for two years. But I never returned to Gateshead Hall.
And the Reeds never wrote to me.........

Chapter 3 - Thornfield Hall

In 1833, I was eighteen years old. In the summer, Miss Temple left Lowood School.
She got married. I wanted to leave Lowood too. I wanted a new life.
‘I will be a governess,’ I thought.I put an advertisement in a newspaper.
I had a reply to my advertisement. 

The reply was from Mr.s Fairfax of Thornfield Hall, 

near Millcote. Millcote was about seventy miles from Lowood School.
Mr.s Fairfax wanted a governess for a little girl.
I wrote to Mr.s Fairfax immediately. 

I was going to be a governess at Thornfield Hall!
I travelled to Millcote in a coach. At Millcote, a servant met me. He took me to Thornfield Hall. At Thornfield Hall, another servant opened the door. 

She was smiling.
She took me into a small, warm room. A lady was in the room. 

She was sitting by the fire.
‘Are you Mr.s Fairfax?’ I asked her.
‘Yes, my dear,’ she said. ‘And you are Miss Eyre. Are you cold?
Sit by the fire, Miss Eyre, a servant will bring you some food.’
‘Mr.s Fairfax is very kind,’ I said to myself. ‘I will be happy here.’
‘Will I see Miss Fairfax tonight?’ I asked.
Mr.s Fairfax looked at me. She smiled.
‘Miss Fairfax? No, no,’ she said. ‘Your pupil’s name is not Miss Fairfax. 

Your pupil is Adele Varens. Adele’s mother was a Frenchwoman.

 Adele is Mr. Rochester’s ward.
He takes care of her.’
‘Mr. Rochester? Who is Mr. Rochester?’ I asked.
‘Mr. Edward Rochester is the owner of Thornfield Hall,’ Mr.s Fairfax said.

 ‘I am his housekeeper. I take care of Thornfield Hall. 

Mr. Rochester is not here now.
He does not like this house. He is often away from home.’
I was very tired. Mr.s Fairfax took me up the wide stairs. She took me to my room.
I went to bed immediately. And I slept well.
The next morning, I woke early. The sun was shining. I put on a plain black dress. 

I opened my bedroom door. I walked along a corridor and down the wide stairs.
I walked out into the sunny garden.
I turned and I looked up at my new home. 

Thornfield Hall was a beautiful house with many large windows. 

The garden was beautiful too.

After a few minutes, Mr.s Fairfax came into the garden. She spoke to me.
‘Good morning, Miss Eyre,’ she said. ‘You have woken early. Miss Adele is here. 

After breakfast, you must take her to the schoolroom. She must begin her lessons.’
A pretty little girl walked towards me. She was about eight years old.
She spoke to me in French and I replied in French.
After breakfast, I took Adele to the schoolroom. We worked all morning. 

Adele enjoyed her lessons and I was happy.

In the afternoon, Mr.s Fairfax took me into all the rooms of Thornfield Hall. 

We looked at the paintings and at the beautiful furniture. We walked along the corridors,
‘Come up onto the roof, Miss Eyre,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. 

‘You will see the beautiful countryside around Thornfield Hall.’
We walked up many stairs. At last, we were at the top of the house. 

We walked along the top corridor. 

Mr.s Fairfax opened a small door and we walked onto the roof.

‘Look, Miss Eyre,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘You can see for many miles.’
We stood on the roof for a few minutes. Then we went back into the house. 

We walked carefully towards the stairs. The top corridor was narrow and dark.

Suddenly, I heard a strange laugh.
‘Who is that, Mr.s Fairfax?’ I asked.
Mr.s Fairfax did not reply. She knocked on a door.
‘Grace!’ she said. The door opened. Behind the door was a small room. 

A servant was standing at the door.
‘Be quiet, Grace, please,’ Mr.s Fairfax said.
The woman looked at Mr.s Fairfax. Then she closed the door.
‘That was Grace Poole,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘She works up here. 

Sometimes she laughs and talks with the other servants. Don’t worry about Grace.
Please come downstairs now, Miss Eyre.’

Chapter 4 - Mr. Rochester

Three months passed. I had not met the owner of Thornfield Hall. 

Mr. Rochester had not come home.
One January afternoon, I went out and I walked towards the road. 

I was going to the village of Hay. I was going to post a letter in the village. 

Hay was two miles from Thornfield Hall. The day was fine but it was very cold. 

I walked quickly and soon I was near the village.

Suddenly, a big black-and-white dog ran past me. 

A moment later, a man on a black horse followed the dog.
Then, I heard an angry shout. The dog ran past me again. It was barking loudly.

I turned round. The horse had fallen on the icy ground and the man had fallen from the horse.
1 walked towards them.
‘Can I help you, sir?’ I asked.
‘My horse fell. I’ve hurt my foot,’ the man said.
The horse stood up. The man tried to stand up too. But he could not stand.
He fell onto the ground again.
The man was about thirty-five years old. 

He was not handsome but he had a strong face. 

He had dark eyes and black hair. He was not very tall but his body was powerful.
‘I’ll bring somebody from Thornfield Hall,’ I said.

‘Do you live at Thornfield?’ the man asked.

‘I am the governess,’ I replied.
‘Ah, yes. The governess,’ the man said. ‘Help me, please.’
The man stood up very slowly, and he put his hand on my shoulder. 

He walked slowly towards his horse. I helped him. He pulled himself onto the horse.
Thank you. Now go home quickly,’ the man said. And he rode away.
I walked on to the village and I posted my letter. Then I returned to Thornfield Hall.
Bright lights were shining in the big house. I went inside.
A big black-and-white dog walked towards me. It came from the dining-room.
I had seen the dog before.
‘Whose dog is that?’ I asked a servant.
‘It’s Mr. Rochester’s dog,’ the servant replied. ‘Mr. Rochester has come home.

But he has hurt his foot. His horse fell on some ice.’
I smiled. The owner of Thornfield Hall had returned!
But I did not see Mr. Rochester again that day.
I saw Mr. Rochester the next day. He sent for me in the evening.
II put on a clean dress. I brushed my hair carefully.
Mr. Rochester was in the large sitting-room. He was sitting in a big chair.
His right foot was on a small chair.
Mr.s Fairfax and Adele were sitting with him.
‘This is Miss Eyre, sir,’ Mr.s Fairfax said.
Mr. Rochester looked at me. He did not smile.
‘Sit by the fire, Miss Eyre,’ he said. ‘Where have you come from?’
‘From Lowood School,’ I replied. ‘I was there for eight years.’
‘Eight years!’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘That is a long time! Who are your parents?
‘I have no parents, sir,’ I answered. ‘They are dead.’
‘But where is your home, Miss Eyre?’ Mr. Rochester asked.
‘I have no home, sir. I have no family,’ I said.
‘Why did you come to Thornfield Hall?’ Mr. Rochester asked.

‘I wanted to leave Lowood, sir,’ I replied. ‘I put an advertisement in a newspaper.
Mr.s Fairfax replied to my advertisement.’
‘Yes, I did,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘Miss Eyre is a good teacher,Mr.Rochester.’
Mr. Rochester smiled for the first time.
‘You are very young, Miss Eyre,’ he said.
‘I am eighteen, sir,’ I replied.

Mr. Rochester smiled again. He did not ask me more questions.
After that evening, I did not see Mr. Rochester for a few days.
Then, one night, he sent for me again.
‘Sit near me, Miss Eyre,’ he said. ‘Mr.s Fairfax will talk to Adele.’
I sat down quietly, but I did not speak. The fire was very bright. 

I saw Mr. Rochester’s face clearly. I saw his large, dark eyes. 

He was smiling.He was happy.
After a minute, Mr. Rochester spoke.‘Miss Eyre,’ he said.

‘You are looking at me very carefully. Am I a handsome man?’‘No, sir,’ I said.
‘You speak the truth, Miss Eyre!’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘Look at me again. 

Am I a kind man?’
‘No, sir,’ I said again. ‘You are smiling now. But you are not always kind.’
‘That is true,’ Mr. Rochester replied. ‘I have had a difficult life. 

I have met bad people.
I have been a bad person myself. Now Thornfield Hall is my home. 

But I hate this house.
You are very young, Miss Eyre. You cannot understand me.’
‘You are right. I don’t understand you, sir,’ I said. I stood up.
‘Where are you going?’ Mr. Rochester asked.
‘It is late. Adele must go to bed,’ I said.
‘Are you frightened of me, Miss Eyre?’ Mr. Rochester asked.

‘No, sir,’ I replied. ‘But you say strange things, sir.’Mr. Rochester smiled.
‘Take Adele to her bedroom now, Miss Eyre,’ he said. ‘We will talk again tomorrow.’
After that night, we talked together many times. 

Mr. Rochester was an interesting man.
But he was a strange man too. I often thought about him.
‘Why does Mr. Rochester hate Thornfield?’ I asked myself. 

‘Thornfield Hall is a beautiful place. But Mr. Rochester is not happy.’

Chapter 5 - Fire !

It was March. One night, I was in bed. But I was not asleep. 

The house was quiet. Suddenly,I heard a sound in the corridor outside my room.
‘Who’s there?’ I said. Nobody answered. Then I heard a strange laugh.
I got out of my bed and I went quietly to the door. I listened. I heard another sound.

Somebody was walking up the stairs to the top corridor. 

Then I heard somebody close a door.
‘Was that Grace Poole?’ I said to myself. ‘Yes, it was Grace. 

Why was she laughing? 

And why is she walking in the house at night? Is she mad? 

I must tell Mr.s Fairfax about this.
1 will speak to her now.’
I put on some clothes and I opened the door. 

There was a candle on the floor outside my room. The candle was burning.
There was thick smoke in the corridor. I went into the corridor. I looked around me. 

The door of Mr. Rochester’s bedroom was open.
And the smoke was coming from Mr. Rochester’s room!
I ran into the room.
I sat in a chair by the window. Time passed. At last, Mr. Rochester returned.
‘Please don’t worry, Jane,’ he said. ‘Grace Poole is a strange woman.
But she won’t hurt anybody tonight.’
I stood up. ‘Goodnight, sir,’ I said.

Mr. Rochester held my hand. He looked at me and he smiled.
‘Thank you, my dear friend,’ he said. ‘You saved my life tonight, Jane.’
‘Goodnight, sir,’ I said again.
I went back to my bed. I was very tired. But at first, I could not sleep.
Suddenly, I understood something. I loved Mr. Rochester! 

He had smiled at me. He had held my hand. Did he love me? 

I did not know. But I thought about Mr. Rochester for a long time.

I did not see Mr. Rochester the next day. 

He did not send for me.In the evening, I went down to Mr.s Fairfax’s sitting-room.
The housekeeper was looking out of the window.
‘The weather has been good today,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘Mr. Rochester had a good day for his journey.’‘His journey? Where has he gone?’ I asked. I was surprised.
He has gone to Ingram Park,’ Mr.s Fairfax replied. ‘Mr. Rochester will stay there for a week or more. He has many friends. 

All his friends will be at Ingram Park this week.’
‘Will there be any ladies at Ingram Park?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘There will be many ladies there. Miss Blanche Ingram will be there. Mr. Rochester has known her for many years.

‘Is Miss Ingram beautiful?’ I asked.
‘She is very beautiful,’ Mr.s Fairfax said.
‘Will Mr. Rochester marry her?’ I asked.
Mr.s Fairfax smiled. ‘I don’t know, Miss Eyre,’ she replied. ‘I don’t know.’
I was very unhappy. I went up to my bedroom. I looked in my mirror.
‘Jane Eyre,’ I said to myself. ‘You are not pretty. And you are poor. Mr. Rochester will never marry you. He will marry Miss Blanche Ingram. She is a rich lady. You are a poor governess. Forget Mr. Rochester, jane Eyre! Forget him!’

Chapter 6 - Guests at Thornfield Hall

Two weeks later, a letter arrived for Mr.s Fairfax.
‘Mr. Rochester will return on Thursday,’ Mr.s Fairfax said. ‘

Some of his friends will come here with him. 

There will be many guests at Thornfield Hall.’
On Thursday evening, Mr.s Fairfax, Adele and I were in Adele’s bedroom. Mr.s Fairfax was looking out of the window. ‘The guests are arriving now!’ 

Mr.s Fairfax said..
I went to the window and I looked out. There were three carriages. 

Two people were riding horses. Mr. Rochester was riding his big black horse.
A beautiful young woman was riding a white horse.
Mr.s Fairfax pointed to the young woman.
‘That is Miss Ingram,’ the housekeeper said. Then she went downstairs.
Adele wanted to go downstairs too, ‘No, Adele,’ I said. 

‘We cannot go downstairs tonight.
Mr. Rochester is talking to his guests.’

The next day, Mr.s Fairfax came into the schoolroom.
‘Mr. Rochester wants you to meet his guests tonight, Miss Eyre,’ she said.
‘Adele must meet them too.’
Later, Adele and I went quietly into the sitting-room. And soon, eight ladies came into the room. One of them was tall, dark and very beautiful. 

She was Blanche Ingram.
Adele ran towards her.
‘Good evening, beautiful lady,’ she said in French.
‘What a pretty little girl!’ Blanche Ingram said. 

Miss Ingram spoke to the other ladies.
And she spoke to Adele. But she did not speak to me.
Half an hour later, the gentlemen came into the room. I looked at Mr. Rochester.
He saw me, but he did not speak to me.
Miss Ingram pointed at Adele.

‘Why doesn’t this little girl live at a school, Mr. Rochester?’ she asked.

‘Adele learns her lessons at home,’ Mr. Rochester replied. ‘She has a governess.’
‘Oh, yes. That small woman by the window,’ Miss Ingram said. ‘I had many governesses.
I hated all of them. They were all ugly and stupid!’
Later, Miss Ingram and Mr. Rochester sang some songs together, Mr. Rochester had a fine voice. I listened to the songs, then I left the room. 

Mr. Rochester followed me.
‘What is wrong, Jane?’ he asked.

‘Nothing is wrong, sir,’ I said. ‘But I am tired. I am going to my room. Goodnight, sir.’
‘You are tired. And you are unhappy too,’ Mr. Rochester replied. ‘There are tears in your eyes. Rest now, Jane. But please come and meet my guests tomorrow evening. 

Don’t forget, my , don’t forget, Jane.’ The guests stayed at Thornfield Hall for two weeks. Every evening, I went to the sitting-room with Adele. Nobody spoke to me. 

Mr. Rochester and Miss Ingram were always together.
One afternoon, Mr. Rochester went to Millcote. He returned late in the evening.
I met him at the front door.
‘Another guest has arrived, sir,’ I told him. ‘His name is Mr. Mason. 

He has come from the West Indies.’
Suddenly, Mr. Rochester’s face was pale. He held my hand tightly.
‘Mason. The West Indies. Mason ’ he said.
‘Are you ill, sir?’ I asked.

‘Jane, my little friend, I’ve had a shock,’ he said. ‘Bring me a glass of wine, please.’
I went quickly to the dining-room. I returned with a glass of wine and I gave it to Mr. Rochester. ‘What are my guests doing?’ he asked.
‘They are eating and laughing, sir,’ I replied. ‘Mr. Mason is talking to the other guests.’
‘One day, they will all hate me,’ Mr. Rochester said. 

‘Now go into the dining-room again. 

Tell Mason to meet me in the library.’
I gave Mr. Mason the message. Then I went to my bedroom. I got into my bed.
Later, I heard Mr. Rochester coming up the stairs with Mr. Mason.
They were laughing and talking. Soon, I was asleep.

Chapter 7 - A Terrible Night

Some hours later, I woke up. A terrible cry had woken me. The moon was bright. 

Its light was shining through my window. I listened. 

Then I heard somebody shouting.
‘Help! Help! Rochester, help me!’
The voice came from the top corridor.
‘Help! Help!’

I got out of bed and I put on a dress and some shoes. I opened my door. 

All the guests were in the corridor outside the bedrooms. 

They were all asking questions.
‘What happened?’ they asked. ‘Is there a fire? Who is hurt? 

Where is Mr.Rochester?’
‘I am here!’ Mr. Rochester said. 

He was walking down the stairs from the top corridor.
‘What is wrong, Mr. Rochester?’ Miss Ingram asked. ‘What has happened?’
‘Nothing is wrong, Mr. Rochester replied. 

‘One of the servants has had a bad dream.
Go back to bed!’
I went back to my room. But something was wrong. I did not get into my bed. 

I waited. Soon, somebody knocked on my door. I opened the door. Mr. Rochester was standing in the corridor.

‘Jane, follow me. Do not make a sound,’ Mr. Rochester said.
We went up to the top corridor. Mr. Rochester unlocked 

a door and we went inside a room.
Mr. Mason was sitting on a chair in the room. 

His face was pale. And his shirt was covered with blood! 

Then I heard a terrible laugh. 

The sound came from the next room.
‘Grace Poole is a madwoman,’ I thought. 

‘Why does Mr. Rochester have a mad servant?’
Mr. Rochester spoke quietly to Mr. Mason.
‘I am going to bring a doctor, Richard,’ he said.

Then he spoke to me. ‘Stay here, Jane. Wash Mr. Mason’s arm. 

But do not speak to him.’
Mr. Rochester left the room. I washed Mr. Mason’s arm. 

We waited for Mr. Rochester and the doctor.

Mr. Mason did not speak to me and I did not speak to him.

After two hours, Mr. Rochester returned. The doctor was with him.
The doctor looked at Mr. Mason’s arm.
‘She bit me,’ Mr. Mason said. ‘I came up here. I wanted to see her. 

I wanted to help her. 

But she bit me!’

‘Be quiet now, Richard,’ Mr. Rochester said quickly.
The doctor put a bandage on Mr. Mason’s arm. 

Mr. Rochester put Mr. Mason’s coat round the injured man’s shoulders.

Then he spoke to me again.
‘Run downstairs, Jane. Unlock the small door at the side of the house,’ he said.
‘We will follow you.’
I went quickly downstairs and I opened the door. 

Outside the door, a servant was waiting with a carriage. 

Mr. Mason and the doctor came out of the house. They got into the carriage. 

Then Mr. Rochester came out of the house too. 

Mr. Mason spoke to him through the window of the carriage.

‘Help her. Be kind to her, Rochester,’ he said.
‘Yes, I will, Mason,’ Mr. Rochester said.
The servant drove the carriage away.

‘Will you walk in the garden with me, Jane?’ Mr. Rochester asked. 

‘I do not want to sleep now.’
‘Yes, I will, sir,’ I said.
Soon, it was morning. The birds were beginning to sing. 

The flowers had a sweet smell.
‘It has been a strange night, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘Were you frightened?’
‘I am frightened of Grace Poole,’ I said. ‘She will hurt you, one day.’
‘I am stronger than she is. She will not hurt me,’ Mr. Rochester said.
He looked at me for a few moments. ‘Are you my friend, Jane?’ he asked me.
‘Yes, sir. I will be your friend forever!’ I replied.
‘Thank you, my dear,’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘I have made mistakes. 

Now, I want to be happy. That is not wrong, is it, Jane?’
He stopped speaking for a minute. Then he said, ‘Go into the house. 

I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’
But the next day, I had a letter from Gateshead Hall, my Aunt Reed’s house.
The letter was from my Cousin Eliza.
I started the journey to my Aunt Reed’s house immediately. 

I arrived there the next day. 

My Aunt Reed was very, very ill. She could not move. And she did not speak to me.

I wanted to return to Thornfield Hall. I wanted to see Mr. Rochester. 

But Eliza wanted me to stay at Gateshead Hall.

After three weeks, my aunt spoke to me at last. She spoke very slowly.
‘Are you Jane Eyre?’ she asked.
‘Yes, Aunt Reed. I am Jane Eyre,’ I replied.
‘There is a letter for you,’ Aunt Reed said. ‘It is in my desk. Call Eliza, please.
She will get the letter.’
Eliza came into the room. She opened the desk and she gave me a letter.
‘Read the letter, Jane,’ my aunt said. The letter had come from Madeira.
But it was three years old.

‘I answered that letter,’ Aunt Reed said. ‘I hated you, Jane. I did not want you to have your uncle’s money. I wrote to John Eyre. I wrote, «Jane Eyre is dead. She died at Lowood School.» I am sorry, Jane, I was wrong.

’Mr.s Reed died that night. I left Gateshead Hall a few days later.
I took my uncle’s letter with me.
Mr. Rochester met me at Thornfield Hall.
‘Welcome back to my house,’ he said. ‘This is your home, Jane.’ 

‘Thank you, sir,’ I said.
‘I am very happy here.’
Mr. Rochester’s guests had left. No other visitors came to Thornfield Hall. 

Every day, Mr. Rochester and I talked together. And every day, I loved him more.

Chapter 8 - In the Garden

In June, the weather was hot. One evening, I walked into the garden,

Mr. Rochester was there too.
‘Do you like this house, Jane? he asked.‘Yes, sir,’ I replied.
‘Soon, Adele will go to live at a school, Jane,’ he said. 

‘Then, I will not want a governess here. Will you be sad then, Jane? 

Will you leave Thornfield Hall?’

‘Leave?’ I said quickly. ‘Must I leave Thornfield?’
‘My dear ’ Mr. Rochester stopped. He was silent for a moment.
Then he said, ‘I am going to be married soon.’
‘Oh, sir,’ I said. ‘Then I must go far away. Far away from Thornfield. 

Far away from you, sir.’I started to cry.
‘I will always remember you, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘Will you forget me?’
‘No, sir,’ I replied. ‘I will never forget you. I don’t want to leave Thornfield, sir.
1 don’t want to leave you.’
‘Don’t leave, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘Stay here.’ He smiled at me.
‘I must not stay here, sir,’ I said. ‘You are going to marry Miss Ingram. I am poor.
I do not have a pretty face. But I have a heart. It is a loving heart, sir!’
‘Jane, I am not going to marry Miss Ingram,’ Mr.Rochester said.
‘She is rich. She is beautiful. You are poor. You are not beautiful. 

But I want to marry you! Will you marry me, Jane?’

For a moment, I could not speak.
At last, I asked, ‘Do you love me, sir?’
‘I do,’ he replied.
‘Then, sir, I will marry you,’ I said.
And Mr. Rochester kissed me.
‘My dearest Jane,’ he said. ‘Nothing can stop our marriage now.
We will be married in a month, Jane!’

We kissed again. Then I said goodnight and I went into the house. 

I went upstairs to my room.
Later, I remembered my Uncle John Eyre’s letter.
‘I will write to him in Madeira,’ I said to myself. ‘I will tell him about my marriage to 

Mr. Rochester. I am very happy. My uncle will be happy too.’
Four weeks passed. Mr. Rochester was going to buy me many beautiful things.
 He was going to give me many presents.But I did not want these things.
‘No, Edward,’ I said. ‘I am not beautiful. I don’t want beautiful things. 

I want you, Edward.’
It was the month of July. Two days before our wedding-day, 

Mr. Rochester went away.
‘I will return tomorrow,’ he said. ‘I love you, Jane.’
That night, I went to my bedroom early. 

My wedding dress and my wedding veil were in my room. I looked at them.
‘In two days, I will be Jane Rochester,’ 

I said to myself. Then I went to bed. But I did not sleep well.
The next day, Mr. Rochester returned. He looked at me carefully.

‘What is wrong, Jane?’ he asked. ‘Your face is pale. Are you frightened?’
‘I had a very strange dream last night,’ I said. ‘It was a dream about this house. 

But in my dream, Thornfield Hall had no roof. The walls were burnt. 

They were black. In my dream,
I tried to find you. But you were not in the house.’
‘Are you afraid of a dream, Jane?’ Mr. Rochester asked.
‘No, Edward,’ I replied. ‘But I woke up from my dream. 

There was a woman in my room.
She was tall and heavy. She had long, black hair.’
‘The woman was holding a candle,’ I said. ‘She put the candle by my mirror. 

She put my wedding veil over her head and she looked in the mirror. 

Then I saw her face!’

‘It was a strange, terrible face, Edward,’ I said. 

‘Suddenly, the woman tore my veil into two pieces. 

She threw the pieces on the floor!’
‘What happened next?’ Mr. Rochester asked.
‘The woman held her candle near my face,’ I replied. 

‘She looked at me and she laughed. Then she went away.’
‘This happened in your dream, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said.
‘It did not happen in my dream, Edward,’ I said. 

‘This morning, my wedding veil was on the floor of my room. It was torn. 

It was in two pieces!’
‘But the woman did not hurt you, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said. 

‘Sleep in Adele’s room tonight, my dear. You will have no more bad dreams.’

Chapter 9 - Mr. Rochester’s Wife

It was our wedding day. We were going to be married in a church near 

Thornfield Hall.
After the marriage, we were going to travel to London.
I got up early. I put on my wedding dress and I went downstairs.
Mr. Rochester was waiting for me. At eight o’clock, 

we walked together to the church.
The clergyman was standing by the door of the church.
There were two other people inside the church -two men. 

They were sitting in a dark corner.
I could not see them very well.
The clergyman started to speak. At every marriage, the clergyman asks an important question. He asks the people in the church, ‘Is there a problem about this marriage?’
The clergyman spoke loudly. He asked this question and he waited.
There was silence for a moment. 

And then one of the men in the dark corner stood up.
He spoke loudly.

‘There is a problem. These two people must not be married!’ he said.
‘There is not a problem!’ Mr. Rochester said to the clergyman.
‘Please go on with the marriage.’
‘No, I cannot go on with the marriage,’ the clergyman replied.
He spoke to the man in the corner.
‘What is the problem, sir?’ he asked.
Mr. Rochester turned and looked at the man. ‘Who are you?
What do you know about me?’ he asked angrily.

‘My name is Briggs, sir. I am a lawyer,’ the man replied. ‘I know many things about you. Fifteen years ago, you were married in the West Indies. Your wife’s name is Bertha Mason. She is alive. She lives at Thornfield Hall.’
‘How do you know that?’ Mr. Rochester shouted.
The other man in the dark corner stood up. He walked towards us. It was Richard Mason.
‘Bertha Mason is my sister,’ he said. ‘I saw her at Thornfield Hall in April.’
Mr. Rochester’s face was pale. For a minute he was silent. Then he spoke quietly.
‘It is true,’ he said. ‘My wife is living at Thornfield Hall. She is mad.
Come to the house all of you! Come and see Mr.s Rochester!
Come and see the madwoman!’
We all left the church. Nobody spoke.

At Thornfield, Mr.s Fairfax and Adele were waiting for us. They were smiling happily.
‘Nobody will be happy today!’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘We are not married!’
Briggs, Mr. Mason, the clergyman and I followed Mr. Rochester. 

We followed him up the stairs. He took us to the top corridor. 

He unlocked a door and we went into a small room.
I had seen this room before!

We walked through the room to another door.

Mr. Rochester unlocked this door and we saw a larger room.
Grace Poole was sitting in the room. But another woman was there too. 

She was tall and heavy. Her dark hair was in front of her face. 

The woman turned and looked at us.
I knew that terrible, mad face. I had seen it in my bedroom, two nights before.
The madwoman saw Mr. Rochester. She screamed and she ran towards him.
‘Be careful, sir!’ Grace Poole said.
The madwoman was very strong. She screamed and she hit Mr. Rochester.
But Mr. Rochester held her arms.
‘This woman is my wife!’ Mr. Rochester said angrily. ‘I wanted to forget about her.
I wanted to marry this young girl, Jane Eyre. Was I wrong?’
He was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke quietly.
‘Yes. I was wrong,’ he said. ‘I love Jane Eyre. But I was wrong. 

Now, go, all of you.I must take care of my mad wife!’

I went slowly downstairs. Mr. Briggs, the lawyer, spoke to me.
‘I am sorry for you, Miss Eyre,’ he said. ‘You did nothing wrong. 

Your uncle, John Eyre, is sorry for you too. He read your letter.

 And then he met Richard Mason in Madeira. Your uncle is dying, Miss Eyre. 

He could not come to England. He sent me here.
He wanted me to stop this marriage.’
I did not answer. I went to my room and I locked the door.

 I took off my wedding dress.
I put on a plain black dress. I lay down on my bed.
‘I am Jane Eyre today,’ I thought. ‘I will be Jane Eyre tomorrow. I will never be Jane Rochester. I must leave Thornfield Hall. I must never see Mr. Rochester again. 

My life here is finished.’

Many hours later, I got off the bed. I unlocked my door. 

Mr. Rochester was waiting outside my room.
‘You are unhappy, Jane,’ he said. ‘I am very, very sorry.

Jane, we will leave Thornfield, we will go to another country. 

We will be happy again.’
‘I cannot be your wife. I cannot live with you,’ I said. ‘I must leave you, Edward.’
‘Listen, Jane,’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘My father wanted me to marry Bertha Mason.
Her family was very rich. I married her. My father was happy. But I was not happy. 

Bertha was mad, and she was a bad woman. Nobody told me about her. 

She was married to me, but she met other men. She was drunk every day.

 She tried to kill me many times.’.
‘After four years, I brought Bertha here to Thornfield Hall,’ Mr. Rochester said. 

‘Then went away. Grace Poole took care of Bertha. I met other women. 

One of them was a French singer.She was Adele’s mother.

 Adele is my daughter, Jane. 

But I did not love the French singer. I did not love anybody.

 I came home to Thornfield Hall. 

Then you came here and
I loved you. I will always love you. Please stay with me, Jane.’
‘No, Edward,’ I said. ‘I am going away. 

We will be unhappy. But we must not be together.

 Goodbye, Edward.’

‘Oh, Jane! Jane, my love!’ Mr. Rochester said. ‘Don’t leave me!’

I kissed Mr. Rochester. ‘God will help you, Edward,’ I said.
Quickly, I went into my room. I put some clothes into a bag. Later, 

I heard Mr. Rochester go into his room. Very quietly, I went downstairs. 

I opened the small door at the side of the house. 

I left Thornfield Hall and 1 walked to the road. It was dark.Soon, a coach came along the road. I gave all my money to the driver of the coach. I got into the coach.
Many hours later, the coach stopped. It was ten o’clock in the morning.

‘You must give me more money now,’ the driver said.
‘I have no more money,’ I said.
‘You have no more money? 

Then you must get out of the coach,’ the driver said, I got down onto the road. 

The coach moved away quickly. But I had left my bag in the coach.
I looked around me. I was on a cold, empty moor. I was tired and hungry.

 I walked and walked. I had no money. I had no food. 

I walked until the evening came.
At last, I lay down on the ground. I fell asleep immediately.

Chapter 10 - Moor House

The next morning, I woke late. I walked along the road for many miles. 

It started to rain. 

Soon my clothes were wet. I saw no one. I walked on the moor all day. 

In the evening,
I was very tired again. ‘I must sleep soon,’ I thought. ‘Where shall I sleep?’
Then I saw a light. I walked slowly towards it. The rain was falling heavily. 

But I saw a house near the road. I walked up to the house. 

I knocked on the door. I waited, but nobody opened the door. 

I stood outside the house. I was very cold and very tired. I could not move.
‘I am going to die here,’ I said.

Then I heard a young man’s voice. The man was standing behind me.
‘No, you will not die at Moor House,’ the man said. 

Then he unlocked the door of the house.
He took me into the house. He took me into a warm sitting-room.

‘Please sit down,’ he said.
Two pretty young women came into the room.
‘Give this poor woman some food, Diana,’ the young man said.
‘Give her some dry clothes, Mary.’

Then he spoke to me again.
‘My name is St John Rivers,’ he said. ‘These are my sisters, Diana and Mary.
What is your name, young woman?’
‘My name is Jane — Elliot,’ I said. I closed my eyes. ‘Jane is very tired,’ Diana said. 

‘She must go to bed now.’ I stayed in bed at Moor House for three days.
Diana and Mary Rivers were governesses. 

They were staying at Moor House for a few days. 

St John, their brother, was a clergyman. They were very kind to me.
Soon, we were good friends.
One day, St John asked me about my life.
‘I was a governess too,’ I told him. And I told him about Lowood School. 

But I did not tell him about Thornfield Hall. I did not tell him about Mr. Rochester.
‘I want to work, St John,’ I said. ‘Will you help me?’
‘I have a plan,’ St John said. ‘A few miles from here, there is a village. 

Many of the girls in the village can-not read or write.

I am going to pay for a girls’ school in the village. 

But I must find a teacher for these girls.’
‘I will teach them, St John,’ I said.
‘Good!’ he said. ‘There will be a small house next to the school. You will live there.’
Three days later, a letter arrived for St John.
‘Diana, Mary our Uncle John is dead,’ he told his sisters.
‘But we will not have any of his money.’
He gave the letter to his sisters. They read it.
‘Uncle John was our mother’s brother,’ Diana told me. ‘He was very rich. 

But he has given all his money to another niece. We do not know her.’
Soon, I went to live in the village. I lived in the house next to the school. 

Every day, I taught the girls.

 My pupils worked hard. But I was not happy. Every day, I thought about Edward Rochester. ‘Does he think about me?’ I asked myself.

Four months passed.
One day, St John Rivers came to my house. He was holding a letter. 

He was worried.
‘What is wrong?’ I asked.
‘I want to ask you three questions, Jane,’ he replied. ‘Is your name Jane Elliot?
Do you have another name? Do you know Jane Eyre?’
I looked at him for a moment. I did not speak.
‘I have some news for Jane Eyre,’ St John said. ‘Jane Eyre was a pupil at Lowood School. And she was a teacher there. Then she was a governess at Thornfield Hall the home of Mr. Edward Rochester.’

‘How do you know this?’ I asked. ‘What do you know about Mr. Rochester? 

How is he?’
‘I don’t know,’ St John said. ‘This letter is from a lawyer. The lawyer tells a story about Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester had a mad wife. But he tried to marry Jane Eyre. She left Thornfield. Now this lawyer, Mr. Briggs, is trying to find her.’
‘I will tell you the truth, St John,’ I said. ‘My name is not Jane Elliot. My name is Jane Eyre. And I was a governess at Thornfield Hall. I know Mr. Rochester.
Did Mr. Briggs write anything about Mr. Rochester?’
‘No. The letter is about you, Jane,’ St John said. ‘Your uncle, John Eyre is dead. 

John Eyre has given you twenty thousand pounds. You are rich, Jane.’
‘But why did Mr. Briggs write to you?’ I asked.
‘My mother’s name was Eyre,’ St John said. ‘She was your father’s sister, Jane.’
Then you, Diana and Mary are my cousins!’ I said.
I thought carefully for a moment.
‘Write to Diana and Mary,’ I said. ‘They must come home.
I will give all of you some of Uncle John’s money.’
The next day, I wrote to Mr. Briggs. I gave St John, Diana and Mary five thousand pounds each. I wrote to Mr.s Fairfax too, but she did not reply.
Six months passed. I heard nothing from Thornfield Hall. I heard nothing about Mr. Rochester.
Then, one day, I was walking on the moor. Suddenly, I heard a voice. There was nobody on the moor. But the voice was calling my name  ‘Jane! Jane! Jane!’
‘That is Mr. Rochester’s voice,’ I said to myself.
Then I shouted, ‘I am coming, Edward. I am coming!’
I ran to Moor House. I spoke to my cousins.
‘I am going to Thornfield Hall tomorrow,’ I told them. I began my journey the next day.

Chapter 11 -  My Story Ends

Two days later, I got out of a coach. I was standing on the road near Thornfield Hall.
I ran across the fields. Was Mr. Rochester at Thornfield? Was he ill?
And then I saw the house. The house had no roof. Its walls were burnt and black.
Nobody was living there.
I looked at the burnt, black house. I had seen this before. I had seen it in a dream! 

I was frightened. Where was Edward Rochester?
I went to the village of Hay. I asked about Thornfield Hall. 

I asked about Mr. Rochester.
‘Three months ago, there was a fire at Thornfield Hall,’ a man told me.
‘The madwoman burnt the house. She was Mr. Rochester’s wife.’
‘Was Mr. Rochester in the house?’ I asked.
‘Yes, he was there,’ the man replied. ‘He tried to save his wife’s life. 

He went into the burning house. But the madwoman jumped from the roof. She died.’
‘Was Mr. Rochester hurt?’ I asked quickly.
‘Yes, he was badly hurt,’ the man said. ‘He is blind - he can’t see. 

And he has only one hand.’
‘Where is he?’ I asked. ‘Where is he?’
‘He is living at Ferndean. It is an old house, about thirty miles away,’ the man said.
‘Do you have a carriage? I asked. ‘I must go to Ferndean immediately.’
I got out of the carriage near Ferndean. I walked to the house. Iknocked on the door.
A servant opened it. I knew her.
‘Oh, Miss Eyre! You have come,’ she said. ‘Mr. Rochester 

has been calling your name.’
A bell rang in another room.
‘That is Mr. Rochester’s bell,’ the woman said. ‘He wants some candles.’
There were two candles on a table near the door.
The woman lit them and she picked them up.
‘Mr. Rochester is blind, but he always burns candles in his room in the evenings,’ she said.
‘Give the candles to me.’ I said. ‘I’ll take them to him.’

I opened the door of Mr. Rochester’s room. His black-and-white dog was sitting by the fire. The dog jumped up and ran towards me.
‘Who is there?’ Mr. Rochester said.
‘Don’t you know me, Edward?’ I asked. ‘Your dog knows me.’
I put the candles on a table. I held Mr. Rochester’s hand.
‘I know that voice. And I know this little hand,’ Mr. Rochester said. 

‘Is that you, Jane?’
‘Yes, sir, I have found you at last,’ I said. ‘I will never leave you again.’
Then I told Mr. Rochester my story.
‘Why did you leave your cousins, Jane?’ Mr. Rochester asked. 

‘Why did you come back to me? I am blind. I have only one hand.’

 ‘I will take care of you, Edward,’ I said.
‘But I don’t want a servant,’ Mr. Rochester replied. ‘I want a wife.’
‘You will have a wife, Edward,’ I said. ‘I will be your wife.
I will marry you. I loved you very much at Thornfield Hall. Now I love you more.’
Mr. Rochester and I got married. After a time, his eyes were better. 

He could see a little.
He saw the face of our first child! My dear Edward and I are very happy.

Learn English  Story-Jane Eyre - Chapter 1/3

Jane Eyre  -  text 1 / 38

by Charlotte Brontë 

  Summary

Chapter I

The novel opens on a dreary November afternoon at Gateshead, the home of the wealthy Reed family. A young girl named Jane Eyre sits in the drawing room reading Bewick’s History of British Birds. Jane’s aunt, Mrs. Reed, has forbidden her niece to play with her cousins Eliza, Georgiana, and 

the bullying John. John chides Jane for being a lowly orphan who is only permitted to live with 

the Reeds because of his mother’s charity. John then hurls a book at the young girl, pushing her 

to the end of her patience. Jane finally erupts, and the two cousins fight. Mrs. Reed holds Jane responsible for the scuffle and sends her to the “red-room”the frightening chamber in which her 

Uncle Reed died as punishment.

Chapter II

Two servants, Miss Abbott and Bessie Lee, escort Jane to the red-room, and Jane resists them with all of her might. Once locked in the room, Jane catches a glimpse of her ghastly figure in the mirror, and, shocked by her meager presence, she begins to reflect on the events that have led her to such a state. She remembers her kind Uncle Reed bringing her to Gateshead after her parents’ death, and she recalls his dying command that his wife promise to raise Jane as one of her own. Suddenly, Jane is struck with the impression that her Uncle Reed’s ghost is in the room, and she imagines that he has come to take revenge on his wife for breaking her promise. Jane cries out in terror, but her aunt believes that she is just trying to escape her punishment, and she ignores her pleas. Jane faints in exhaustion and fear.

Chapter III

When she wakes, Jane finds herself in her own bedroom, in the care of Mr. Lloyd, the family’s kind apothecary. Bessie is also present, and she expresses disapproval of her mistress’s treatment of Jane. Jane remains in bed the following day, and Bessie sings her a song. Mr. Lloyd speaks with Jane about her life at Gateshead, and he suggests to Jane’s aunt that the girl be sent away to school, where she might find happiness. Jane is cautiously excited at the possibility of leaving Gateshead.Soon after her own reflections on the past in the red-room, Jane learns more of her history when she overhears a conversation between Bessie and Miss Abbott. Jane’s mother was a member of the wealthy 

Reed family, which strongly disapproved of Jane’s father, an impoverished clergyman. When they married, Jane’s wealthy maternal grandfather wrote his daughter out of his will. Not long after Jane was born, Jane’s parents died from typhus, which Jane’s father contracted while caring for the poor.

Chapter IV

About two months have passed, and Jane has been enduring even crueler treatment from her aunt and cousins while anxiously waiting for the arrangements to be made for her schooling. Now Jane is finally told she may attend the girls’ school Lowood, and she is introduced to Mr. Brocklehurst, the stern-faced man who runs the school. Mr. Brocklehurst abrasively questions Jane about religion, and he reacts with indignation when she declares that she finds the psalms uninteresting. Jane's aunt warns 

Mr. Brocklehurst that the girl also has a propensity for lying, a piece of information that 

Mr. Brocklehurst says he intends to publicize to Jane’s teachers upon her arrival. When 

Mr. Brocklehurst leaves, Jane is so hurt by her aunt’s accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending herself to her aunt. Mrs. Reed, for once, seems to concede defeat. Shortly thereafter, Bessie tells Jane that she prefers her to the Reed children. Before Jane leaves for school, 

Bessie tells her stories and sings her lovely songs.

Chapter V

Four days after meeting Mr. Brocklehurst, Jane boards the 6 a.m. coach and travels alone to Lowood. When she arrives at the school, the day is dark and rainy, and she is led through a grim building that will be her new home. The following day, Jane is introduced to her classmates and learns the daily routine, which keeps the girls occupied from before dawn until dinner. Miss Temple, 

the superintendent of the school, is very kind, while one of Jane’s teachers, Miss Scatcherd, is unpleasant, particularly in her harsh treatment of a young student named Helen Burns. Jane and Helen befriend one another, and Jane learns from Helen that Lowood is a charity school maintained for female orphans, which means that the Reeds have paid nothing to put her there. She also learns that Mr. Brocklehurst oversees every aspect of its operation: even Miss Temple must answer to him.

Chapter VI

On Jane’s second morning at Lowood, the girls are unable to wash, as the water in their pitchers is frozen. Jane quickly learns that life at the school is harsh. The girls are underfed, overworked, and forced to sit still during seemingly endless sermons. Still, she takes comfort in her new friendship with Helen, who impresses Jane with her expansive knowledge and her ability to patiently endure even 

the cruelest treatment from Miss Scatcherd. Helen tells Jane that she practices a doctrine of Christian endurance, which means loving her enemies and accepting her privation. Jane disagrees strongly with such meek tolerance of injustice, but Helen takes no heed of Jane’s arguments. Helen is self-critical only because she sometimes fails to live up to her ascetic standards: she believes that she is a poor student and chastises herself for daydreaming about her home and family when she should be concentrating on her studies.

Chapter VII

For most of Jane’s first month at Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst spends his time away from the school. When he returns, Jane becomes quite nervous because she remembers his promise to her aunt, 

Mrs. Reed, to warn the school about Jane’s supposed habit of lying. When Jane inadvertently drops 

her slate in Mr. Brocklehurst’s presence, he is furious and tells her she is careless. He orders Jane to stand on a stool while he tells the school that she is a liar, and he forbids the other students to speak to her for the rest of the day. Helen makes Jane’s day of humiliation endurable by providing her friend with silent consolation she covertly smiles at Jane every time she passes by.

Chapter VIII

Finally, at five o’clock, the students disperse, and Jane collapses to the floor. Deeply ashamed, she is certain that her reputation at Lowood has been ruined, but Helen assures her that most of the girls felt more pity for Jane than revulsion at her alleged deceitfulness. Jane tells Miss Temple that she is not 

a liar, and relates the story of her tormented childhood at Gateshead. Miss Temple seems to believe Jane and writes to Mr. Lloyd requesting confirmation of Jane’s account of events. Miss Temple offers Jane and Helen tea and seed cake, endearing herself even further to Jane. When Mr. Lloyd’s letter arrives and corroborates Jane’s story, Miss Temple publicly declares Jane to be innocent. Relieved and contented, Jane devotes herself to her studies. She excels at drawing and makes progress in French.

Chapter IX

In the spring, life at Lowood briefly seems happier, but the damp forest dell in which the school resides is a breeding-ground for typhus, and in the warm temperatures more than half the girls fall ill with the disease. Jane remains healthy and spends her time playing outdoors with a new friend, Mary Ann Wilson. Helen is sick, but not with typhus-Jane learns the horrific news that her friend is dying of consumption. One evening, Jane sneaks into Miss Temple’s room to see Helen one last time. Helen promises Jane that she feels little pain and is happy to be leaving the world’s suffering behind. Jane takes Helen into her arms, and the girls fall asleep. During the night, Helen dies. Her grave is originally unmarked, but fifteen years after her death, a gray marble tablet is placed over the spot 

(presumably by Jane), bearing the single word Resurgam, Latin for “I shall rise again.”

Chapter X

After Mr. Brocklehurst’s negligent treatment of the girls at Lowood is found to be one of the causes of the typhus epidemic, a new group of overseers is brought in to run the school. Conditions improve dramatically for the young girls, and Jane excels in her studies for the next six years. After spending two more years at Lowood as a teacher, Jane decides she is ready for a change, partly because 

Miss Temple gets married and leaves the school. She advertises in search of a post as a governess and accepts a position at a manor called Thornfield. Before leaving, Jane receives a visit from Bessie, 

who tells her what has happened at Gateshead since Jane departed for Lowood. Georgiana attempted to run away in secret with a man named Lord Edwin Vere, but Eliza foiled the plan by revealing it to 

Mrs. Reed. John has fallen into a life of debauchery and dissolution. Bessie also tells Jane that 

her father’s brother, John Eyre, appeared at Gateshead seven years ago, looking for Jane. He did not have the time to travel to Lowood and went away to Madeira (a Portuguese island west of Morocco) 

in search of wealth. Jane and Bessie part ways, Bessie returning to Gateshead, and Jane leaving for her new life at Thornfield.

Chapter XI

Jane’s driver is late picking her up from the station at Millcote. When she finally arrives at Thornfield it is nighttime. Although she cannot distinguish much of the house’s facade from among the shadows, she finds the interior “cosy and agreeable.” Mrs. Fairfax, a prim, elderly woman, is waiting for Jane. 

It turns out that Mrs. Fairfax is not, as Jane had assumed from their correspondence, the owner of Thornfield, but rather the housekeeper. Thornfield’s owner, Mr. Rochester, travels regularly and leaves much of the manor’s management to Mrs. Fairfax. Jane learns that she will be tutoring Adèle, 

an eight-year-old French girl whose mother was a singer and dancer. Mrs. Fairfax also tells Jane about Rochester, saying that he is an eccentric man whose family has a history of extreme and violent behavior. Suddenly, Jane hears a peal of strange, eerie laughter echoing through the house, and 

Mrs. Fairfax summons someone named Grace, whom she orders to make less noise and to 

“remember directions.” When Grace leaves, Mrs. Fairfax explains that she is a rather unbalanced and unpredictable seamstress who works in the house.

Chapter XII

Jane finds life at Thornfield pleasant and comfortable. Adèle proves to be exuberant and intelligent, though spoiled and at times a bit petulant. Nonetheless, Jane is frequently restless and collects 

her thoughts while pacing Thornfield’s top-story passageway. One evening a few months after her arrival at Thornfield, Jane is alone watching the moon rise when she perceives a horse approaching. 

It calls to her mind the story Bessie once told her of a spirit called a Gytrash, which disguises itself as 

a mule, dog, or horse to frighten “belated travellers.” Oddly enough, a dog then appears as well. 

Once she realizes that the horse has a rider, the uncanny moment ceases. Just after the horse passes her, it slips on a patch of ice, and its rider tumbles to the ground. Jane helps the man rise to his feet and introduces herself to him. She observes that he has a dark face, stern features, and a heavy brow. 

He is not quite middle-aged. Upon reentering Thornfield, 

Jane goes to Mrs. Fairfax’s room and sees the same dog

Pilot-resting on the rug. A servant answers Jane’s queries, explaining that the dog belongs to 

Mr. Rochester, who has just returned home with a sprained ankle, having fallen from his horse.

Chapter XIII

The day following his arrival, Mr. Rochester invites Jane and Adèle to have tea with him. He is abrupt and rather cold toward both of them, although he seems charmed by Jane’s drawings, which he asks 

to see. When Jane mentions to Mrs. Fairfax that she finds Rochester “changeful and abrupt,” 

Mrs. Fairfax suggests that his mannerisms are the result of a difficult personal history. Rochester was something of a family outcast, and when his father died, his older brother inherited Thornfield. Rochester has been Thornfield’s proprietor for nine years, since the death of his brother.

Chapter XIV

Jane sees little of Rochester during his first days at Thornfield. One night, however, in his “after-dinner mood,” Rochester sends for Jane and Adèle. He gives Adèle the present she has been anxiously awaiting, and while Adèle plays, Rochester is uncharacteristically chatty with Jane. When Rochester asks Jane whether she thinks him handsome, she answers “no” without thinking, and from Rochester’s voluble reaction Jane concludes that he is slightly drunk. Rochester’s command that she converse with him makes Jane feel awkward, especially because he goes on to argue that her relationship to him 

is not one of servitude. Their conversation turns to the concepts of sin, forgiveness, and redemption. When Adèle mentions her mother, Jane is intrigued, and Rochester promises to explain more about 

the situation on a future occasion.

Chapter XV

A while later, Rochester fulfills his promise to Jane to tell her about his and Adèle’s pasts. He had 

a long affair with Adèle’s mother, the French singer and dancer named Celine Varens. When he discovered that Celine was engaged in relations with another man, Rochester ended the relationship. Rochester has always denied Celine’s claim that Adèle is his daughter, noting that the child looks utterly unlike him. Even so, when Celine abandoned her daughter, Rochester brought Adèle to England so that she would be properly cared for. Jane lies awake brooding about the strange insights she has gained into her employer’s past. She hears what sound like fingers brushing against the walls, and an eerie laugh soon emanates from the hallway. She hears a door opening and hurries out of her room 

to see smoke coming from Rochester’s door. Jane dashes into his room and finds his bed curtains ablaze. She douses the bed with water, saving Rochester’s life. Strangely, Rochester’s reaction is 

to visit the third floor of the house. When he returns, he says mysteriously, 

“I have found it all out, it is just as 

I thought.” He inquires whether Jane has ever heard the eerie laughter before, and she answers that 

she has heard Grace Poole laugh in the same way. “Just so. Grace Poole-you have guessed it,” Rochester confirms. He thanks Jane for saving his life and cautions her to tell no one about the details of the night’s events. He sleeps on the library sofa for the remainder of the night.

Chapter XVI

The next morning, Jane is shocked to learn that the near tragedy of the night before has caused no scandal. The servants believe Rochester to have fallen asleep with a lit candle by his bed, and even Grace Poole shows no sign of guilt or remorse. Jane cannot imagine why an attempted murderer is allowed to continue working at Thornfield. She realizes that she is beginning to have feelings for Rochester and is disappointed that he will be away from Thornfield for several days. He has left to attend a party where he will be in the company of Blanche Ingram, a beautiful lady. Jane scolds herself for being disappointed by the news, and she resolves to restrain her flights of imaginative fancy by comparing her own portrait to one she has drawn of Blanche Ingram, noting how much plainer she is than the beautiful Blanche.

Chapter XVII

Rochester has been gone for a week, and Jane is dismayed to learn that he may choose to depart for continental Europe without returning to Thornfield—according to Mrs. Fairfax, he could be gone for more than a year. A week later, however, Mrs. Fairfax receives word that Rochester will arrive in three days with a large group of guests. While she waits, Jane continues to be amazed by the apparently normal relations the strange, self-isolated Grace Poole enjoys with the rest of the staff. Jane also overhears a conversation in which a few of the servants discuss Grace’s high pay, and Jane is certain that she doesn’t know the entire truth about Grace Poole’s role at Thornfield. Rochester arrives at last, accompanied by a party of elegant and aristocratic guests. Jane is forced to join the group but spends the evening watching them from a window seat. Blanche Ingram and her mother are among the party’s members, and they treat Jane with disdain and cruelty. Jane tries to leave the party, but Rochester stops her. He grudgingly allows her to go when he sees the tears brimming in her eyes. He informs her that she must come into the drawing room every evening during his guests’ stay at Thornfield. As they part, Rochester nearly lets slip more than he intends. “Good-night, my—” he says, before biting his lip.

Chapter XVIII

The guests stay at Thornfield for several days. Rochester and Blanche compete as a team at charades. From watching their interaction, Jane believes that they will be married soon though they do not seem to love one another. Blanche would be marrying Rochester for his wealth, and he for her beauty and her social position. One day, a strange man named Mr. Mason arrives at Thornfield. Jane dislikes him at once because of his vacant eyes and his slowness, but she learns from him that Rochester once lived

in the West Indies, as he himself has done. One evening, a gypsy woman comes to Thornfield to tell 

the guests’ fortunes. Blanche Ingram goes first, and when she returns from her talk with the gypsy woman she looks keenly disappointed.

Chapter XIX

Jane goes in to the library to have her fortune read, and after overcoming her skepticism, she finds herself entranced by the old woman’s speech. The gypsy woman seems to know a great deal about 

Jane and tells her that she is very close to happiness. She also says that she told Blanche Ingram that Rochester was not as wealthy as he seemed, thereby accounting for Blanche’s sullen mood. As the woman reads Jane’s fortune, her voice slowly deepens, and Jane realizes that the gypsy is Rochester 

in disguise. Jane reproaches Rochester for tricking her and remembers thinking that Grace Poole might have been the gypsy. When Rochester learns that Mr. Mason has arrived, he looks troubled.

Chapter XX

The same night, Jane is startled by a sudden cry for help. She hurries into the hallway, where Rochester assures everyone that a servant has merely had a nightmare. After everyone returns to bed, Rochester knocks on Jane’s door. He tells her that he can use her help and asks whether she is afraid of blood. 

He leads her to the third story of the house and shows her Mr. Mason, who has been stabbed in the arm. Rochester asks Jane to stanch the wound and then leaves, ordering Mason and Jane not to speak to one another. In the silence, Jane gazes at the image of the apostles and Christ’s crucifixion that is painted on the cabinet across from her. Rochester returns with a surgeon, and as the men tend to Mason’s wounds, Rochester sends Jane to find a potion downstairs. He gives some of it to Mason, saying that it will give him heart for an hour. Once Mason is gone, Jane and Rochester stroll in the orchard, and Rochester tells Jane a hypothetical story about a young man who commits a “capital error” in a foreign country and proceeds to lead a life of dissipation in an effort to “obtain relief.” The young man then hopes to redeem himself and live morally with a wife, but convention prevents him from doing so. 

He asks whether the young man would be justified in “overleaping an obstacle of custom.” 

Jane’s reply is that such a man should look to God for his redemption, not to another person. 

Rochester who obviously has been describing his own situation asks Jane to reassure him that marrying Blanche would bring him salvation. He then hurries away before she has a chance to answer.

Chapter XXI

Jane has heard that it is a bad omen to dream of children, and now she has dreams on seven consecutive nights involving babies. She learns that her cousin John Reed has committed suicide, and that her aunt, Mrs. Reed, has suffered a stroke and is nearing death. Jane goes to Gateshead, where 

she is reunited with Bessie. She also sees her cousins Eliza and Georgiana. Eliza is plain and plans to enter a convent, while Georgiana is as beautiful as ever. Ever since Eliza ruined Georgiana’s hopes 

of eloping with a young man, the two sisters have not gotten along. Jane tries to patch things up with 

Mrs. Reed, but the old woman is still full of hostility toward her late husband’s favorite. One day, 

Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from her father’s brother, John Eyre. He declares that he wishes to adopt Jane and bequeath her his fortune. The letter is three years old; out of malice, Mrs. Reed did not forward it to Jane when she received it. In spite of her aunt’s behavior, Jane tries once more to smooth relations with the dying woman. But Mrs. Reed refuses, and, at midnight, she dies.

Chapter XXII

Jane remains at Gateshead for a month because Georgiana dreads being left alone with Eliza, with whom she does not get along. Eventually, Georgiana goes to London to live with her uncle, and Eliza joins a convent in France. Jane tells us that Eliza eventually becomes the Mother Superior of her convent, while Georgiana marries a wealthy man. At Gateshead, Jane receives a letter from Mrs. Fairfax, which says that Rochester’s guests have departed and that Rochester has gone to London 

to buy a new carriage a sure sign of his intention to marry Blanche. As Jane travels toward Thornfield, she anxiously anticipates seeing Rochester again, and yet she worries about what will become of her after his marriage. To her surprise, as she walks from the station at Millcote, Jane encounters Rochester. When he asks her why she has stayed away from Thornfield so long, she replies, still a bit bewildered, “I have been with my aunt, sir, who is dead.” Rochester asks Jane whether she has heard about his 

new carriage, and he tells her: “You must see the carriage, Jane, and tell me if you dont think it will suit Mrs. Rochester exactly.” After a few more words together, Jane surprises herself by expressing the happiness she feels in Rochester’s presence: “I am strangely glad to get back again 

to you; and wherever you are is my home my only home.” Back at the manor, Mrs. Fairfax, Adele, 

and the servants greet Jane warmly.

Chapter XXIII

After a blissful two weeks, Jane encounters Rochester in the gardens. He invites her to walk with him, and Jane, caught off guard, accepts. Rochester confides that he has finally decided to marry Blanche Ingram and tells Jane that he knows of an available governess position in Ireland that she could take. Jane expresses her distress at the great distance that separates Ireland from Thornfield. The two seat themselves on a bench at the foot of the chestnut tree, and Rochester says: “we will sit there in peace to-night, though we should never more be destined to sit there together.” He tells Jane that he feels as though they are connected by a “cord of communion.” Jane sobs—“for I could repress what I endured no longer,” she tells us, “I was obliged to yield.” Jane confesses her love for Rochester, and to her surprise, he asks her to be his wife. She suspects that he is teasing her, but he convinces her otherwise by admitting that he only brought up marrying Blanche in order to arouse Jane’s jealousy. Convinced and elated, Jane accepts his proposal. A storm breaks, and the newly engaged couple hurries indoors through the rain. Rochester helps Jane out of her wet coat, and he seizes the opportunity to kiss her. Jane looks up to see Mrs. Fairfax watching, astonished. That night, a bolt of lightning splits the same chestnut tree under which Rochester and Jane had been sitting that evening.

Chapter XXIV

Preparations for Jane and Rochester’s wedding do not run smoothly. Mrs. Fairfax treats Jane coldly because she doesn’t realize that Jane was already engaged to Rochester when she allowed him to kiss her. But even after she learns the truth, Mrs. Fairfax maintains her disapproval of the marriage. Jane feels unsettled, almost fearful, when Rochester calls her by what will soon be her name, Jane Rochester. Jane explains that everything feels impossibly ideal, like a fairy-tale or a daydream. Rochester certainly tries to turn Jane into a Cinderella-like figure: he tells her he will dress her in jewels and in finery befitting her new social station, at which point Jane becomes terrified and self-protective. She has a premonitory feeling that the wedding will not happen, and she decides to write her uncle, John Eyre, who is in Madeira. Jane reasons that if John Eyre were to make her his heir, her inheritance might put her on more equal footing with Rochester, which would make her feel less uncomfortable about the marriage.

Chapter XXV

The night before her wedding, Jane waits for Rochester, who has left Thornfield for the evening. 

She grows restless and takes a walk in the orchard, where she sees the now-split chestnut tree. 

When Rochester arrives, Jane tells him about strange events that have occurred in his absence. 

The preceding evening, Jane’s wedding dress arrived, and underneath it was an expensive veil Rochester’s wedding gift to Jane. In the night, Jane had a strange dream, in which a little child cried 

in her arms as Jane tried to make her way toward Rochester on a long, winding road. Rochester dismisses the dream as insignificant, but then she tells him about a second dream. This time, 

Jane loses her balance and the child falls from her knee. The dream was so disturbing that it roused Jane from her sleep, and she perceived “a form” rustling in her closet. It turned out to be a strange, savage-looking woman, who took Jane’s veil and tore it in two. Rochester tells her that the woman must have been Grace Poole and that what she experienced was really “half-dream, half-reality.” 

He tells her that he will give her a full explanation of events after they have been married for one year and one day. Jane sleeps with Adèle for the evening and cries because she will soon have to leave 

the sleeping girl.

Chapter XXVI

Sophie helps Jane dress for the wedding, and Rochester and Jane walk to the church. Jane notes a pair of strangers reading the headstones in the churchyard cemetery. When Jane and Rochester enter the church, the two strangers are also present. When the priest asks if anyone objects to the ceremony, 

one of the strangers answers: “The marriage cannot go on: I declare the existence of an impediment.” Rochester attempts to proceed with the ceremony, but the stranger explains that Rochester is already married—his wife is a Creole woman whom Rochester wed fifteen years earlier in Jamaica. 

The speaker explains that he is a solicitor from London, and he introduces himself as Mr. Briggs. 

He produces a signed letter from Richard Mason affirming that Rochester is married to Mason’s sister, Bertha. Mr. Mason himself then steps forward to corroborate the story. After a moment of inarticulate fury, Rochester admits that his wife is alive and that in marrying Jane he would have been knowingly taking a second wife. No one in the community knows of his wife because she is mad, and Rochester keeps her locked away under the care of Grace Poole. But, he promises them all, Jane is completely ignorant of Bertha’s existence. He orders the crowd to come to Thornfield to see her, so that they may understand what impelled him to his present course of action.

Chapter XXVII

After falling asleep for a short while, Jane awakes to the realization that she must leave Thornfield. When she steps out of her room, she finds Rochester waiting in a chair on the threshold. To Rochester’s assurances that he never meant to wound her, and to his pleas of forgiveness, Jane is silent, although she confides to the reader that she forgave him on the spot. Jane suddenly feels faint, and Rochester carries her to the library to revive her. He then offers her a new proposal—to leave England with him for the South of France, where they will live together as husband and wife. Jane refuses, explaining 

that no matter how Rochester chooses to view the situation, she will never be more than 

a mistress to him while Bertha is alive. Rochester realizes that he must explain why he does not consider himself married, and he launches into the story of his past.

Chapter XXVIII

Riding in a coach, Jane quickly exhausts her meager money supply and is forced to sleep outdoors. 

She spends much of the night in prayer, and the following day she begs for food or a job in the nearby town. No one helps her, except for one farmer who is willing to give her a slice of bread. After another day, Jane sees a light shining from across the moors. Following it, she comes to a house. Through the window, Jane sees two young women studying German while their servant knits. From their conversation Jane learns that the servant is named Hannah and that the graceful young women are Diana and Mary. The three women are waiting for someone named St. John. Jane knocks on the door, but Hannah refuses to let her in. Collapsing on the doorstep in anguish and weakness, Jane cries, 

“I can but die, and I believe in God. Let me try to wait His will in silence.” A voice answers, “

All men must die, but all are not condemned to meet a lingering and premature doom, such as yours would be if you perished here of want.” The voice belongs to “St. John,” who brings Jane into 

the house. He is the brother of Diana and Mary, and the three siblings give Jane food and shelter. 

They ask her some questions, and she gives them a false name: “Jane Elliott.”

Chapter XXIX

After she is taken in by the Rivers siblings, Jane spends three days recuperating in bed. On the fourth day, she feels well again and follows the smell of baking bread into the kitchen, where she finds Hannah. Jane criticizes Hannah for judging her unfairly when she asked for help, and Hannah apologizes. Hannah tells the story of Mr. Rivers, the siblings’ father, who lost most of the family fortune in a bad business deal. In turn, Diana and Mary were forced to work as governesses-they are only at Marsh End (or Moor House) now because their father died three weeks ago. Jane then relates some of her own story and admits that Jane Elliott is not her real name. St. John promises to find her 

a job.

Chapter XXX

Jane befriends Diana and Mary, who admire her drawings and give her books to read. St. John, on 

the other hand, remains distant and cold, although he is never unkind. After a month, Diana and Mary must return to their posts as governesses. St. John has found a position for Jane, running a charity school for girls in the town of Morton. Jane accepts, but St. John presumes that she will soon leave 

the school out of restlessness, perhaps because he himself is quite restless. His sisters suspect he will soon leave England for a missionary post overseas. St. John tells his sisters that their Uncle John has died and left them nothing, because all his money went to another, unknown, relative. 

Jane learns that it was Uncle John who led Mr. Rivers into his disastrous business deal.

Chapter XXXI

At Morton, the wealthy heiress Rosamond Oliver provides Jane with a cottage in which to live. Jane begins teaching, but to her own regret, she finds the work degrading and disappointing. While on a visit to Jane, St. John reveals that he, too, used to feel that he had made the wrong career choice, until one day he heard God’s call. Now he plans to become a missionary. The beautiful Rosamond Oliver then appears, interrupting St. John and Jane’s conversation. From their interaction, Jane believes that Rosamond and St. John are in love.

Chapter XXXII

Jane’s students become more familiar and endeared to her, and Jane becomes quite popular among them. At night, though, she has troubling nightmares that involve Rochester. Jane continues to pay attention to the relationship between St. John and Rosamond, who often visits the school when she knows St. John will be there. Rosamond asks Jane to draw her portrait, and as she is working on it one day, St. John pays her a visit. He gives her a new book of poetry and looks at the drawing. She offers 

to draw him a duplicate, and then boldly declares that he ought to marry Rosamond. St. John admits that he loves her and is tempted by her beauty, but he explains that he refuses to allow worldly affection to interfere with his holy duties. The flirtatious, silly, and shallow Rosamond would make 

a terrible wife for a missionary. Suddenly, St. John notices something on the edge of Jane’s paper and tears off a tiny piece-Jane is not certain why. With a peculiar look on his face, he hurries from 

the room.

Chapter XXXIII

One snowy night, Jane sits reading Marmion when St. John appears at the door. Appearing troubled, 

he tells Jane the story of an orphan girl who became the governess at Thornfield Hall, then disappeared after nearly marrying Edward Rochester: this runaway governess’s name is Jane Eyre. Until this point, Jane has been cautious not to reveal her past and has given the Rivers a false name. Thus although it is clear that St. John suspects her of being the woman about whom he speaks, she does not immediately identify herself to him. He says that he has received a letter from a solicitor named Mr. Briggs intimating that it is extremely important that this Jane Eyre be found. Jane is only interested in whether Mr. Briggs has sent news of Rochester, but St. John says that Rochester’s well-being is not at issue: Jane Eyre must be found because her uncle, John Eyre, has died, leaving her the vast fortune of 20,000 pounds.

Chapter XXXIV

Jane closes her school for Christmas and spends a happy time with her newfound cousins at Moor House. Diana and Mary are delighted with the improvements Jane has made at the school, but St. John seems colder and more distant than ever. He tells Jane that Rosamond is engaged to a rich man named Mr. Granby. One day, he asks Jane to give up her study of German and instead to learn “Hindustani” with him—the language he is learning to prepare for missionary work in India. As time goes by, St. John exerts a greater and greater influence on Jane; his power over her is almost uncanny. This leaves Jane feeling empty, cold, and sad, but she follows his wishes. At last, he asks her to go to India with him to be a missionary—and to be his wife. She agrees to go to India as a missionary but says that 

she will not be his wife because they are not in love. St. John harshly insists that she marry him, declaring that to refuse his proposal is the same as to deny the Christian faith. 

He abruptly leaves the room.

Chapter XXXV

During the following week, St. John continues to pressure Jane to marry him. She resists as kindly as she can, but her kindness only makes him insist more bitterly and unyieldingly that she accompany him to India as his wife. Diana tells Jane that she would be a fool to go to India with St. John, who considers her merely a tool to aid his great cause. After dinner, St. John prays for Jane, and she is overcome with awe at his powers of speech and his influence. She almost feels compelled to marry him, but at that moment she hears what she thinks is Rochester’s voice, calling her name as if from 

a great distance. Jane believes that something fateful has occurred, and St. John’s spell over her is broken.

Chapter XXXVI

Jane contemplates her supernatural experience of the previous night, wondering whether it was really Rochester’s voice that she heard calling to her and whether Rochester might actually be in trouble. 

She finds a note from St. John urging her to resist temptation, but nevertheless she boards a coach to Thornfield. She travels to the manor, anxious to see Rochester and reflecting on the ways in which her life has changed in the single year since she left. Once hopeless, alone, and impoverished, Jane now has friends, family, and a fortune. She hurries to the house after her coach arrives and is shocked to find Thornfield a charred ruin. She goes to an inn called the Rochester Arms to learn what has happened. Here, she learns that Bertha Mason set the house ablaze several months earlier. Rochester saved his servants and tried to save his wife, but she flung herself from the roof as the fire raged around her. 

In the fire, Rochester lost a hand and went blind. He has taken up residence in a house called Ferndean, located deep in the forest, with John and Mary, two elderly servants.

Chapter XXXVII

Jane goes to Ferndean. From a distance, she sees Rochester reach a hand out of the door, testing for rain. His body looks the same, but his face is desperate and disconsolate. Rochester returns inside, 

and Jane approaches the house. She knocks, and Mary answers the door. Inside, Jane carries a tray to Rochester, who is unable to see her. When he realizes that Jane is in the room with him, he thinks 

she must be a ghost or spirit speaking to him. When he catches her hand, he takes her in his arms, and she promises never to leave him. The next morning they walk through the woods, and Jane tells Rochester about her experiences the previous year. She has to assure him that she is not in love with 

St. John. He asks her again to marry him, and she says yes—they are now free from the specter of Bertha Mason. Rochester tells Jane that a few nights earlier, in a moment of desperation, he called out her name and thought he heard her answer. She does not wish to upset him or excite him in his fragile condition, and so she does not tell him about hearing his voice at Moor House.

Chapter XXXVIII

Jane and Rochester marry with no witnesses other than the parson and the church clerk. Jane writes to her cousins with the news. St. John never acknowledges what has happened, but Mary and Diana write back with their good wishes. Jane visits Adèle at her school, and finds her unhappy. Remembering her own childhood experience, Jane moves Adèle to a more congenial school, and Adèle grows up to be 

a very pleasant and mild-mannered young woman. Jane writes that she is narrating her story after ten years of marriage to Rochester, which she describes as inexpressibly blissful. They live as equals, and she helps him to cope with his blindness. After two years, Rochester begins to regain his vision in one eye, and when their first child—a boy—is born, Rochester is able to see the baby. Jane writes that Diana and Mary have both found husbands and that St. John went to India as he had planned. She notes that in his last letter, St. John claimed to have had a premonition of his own approaching death. 

She does not believe that she will hear from St. John again, but she does not grieve for him, saying that he has fulfilled his promise and done God’s work. She closes her book with a quote from his letter.

Mladá dívka Jane Eyrová utíká přes vřesoviště a na kost promoklá končí u dveří domu Riversových. Duchovní John Rivers se jí ujímá a spolu se sestrami Dianou a Mary jí poskytnou útočiště. Jane si chce najít práci. Neustále vzpomíná na to, co jí až dosud život přinesl... Po smrti rodičů si ji vzala k sobě sestra jejího otce, matka rozmazleného Johna, který jí ubližoval. Na radu pana Brocklenhursta pak byla poslána do školy pro sirotky, kde se jí dostalo rovněž hrubého zacházení. Nakonec jí pan Rivers nabídl skromné učitelské místo ve venkovské dívčí škole, kterou právě založil ... Po odchodu ze sirotčince nachází Jane práci jako guvernantka francouzské schovanky pana Edwarda Rochestera na jeho panství Thornfield Hall. Chovají se k ní pěkně a Jane si vybuduje vřelý vztah s malou Adele Varensovou. Pan Rochester přijíždí na odlehlé panství jen zřídka a první setkání s Jane nedopadne dobře: kůň se před Jane splaší, shodí jezdce a ten si poraní kotník. K Jane a služebnictvu se chová odtažitě, až nepřátelsky, oceňuje ale Janinu přímou a čistou povahu. Jednou v noci vzbudí Jane podivné zvuky a vzápětí objeví v Rochesterově pokoji požár, který pak společně uhasí. Rochester jí děkuje. Brzy ráno pak nečekaně odjíždí. Začíná se šuškat o jeho svatbě se slečnou Blanche Ingramovou, která brzy nato přijede na Thornfield. K Jane se společnost chová přezíravě, Rochester jí ale začne dávat najevo, že mu na ní záleží. Jane mu pomůže ošetřit tajemně zraněného přítele z Jamajky, který přijel na návštěvu, Rochester ale odmítá sdělit, kdo ho zranil. Jane krátce navštěvuje svou tetu. Ta je po mrtvici, která ji sklátila poté, co její marnotratný syn John utratil celé jmění a spáchal sebevraždu. Ukáže se, že před třemi lety dostala dopis od příbuzného z Madeiry, který žádal o adresu Jane, protože ji chtěl adoptovat. Ona ale odepsala, že Jane zemřela ... Po návratu do Rochesterova domu Jane nabízí, že si najde nové místo, až se pán ožení. Ten ji ale místo toho požádá o ruku. Paní Fairfaxová ji před ním varuje, Jane je ale šťastná. Když se snoubenci ocitnou před knězem, vstoupí náhle muž, pan Mason z Jamajky, a oznámí, že Rochester je už 15 let ženatý s jeho dcerou. Jane je zdrcená, o to víc, že Rochester jí pak ukáže svou šílenou ženu, nebezpečnou pro své okolí, která žije zavřená s ošetřovatelkou nahoře v domě. Rochesterovi ji vnutil otec a on ji přese všechno nedokázal umístit do blázince. Přísahá Jane lásku a chce s ní žít, ta ale odmítá a z Thornfieldu odchází ...