JANE EYRE Audiobook Short Story by Charlotte Bront Learn English Through Story
jane eyre by charlotte bronte
[Music]
chapter one
my story begins
in 1825
i was 10 years old
my father and mother were dead
i lived with my aunt and uncle
mr and mrs reed
their house was called gateshead 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 mama
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 jame
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
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 brocklehair said
you must not tell lies
and you must not live here with your
cousins
you will come to low wood 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 brockle has said
the girls work very hard at low wood
i will work hard
i will be a good pupil mr brocklehurst
i said
two weeks later i left gateshead hall
i went to low wood school
chapter two
low wood school
it was the month of january
i arrived at low wood 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 night clothes 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 school room and we
sat down
there were about 80 girls in the school
room
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
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 school
room
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 err
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
lowered 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 lowered school moved to a
better place
it was a healthier place
there were new school rooms
new bedrooms
and a new dining room
the new buildings were bright and clean
the teachers were happy
after that i was happy at lowered school
too
i was a pupil at lowered 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 18 years old
in the summer
miss temple left lowered school
she got married
i wanted to leave lowered too
i wanted a new life
i will be a governess
i thought
i put an advertisement
in a newspaper
october 1833
low wood
a young woman wants to teach one or two
children
in their home
she teaches english
arithmetic
geography
religion
french
drawing and music
j e
i had a reply to my advertisement
the reply was from mrs fairfax
of thornfield hall
near milcot
milcott was about 70 miles from low wood
school
mrs fairfax wanted a governess for a
little girl
i wrote to mrs fairfax immediately
i was going to be a governess at
thornfield hall
i traveled to milcot in a coach
at milcot 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 mrs fairfax
i asked her
yes my dear
she said
and you are miss air
are you cold
sit by the fire miss air
a servant will bring you some food
mrs fairfax is very kind
i said to myself
i will be happy here
will i see miss fairfax tonight
i asked
mrs fairfax looked at me
she smiled
miss fairfax
no no
she said
your pupil’s name is not miss fairfax
your pupil is adele baron
adele’s mother was a french woman
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
mrs 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
mrs 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
mrs fairfax came into the garden
she spoke to me
good morning miss air she said
you have woken early
miss adele is here after breakfast you
must take her to the school room
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
school room
we worked all morning
adele enjoyed her lessons and i was
happy
in the afternoon
mrs 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 air
mrs 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
mrs fairfax opened a small door
and we walked onto the roof
look miss air
mrs 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 mrs fairfax
i asked
mrs 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
mrs fairfax said
the woman looked at mrs fairfax
then she closed the door
that was grace poole
mrs 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 air
chapter four
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
i 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 35 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
i 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
mrs fairfax and adele were sitting with
him
this is miss air sir
mrs fairfax said
mr rochester looked at me
he did not smile
sit by the fire miss er
he said
where have you come from
from lowered 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 air
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 lowwood sir
i replied
i put an advertisement in a newspaper
mrs fairfax replied to my advertisement
yes i did
mrs fairfax said
miss air is a good teacher mr rochester
mr rochester smiled for the first time
you are very young miss er
he said
i am 18 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 air
he said
mrs 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 air
he said
you are looking at me very carefully
am i a handsome man
no sir
i said
you speak the truth miss air
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 er
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 air
mr rochester asked
no sir
i replied
but you say strange things sir
mr rochester smiled
take adele to her bedroom now miss air
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 five
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 pool
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 mrs fairfax about this
i 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
wake up sir
what happened jane
there was a fire sir
grace paul tried to kill you
stay here jane
open the window
i’ll go upstairs
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
good night 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
good night 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 mrs fairfax’s sitting
room
the housekeeper was looking out of the
window
the weather has been good today
mrs 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
mrs 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
mrs 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
mrs fairfax said
will mr rochester marry her
i asked
mrs fairfax smiled
i don’t know miss air 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 mrs fairfax
mr rochester will return on thursday
mrs fairfax said
some of his friends will come here with
him
there will be many guests at thornfield
hall
on thursday evening
mrs fairfax adele and i
were in adele’s bedroom
mrs fairfax was looking out of the
window
the guests are arriving now
mrs 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
mrs 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
mrs fairfax came into the school room
mr rochester wants you to meet his
guests tonight miss air
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 gentleman 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
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
good night 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 milcot
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
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
hope
hope 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 mad woman
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 pool
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
gateshead hall
dear jane eyre
my brother
john
is dead
my mother is very ill
she wants to speak to you
please come quickly jane
your cousin
eliza reed
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
madeira
october 1831
dear madam
i am jane eyre’s uncle
i am a very rich man
i have no children
one day
jane will have all my money
tell her about me
she must write to me
john air
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 air
i wrote
jane eyre is dead
she died at low wood school
i am sorry jane
i was wrong
mrs 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 deliver to school jane
he said
then i will not want to govern us 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
i 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 good night
and i went into the house
i went upstairs to my
later
i remembered my uncle john ayers 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 nine
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 edward rochester
has a wife
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 mrs rochester
come and see the mad woman
we all left the church
nobody spoke
at thornfield
mrs 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 pool 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 mad woman saw mr rochester
she screamed and she ran towards him
be careful sir
grace poole said
the mad woman 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 air
he said
you did nothing wrong
your uncle john air is sorry for you too
he read your letter
and then he met richard mason in madeira
your uncle is dying
miss er
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
i went away
gracepool 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 believe 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 i 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 10 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 more
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
more 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 more 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 sinjan rivers
he said
these are my sisters diana and mary
what is your name young woman
my name is jane
elliott
i said
i closed my eyes
jane is very tired
diana said
she must go to bed now
i stayed in bed at moore house for three
days
diana and mary rivers were governesses
they were staying at morehouse for a few
days
sinjin their brother was a clergyman
they were very kind to me
soon we were good friends
one day
sinjin asked me about my life
i was a governess too
i told him
and i told him about low wood school
but i did not tell him about thornfield
hall
i did not tell him about mr rochester
i want to work sinjin
i said
will you help me
i have a plan
sinjin said
a few miles from here
there is a village
many of the girls in the village cannot
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 sinjin
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
sinjin
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
sinjin 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 elliott
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
sinjin said
jane eyre was a pupil at low wood 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
sinjin 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 sinjin
i said
my name is not jane elliott
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 sinjan said
your uncle john air is dead
john air 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 air
sinjin 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 sinjan diana and mary
5 000 pounds each
i wrote to mrs 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
[Music]
that is mr rochester’s voice
i said to myself
then i shouted
i am coming edward
i am coming
i ran to morehouse 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 the 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 in 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 mad woman 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 mad woman jumped from the roof
she died
was mr rochester hurt
i asked quickly
yes
he was badly hurt
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 30 miles away
the man said
do you have a carriage i asked i must go
to ferndeen immediately
i got out of the carriage near ferndeen
i walked to the house
i knocked on the door
a servant opened it
i knew her
oh miss air 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
[Music]
you