汤姆越想集中注意力看书，脑子就越乱。他只好叹叹气，打了个呵欠，最后取消了看书 学习的念头。他觉得中午放学时间老是不到来。空气死一般寂等，纹丝不动，这是最最发困 的日子。教室里有二十五位学生在用功，他们的读书声就像是一群蜜蜂的嗡嗡叫声，安抚着 人们的心灵，也催人入眠。远处赤日炎炎下，卡第夫山在一层微微闪动的热浪中，显得青翠 欲滴，紫莹莹的，远看上去十分柔和；几只鸟儿悠闲地在高高的天空上翱翔；只有几只牛还 算是活着的东西，可它们却在睡觉。汤姆心急如焚，企盼着早点下课，不然弄点有趣的活计 捣鼓捣鼓来打发时间也好。他七摸八摸地模到了口袋，不知不觉地，他为之一振，满脸露出 感激之情。于是他悄悄地拿出那个雷管筒子，把扁虱放出来，放在那条平平的长条书桌上。 这小东西大概也有种谢天谢地的快感，可是未免高兴得有些太早了，因为正当它感激万分地 要逃走时，汤姆用别针把它翻了个，让它改变了方向。 汤姆的至友乔·哈帕就坐在他旁边。和汤姆一样，乔·哈帕终于有了出头之日。看见扁 虱，他很感激，一下子对它产生了浓厚的兴趣。这两个朋友平日里是莫逆之交，可到了星期 六就成了对阵的敌人。乔从衣服的翻领上取下别针，开始帮着操练这个小俘虏。这种玩法立 刻有趣多了。不久，汤姆说两个人玩一样东西既不方便也不过瘾。因此他把乔的写字板放到 桌子上，在写字板正中间从上到下划了一条直线。 他说：“现在只要扁虱在你那边，你就可以拨弄它，我不动手；不过要是你让它跑了， 跑到我这边，你就得让我玩，只要我能保住它，不让它爬过去，你就不准动手。” “行，开始吧。让它走。” 扁虱很快就从汤姆这边逃出去，爬过了界线。乔捉玩了一阵，它又逃掉，跑到汤姆那 边。这样扁虱经常来回两边跑，因此当一个孩子全神贯注地担心扁虱会逃到另一边时，另外 一个也饶有兴趣地在一旁看着。两个脑袋都凑得很近盯着写字板，对周围发生的一切，他俩 全然不顾。后来乔好像非常走运。那扁虱这儿走走，那儿走走，然后又换一边走走，它和两 个孩子一样既兴奋又着急。可是一次又一次，正当它好像是有把握可以获得胜利，汤姆的手 指也正在急着要去拨它的时候，乔用别针灵巧地把它拨了一下，又叫它转回头，还是留在他 这边。最后汤姆实在是忍无可忍，诱惑实在太大了。于是他伸出手去，用他的别针拨了一 下。乔这下子也生气了，说： “汤姆，你别动它。” “我只是想稍微动它一下，乔。” “不，伙计，这不公平；你还是不要动它。” “去你的，我又不是使劲拨它。” “告诉你，别去动它。” “我不愿意！” “你得愿意——它在我这边。” “听着，乔·哈帕，这扁虱是谁的？” “我不管是谁的——现在我这一边，你就不得动它。”“哼，我就动，怎么着？他是我 的，我爱怎么动就怎么动，拼上性命我也不在乎！” 汤姆的肩膀上重重挨了一击，乔也一样。有两分钟的功夫，他俩的上衣灰尘直冒，弄得 全体同学极为开心。孩子们光顾你争我抢，没有注意到教室里突然变得鸦雀无声。原来老师 早已观察了许久后，这才踮着脚走过来站到了他们跟前。 中午放学的时候，汤姆飞快跑到贝基·撒切尔那儿，低声耳语道： “戴上帽子，装着要回家去；走到拐角时，你就单溜，然后从那巷子再绕回来。我走另 一条路，也用同样的办法甩开他们。” 于是，一个跟着一群同学走了，另一个跟着另一群走。一会儿之后，他们都到了巷子尽 头。返回学校后，一切都归他俩支配。于是他们坐在一起，面前放着一块写字板，汤姆给贝 基一枝铅笔，然后手把着手教她画，就这样又画了一个令人叫绝的房子。当他们对画画渐渐 不再感兴趣时，就开始说起话来。汤姆沉浸在幸福之中。他说： “你喜欢老鼠吗？” “不！我讨厌老鼠！” “哼，我也讨厌——活老鼠。可我是说死老鼠，用一根线拴着，在头上甩来甩去地玩。” “不，不管怎么样，我不大喜欢老鼠。我所喜欢的是口香糖。” “啊，我也是。要是现在有就好了。” “是吗？我倒有几个。我让你嚼一会儿，不过你要还给我。” 谈好条件以后，他俩轮流嚼着口香糖，他们悬着腿，坐在长凳上，高兴极了。 汤姆问：“你看过马戏吗？” “看过。我爸说如果我听话的话，他以后还带我去看哩。” “我看过三四次马戏——看过好多次。做礼拜和看马戏相比，算不了什么。马戏团演出 时，总是不停地换着花样。我打算长大后到马戏团当小丑。” “啊，真的吗！那倒不错。小丑满身画着点点，真可爱。” “是的，一点也不错。他们能赚大把大把的钞票——差不多一天赚一块，本·罗杰斯说 的。嘿，贝基，你订过婚吗？” “订婚是什么？” “哦，订婚就是快要结婚了。” “没有。” “你愿意订婚吗？” “我想是愿意的。我不知道。订婚究竟是怎么回事？”“怎么回事？说不上怎么回事。 你对一个男孩子说除了他，你将永远永远，永远不和别人相好，然后你就和他接吻，就这么 回事。人人都能做到。” “接吻？接吻干什么？” “哎，那，你知道，就是——嘿，人家都是那样做的。” “人人都这样？” “哎，对，彼此相爱的人都这样。你还记得我在写字板上写的字吗？” “记——记得。” “写的是什么？” “我不告诉你。” “那我告诉你。” “好——好吧——还是以后再说吧。” “不，现在说。” “不行，现在不能说——明天再说吧。” “不，不行，就现在说。求求你，贝基——我小声说，我轻轻地说。” 贝基正在犹豫，汤姆认为她是默许了，于是用胳膊搂住她的腰，嘴靠近她的耳朵，轻声 细语地讲了那句话。接着他又补充道： “现在你也轻轻地对我说——同样的话。” 她先拒绝了一会，然后说： “你把脸转过去，别看着我，我就说。但是你千万不要对别人说，好吗？汤姆，你不对 别人说吧！” “不说，我保证，保证不说。来吧，贝基。” 他把脸转过去。她胆怯地弯下腰，一直到她的呼吸吹动了汤姆的鬈发，才悄声地说： “我——爱——你！” 她说完就围着书桌和板凳跑起来，汤姆在后面追她；最后她躲在拐角里，用白色围裙遮 住脸。汤姆一把抱紧她的脖子，求她： “好了，贝基，现在一切都做了——就差接吻了。不要害怕——没什么大不了的。求你 了，贝基。”他使劲拉她的围裙和手。 渐渐地她让了步，她把手放下来。刚才一阵折腾使她的脸都红了，她抬起头，顺从了汤 姆。汤姆吻了她红红的嘴唇，说道： “好了，贝基，该做的都做了。要知道，从今往后你只能爱我不能跟别人好，只能嫁给 我不能和别人结婚，永远、永远、不变，好吗？” “好的。汤姆，我只跟你相爱，不爱别人，我只嫁给你，不和别人结婚——你也一样除 了我不能娶别人。” “对对，对对。还有，通常我们在上学或放学的时候，要是没有旁人在场的话，你就和 我一块走——开舞会的时候，你选我做伴，我选你做伴，因为订了婚的人都是这样的。” “真是太有意思了。我以前还从没听说过。” “啊，这才有趣哪！嘿，我和艾美·劳伦斯——” 贝基睁大了两只眼睛望着他，汤姆这才发现自己已铸成了大错，于是他住了口，有点不 知所措的样子。 “啊，汤姆！那么，我还不是头一个和你订婚的呀！” 这小女孩开始哭了起来。汤姆说： “哦，贝基，不要哭，我已经不再喜欢她了。” “哼，喜欢不喜欢她，你汤姆心中有数。” 汤姆想伸出胳膊去搂她的脖子，可是被她推开了。她转脸对着墙，继续在哭。汤姆又试 了一次，嘴里还讲着好话，可是她还是不理他。这一下伤了他的面子，于是他大步流星，来 到外面。他在附近站了一会儿，心里很乱，十分着急，不时地朝门口瞅一瞅，希望她会后 悔，会出来找他。可是她没有。这样他渐渐觉得不对劲，害怕自己真地犯了错。经过一番激 烈的思想斗争，他镇定下来，走进教室去认错。她还站在教室后面的拐角处，脸冲着墙，在 抽泣。汤姆的良心受到了指责。他走到她身旁站了一会，不知道该怎么办才好。片刻后，他 迟疑不定地说： “贝基，我不喜欢别人，只喜欢你。” 没有应声——只有抽泣。 “贝基，”——汤姆恳求道，“贝基，你说话好不好？” 贝基抽泣得更厉害。 汤姆把他最珍贵的宝贝，一个壁炉柴架顶上的铜把手，拿出来从她背后绕过去给她看， 说： “求求你了，贝基，拿着这个好不好？” 她一把把铜把手打翻在地。于是汤姆大步流星走出教室，翻过小山，走到很远的地方， 那一天他是不打算再回学校了。很快贝基就开始担心了。她跑到门口，没有看见他。她又飞 快地跑到操场，他也不在那里。于是，她就喊： “汤姆！回来吧，汤姆！” 她留神听了听，可是没有回答。伴随她的只有寂寞和孤独。她坐下又哭起来，边哭边生 自己的气；这时候同学们又陆陆续续地来上学了，她虽然伤心欲绝，但只得掩而不露。周围 的陌生人中，没有人替她分忧解愁。她只好在痛苦中熬过那漫长而令人乏味的下午。

MY first quarter at Lowood seemed an age; and not the golden age either; it comprised an irksome struggle with difficulties in habituating myself to new rules and unwonted tasks. The fear of failure in these points harassed me worse than the physical hardships of my lot; though these were no trifles.

During January, February, and part of March, the deep snows, and, after their melting, the almost impassable roads, prevented our stirring beyond the garden walls, except to go to church; but within these limits we had to pass an hour every day in the open air. Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold: we had no boots, the snow got into our shoes and melted there: our ungloved hands became numbed and covered with chilblains, as were our feet: I remember well the distracting irritation I endured from this cause every evening, when my feet inflamed; and the torture of thrusting the swelled, raw, and stiff toes into my shoes in the morning. Then the scanty supply of food was distressing: with the keen appetites of growing children, we had scarcely sufficient to keep alive a delicate invalid. From this deficiency of nourishment resulted an abuse, which pressed hardly on the younger pupils: whenever the famished great girls had an opportunity, they would coax or menace the little ones out of their portion. Many a time I have shared between two claimants the precious morsel of brown bread distributed at teatime; and after relinquishing to a third half the contents of my mug of coffee, I have swallowed the remainder with an accompaniment of secret tears, forced from me by the exigency of hunger.

Sundays were dreary days in that wintry season. We had to walk two miles to Brocklebridge Church, where our patron officiated. We set out cold, we arrived at church colder: during the morning service we became almost paralysed. It was too far to return to dinner, and an allowance of cold meat and bread, in the same penurious proportion observed in our ordinary meals, was served round between the services.

At the close of the afternoon service we returned by an exposed and hilly road, where the bitter winter wind, blowing over a range of snowy summits to the north, almost flayed the skin from our faces.

I can remember Miss Temple walking lightly and rapidly along our drooping line, her plaid cloak, which the frosty wind fluttered, gathered close about her, and encouraging us, by precept and example, to keep up our spirits, and march forward, as she said, 'like stalwart soldiers.' The other teachers, poor things, were generally themselves too much dejected to attempt the task of cheering others.

How we longed for the light and heat of a blazing fire when we got back! But, to the little ones at least, this was denied: each hearth in the schoolroom was immediately surrounded by a double row of great girls, and behind them the younger children crouched in groups, wrapping their starved arms in their pinafores.

A little solace came at tea-time, in the shape of a double ration of bread- a whole, instead of a half, slice- with the delicious addition of a thin scrape of butter: it was the hebdomadal treat to which we all looked forward from Sabbath to Sabbath. I generally contrived to reserve a moiety of this bounteous repast for myself; but the remainder I was invariably obliged to part with.

The Sunday evening was spent in repeating, by heart, the Church Catechism, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of St. Matthew; and in listening to a long sermon, read by Miss Miller, whose irrepressible yawns attested her weariness. A frequent interlude of these performances was the enactment of the part of Eutychus by some half-dozen of little girls, who, overpowered with sleep, would fall down, if not out of the third loft, yet off the fourth form, and be taken up half dead. The remedy was, to thrust them forward into the centre of the schoolroom, and oblige them to stand there till the sermon was finished. Sometimes their feet failed them, and they sank together in a heap; they were then propped up with the monitors' high stools.

I have not yet alluded to the visits of Mr. Brocklehurst; and indeed that gentleman was from home during the greater part of the first month after my arrival; perhaps prolonging his stay with his friend the archdeacon: his absence was a relief to me. I need not say that I had my own reasons for dreading his coming: but come he did at last.

One afternoon (I had then been three weeks at Lowood), as I was sitting with a slate in my hand, puzzling over a sum in long division, my eyes, raised in abstraction to the window, caught sight of a figure just passing: I recognised almost instinctively that gaunt outline; and when, two minutes after, all the school, teachers included, rose en masse, it was not necessary for me to look up in order to ascertain whose entrance they thus greeted. A long stride measured the schoolroom, and presently beside Miss Temple, who herself had risen, stood the same black column which had frowned on me so ominously from the hearthrug of Gateshead. I now glanced sideways at this piece of architecture. Yes, I was right: it was Mr. Brocklehurst, buttoned up in a surtout, and looking longer, narrower, and more rigid than ever.

I had my own reasons for being dismayed at this apparition; too well I remembered the perfidious hints given by Mrs. Reed about my disposition, etc.; the promise pledged by Mr. Brocklehurst to apprise Miss Temple and the teachers of my vicious nature. All along I had been dreading the fulfilment of this promise,- I had been looking out daily for the 'Coming Man,' whose information respecting my past life and conversation was to brand me as a bad child for ever: now there he was.

He stood at Miss Temple's side; he was speaking low in her ear: I did not doubt he was making disclosures of my villainy; and I watched her eye with painful anxiety, expecting every moment to see its dark orb turn on me a glance of repugnance and contempt. I listened too; and as I happened to be seated quite at the top of the room, I caught most of what he said: its import relieved me from immediate apprehension.

'I suppose, Miss Temple, the thread I bought at Lowton will do; it struck me that it would be just of the quality for the calico chemises, and I sorted the needles to match. You may tell Miss Smith that I forgot to make a memorandum of the darning needles, but she shall have some papers sent in next week; and she is not, on any account, to give out more than one at a time to each pupil: if they have more, they are apt to be careless and lose them. And, O ma'am! I wish the woollen stockings were better looked to!- when I was here last, I went into the kitchen-garden and examined the clothes drying on the line; there was a quantity of black hose in a very bad state of repair: from the size of the holes in them I was sure they had not been well mended from time to time.' He paused.

'Your directions shall be attended to, sir,' said Miss Temple. 'And, ma'am,' he continued, 'the laundress tells me some of the girls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the rules limit them to one.'

'I think I can explain that circumstance, sir. Agnes and Catherine Johnstone were invited to take tea with some friends at Lowton last Thursday, and I gave them leave to put on clean tuckers for the occasion.'

Mr. Brocklehurst nodded.

'Well, for once it may pass; but please not to let the circumstance occur too often. And there is another thing which surprised me; I find, in settling accounts with the housekeeper, that a lunch, consisting of bread and cheese, has twice been served out to the girls during the past fortnight. How is this? I looked over the regulations, and I find no such meal as lunch mentioned. Who introduced this innovation? and by what authority?'

'I must be responsible for the circumstance, sir,' replied Miss Temple: 'the breakfast was so ill prepared that the pupils could not possibly eat it; and I dared not allow them to remain fasting till dinner-time.'

'Madam, allow me an instant. You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying. Should any little accidental disappointment of the appetite occur, such as the spoiling of a meal, the under or the over dressing of a dish, the incident ought not to be neutralised by replacing with something more delicate the comfort lost, thus pampering the body and obviating the aim of this institution; it ought to be improved to the spiritual edification of the pupils, by encouraging them to evince fortitude under the temporary privation. A brief address on those occasions would not be mistimed, wherein a judicious instructor would take the opportunity of referring to the sufferings of the primitive Christians; to the torments of martyrs; to the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself, calling upon His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him; to His warnings that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God; to His divine consolations, "If ye suffer hunger or thirst for My sake, happy are ye." Oh, madam, when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children's mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!'

Mr. Brocklehurst again paused- perhaps overcome by his feelings. Miss Temple had looked down when he first began to speak to her; but she now gazed straight before her, and her face, naturally pale as marble, appeared to be assuming also the coldness and fixity of that material; especially her mouth, closed as if it would have required a sculptor's chisel to open it, and her brow settled gradually into petrified severity.

Meantime, Mr. Brocklehurst, standing on the hearth with his hands behind his back, majestically surveyed the whole school. Suddenly his eye gave a blink, as if it had met something that either dazzled or shocked its pupil; turning, he said in more rapid accents than he had hitherto used-

'Miss Temple, Miss Temple, what- what is that girl with curled hair? Red hair, ma'am, curled- curled all over?' And extending his cane he pointed to the awful object, his hand shaking as he did so.

'It is Julia Severn,' replied Miss Temple, very quietly.

'Julia Severn, ma'am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair? Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, does she conform to the world so openly- here in an evangelical, charitable establishment- as to wear her hair one mass of curls?'

'Julia's hair curls naturally,' returned Miss Temple, still more quietly.

'Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl's hair must be cut off entirely; I will send a barber tomorrow: and I see others who have far too much of the excrescence- that tall girl, tell her to turn round. Tell all the first form to rise up and direct their faces to the wall.'

Miss Temple passed her handkerchief over her lips, as if to smooth away the involuntary smile that curled them; she gave the order, however, and when the first class could take in what was required of them, they obeyed. Leaning a little back on my bench, I could see the looks and grimaces with which they commented on this manoeuvre: it was a pity Mr. Brocklehurst could not see them too; he would perhaps have felt that, whatever he might do with the outside of the cup and platter, the inside was further beyond his interference than he imagined.

He scrutinised the reverse of these living medals some five minutes, then pronounced sentence. These words fell like the knell of doom-

'All those top-knots must be cut off.'

Miss Temple seemed to remonstrate.

'Madam,' he pursued, 'I have a Master to serve whose kingdom is not of this world: my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel; and each of the young persons before us has a string of hair twisted in plaits which vanity itself might have woven; these, I repeat, must be cut off; think of the time wasted, of-' Mr. Brocklehurst was here interrupted: three other visitors, ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this graceful head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled; the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.

These ladies were deferentially received by Miss Temple, as Mrs. and the Misses Brocklehurst, and conducted to seats of honour at the top of the room. It seems they had come in the carriage with their reverend relative, and had been conducting a rummaging scrutiny of the room upstairs, while he transacted business with the housekeeper, questioned the laundress, and lectured the superintendent. They now proceeded to address divers remarks and reproofs to Miss Smith, who was charged with the care of the linen and the inspection of the dormitories: but I had no time to listen to what they said; other matters called off and enchained my attention.

Hitherto, while gathering up the discourse of Mr. Brocklehurst and Miss Temple, I had not, at the same time, neglected precautions to secure my personal safety; which I thought would be effected, if I could only elude observation. To this end, I had sat well back on the form, and while seeming to be busy with my sum, had held my slate in such a manner as to conceal my face: I might have escaped notice, had not my treacherous slate somehow happened to slip from my hand, and falling with an obtrusive crash, directly drawn every eye upon me; I knew it was all over now, and, as I stooped to pick up the two fragments of slate, I rallied my forces for the worst. It came.

'A careless girl!' said Mr. Brocklehurst, and immediately after- 'It is the new pupil, I perceive.' And before I could draw breath, 'I must not forget I have a word to say respecting her.' Then aloud: how loud it seemed to me! 'Let the child who broke her slate come forward!'

Of my own accord I could not have stirred; I was paralysed: but the two great girls who sat on each side of me, set me on my legs and pushed me towards the dread judge, and then Miss Temple gently assisted me to his very feet, and I caught her whispered counsel-

'Don't be afraid, Jane, I saw it was an accident; you shall not be punished.'The kind whisper went to my heart like a dagger.

'Another minute, and she will despise me for a hypocrite,' thought I; and an impulse of fury against Reed, Brocklehurst, and Co. bounded in my pulses at the conviction. I was no Helen Burns.

'Fetch that stool,' said Mr. Brocklehurst, pointing to a very high one from which a monitor had just risen: it was brought. 'Place the child upon it.'

And I was placed there, by whom I don't know: I was in no condition to note particulars; I was only aware that they had hoisted me up to the height of Mr. Brocklehurst's nose, that he was within a yard of me, and that a spread of shot orange and purple silk pelisses and a cloud of silvery plumage extended and waved below me.

Mr. Brocklehurst hemmed.

'Ladies,' said he, turning to his family, 'Miss Temple, teachers, and children, you all see this girl?'

Of course they did; for I felt their eyes directed like burning-glasses against my scorched skin.

'You see she is yet young; you observe she possesses the ordinary form of childhood; God has graciously given her the shape that He has given to all of us; no signal deformity points her out as a marked character. Who would think that the Evil One had already found a servant and agent in her? Yet such, I grieve to say, is the case.'

A pause- in which I began to steady the palsy of my nerves, and to feel that the Rubicon was passed; and that the trial, no longer to be shirked, must be firmly sustained.

'My dear children,' pursued the black marble clergyman, with pathos, 'this is a sad, a melancholy occasion; for it becomes my duty to warn you, that this girl, who might be one of God's own lambs, is a little castaway: not a member of the true flock, but evidently an interloper and an alien. You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example; if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse. Teachers, you must watch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinise her actions, punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible, for (my tongue falters while I tell it) this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut- this girl is- a liar!'

Now came a pause of ten minutes, during which I, by this time in perfect possession of my wits, observed all the female Brocklehursts produce their pocket-handkerchiefs and apply them to their optics, while the elderly lady swayed herself to and fro, and the two younger ones whispered, 'How shocking!'

Mr. Brocklehurst resumed.

'This I learned from her benefactress; from the pious and charitable lady who adopted her in her orphan state, reared her as her own daughter, and whose kindness, whose generosity the unhappy girl repaid by an ingratitude so bad, so dreadful, that at last her excellent patroness was obliged to separate her from her own young ones, fearful lest her vicious example should contaminate their purity: she has sent her here to be healed, even as the Jews of old sent their diseased to the troubled pool of Bethesda; and, teachers, superintendent, I beg of you not to allow the waters to stagnate round her.'

With this sublime conclusion, Mr. Brocklehurst adjusted the top button of his surtout, muttered something to his family, who rose, bowed to Miss Temple, and then all the great people sailed in state from the room. Turning at the door, my judge said- 'Let her stand half an hour longer on that stool, and let no one speak to her during the remainder of the day.'

There was I, then, mounted aloft; I, who had said I could not bear the shame of standing on my natural feet in the middle of the room, was now exposed to general view on a pedestal of infamy. What my sensations were, no language can describe; but just as they all rose, stifling my breath and constricting my throat, a girl came up and passed me: in passing, she lifted her eyes. What a strange light inspired them! What an extraordinary sensation that ray sent through me! How the new feeling bore me up! It was as if a martyr, a hero, had passed a slave or victim, and imparted strength in the transit. I mastered the rising hysteria, lifted up my head, and took a firm stand on the stool. Helen Burns asked some slight questions about her work of Miss Smith, was chidden for the triviality of the inquiry, returned to her place, and smiled at me as she again went by. What a smile! I remember it now, and I know that it was the effluence of fine intellect, of true courage; it lit up her marked lineaments, her thin face, her sunken grey eye, like a reflection from the aspect of an angel. Yet at that moment Helen Burns wore on her arm 'the untidy badge;' scarcely an hour ago I had heard her condemned by Miss Scatcherd to a dinner of bread and water on the morrow because she had blotted an exercise in copying it out. Such is the imperfect nature of man! such spots are there on the disc of the clearest planet; and eyes like Miss Scatcherd's can only see those minute defects, and are blind to the full brightness of the orb.