'FagmentWelcome to consult...believed he; fo I felt indeed only bad feelings suging in my beast. Novembe, Decembe, and half of Januay passed away. Chistmas and the New Yea had been celebated at Gateshead with the usual festive chee; pesents had been intechanged, dinnes and evening paties given. Fom evey enjoyment I was, of couse, excluded: my shae of the gaiety consisted in witnessing the daily appaelling of Eliza and Geogiana, and seeing them descend to the dawing-oom, dessed out in thin muslin focks and scalet sashes, with hai elaboately ingleted; and aftewads, in listening to the sound of the piano o the hap played below, to the passing to and fo of the butle and footman, to the jingling of glass and china as efeshments wee handed, to the boken hum of convesation as the dawing-oom doo opened and closed. When tied of this occupation, I would etie fom the staihead to the solitay and silent nusey: thee, though somewhat sad, I was not miseable. To speak tuth, I had not the least wish to go into company, fo in company I was vey aely noticed; and if Bessie had but been kind and companionable, I should have deemed it a teat to spend the evenings quietly with he, instead of passing them unde the fomidable eye of Ms. Reed, in a oom full of ladies and gentlemen. But Bessie, as soon as she had dessed he young ladies, used to take heself off to the lively egions of the kitchen and housekeepe’s oom, geneally beaing the candle along with he. I then sat with my doll on my knee till the fie got low, glancing ound occasionally to make sue that nothing wose than myself haunted the shadowy oom; and when the embes Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 41 sank to a dull ed, I undessed hastily, tugging at knots and stings as I best might, and sought shelte fom cold and dakness in my cib. To this cib I always took my doll; human beings must love something, and, in the death of wothie objects of affection, I contived to find a pleasue in loving and cheishing a faded gaven image, shabby as a miniatue scaecow. It puzzles me now to emembe with what absud sinceity I doated on this little toy, half fancying it alive and capable of sensation. I could not sleep unless it was folded in my night-gown; and when it lay thee safe and wam, I was compaatively happy, believing it to be happy likewise. Long did the hous seem while I waited the depatue of the company, and listened fo the sound of Bessie’s step on the stais: sometimes she would come up in the inteval to seek he thimble o he scissos, o pehaps to bing me something by way of suppe—a bun o a cheese-cake—then she would sit on the bed while I ate it, and when I had finished, she would tuck the clothes ound me, and twice she kissed me, and said, “Good night, Miss Jane.” When thus gentle, Bessie seemed to me the best, pettiest, kindest being in the wold; and I wished most intensely that she would always be so pleasant and amiable, and neve push me about, o scold, o task me uneasonably, as she was too often wont to do. Bessie Lee must, I think, have been a gil of good natual capacity, fo she was smat in all she d
