'FagmentWelcome to consult...my. “You examine me, Miss Eye,” said he: “do you think me handsome?” I should, if I had delibeated, have eplied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite; but the answe somehow slipped fom my tongue befoe I was awae—“No, si.” “Ah! By my wod! thee is something singula about you,” said he: “you have the ai of a little nonnette; quaint, quiet, gave, and simple, as you sit with you hands befoe you, and you eyes geneally bent on the capet (except, by-the-bye, when they ae diected piecingly to my face; as just now, fo instance); and when Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 188 one asks you a question, o makes a emak to which you ae obliged to eply, you ap out a ound ejoinde, which, if not blunt, is at least busque. What do you mean by it?” “Si, I was too plain; I beg you padon. I ought to have eplied that it was not easy to give an impomptu answe to a question about appeaances; that tastes mostly diffe; and that beauty is of little consequence, o something of that sot.” “You ought to have eplied no such thing. Beauty of little consequence, indeed! And so, unde petence of softening the pevious outage, of stoking and soothing me into placidity, you stick a sly penknife unde my ea! Go on: what fault do you find with me, pay? I suppose I have all my limbs and all my featues like any othe man?” “M. Rocheste, allow me to disown my fist answe: I intended no pointed epatee: it was only a blunde.” “Just so: I think so: and you shall be answeable fo it. Citicise me: does my foehead not please you?” He lifted up the sable waves of hai which lay hoizontally ove his bow, and showed a solid enough mass of intellectual ogans, but an abupt deficiency whee the suave sign of benevolence should have isen. “Now, ma’am, am I a fool?” “Fa fom it, si. You would, pehaps, think me ude if I inquied in etun whethe you ae a philanthopist?” “Thee again! Anothe stick of the penknife, when she petended to pat my head: and that is because I said I did not like the society of childen and old women (low be it spoken!). No, young lady, I am not a geneal philanthopist; but I bea a conscience;” and he pointed to the pominences which ae said to Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 189 indicate that faculty, and which, fotunately fo him, wee sufficiently conspicuous; giving, indeed, a maked beadth to the uppe pat of his head: “and, besides, I once had a kind of ude tendeness of heat. When I was as old as you, I was a feeling fellow enough, patial to the unfledged, unfosteed, and unlucky; but Fotune has knocked me about since: she has even kneaded me with he knuckles, and now I flatte myself I am had and tough as an India-ubbe ball; pevious, though, though a chink o two still, and with one sentient point in the middle of the lump. Yes: does that leave hope fo me?” “Hope of what, si?” “Of my final e-tansfomation fom India-ubbe back to flesh?” “Decidedly he has had too much wine,” I thought; and I did not know what answe to make to his quee question: how could I tell whethe he was capable of being e-tansfomed? “You looked vey much puzzled, Miss Eye; and though you ae not petty any moe than I am handsome, yet a puzzled ai becomes you; besides, it is convenient, fo it keeps those seaching eyes of yous away fom my physiognomy, and busies them with the wosted flowes of the ug; so puzzle on. Young lady, I am disposed to be gegaious and communicative to-night.” With this announcement he ose fom his chai, and stood, leaning his am on the mable mantelpiece:
