06-01-简·爱 [6]
the dark．'
'Afraid of ghosts，are you？'he smiled．
'Of Mr Reed's ghost，yes．He died in that room，you know．Nobody ever goes in there any more．It was cruel to lock me in there alone without a candle．I shall never forget it！'
'But you aren't afraid now．There must be another reason why you are so sad，'he said，looking kindly at me．
How could I tell him all the reasons for my unhappiness！
'I have no father or mother，brothers or sisters，'I began．
'But you have a kind aunt and cousins．'
'But John Reed knocked me down and my aunt locked me in the red room，'I cried．There was a pause．
'Don't you like living at Gateshead，in such a beautiful house？'he asked．
'I would be glad to leave it，but I have nowhere else to go．'
'You have no relations apart from Mrs Reed？'
'I think I may have some，who are very poor，but I know nothing about them，'I answered．
'Would you like to go to school？'he asked finally．I thought for a moment．I knew very little about school，but at least it would be a change，the start of a new life．
'Yes，I would like to go，'I replied in the end．
'Well，well，'said the doctor to himself as he got up，'we'll see．The child is delicate，she ought to have a change of air．'
I heard later from the servants that he had spoken to Mrs Reed about me，and that she had agreed immediately to send me to school．Abbott said Mrs Reed would be glad to get rid of me．In this conversation I also learned for the first time that my father had been a poor vicar．When he married my mother，Miss Jane Reed of Gateshead，the Reed family were so angry that they disinherited her．I also heard that my parents both died of an illness only a year after their wedding．
But days and weeks passed，and Mrs Reed still said nothing about sending me to school．One day，as she was scolding me，I suddenly threw a question at her．The words just came out without my planning to say them．
'What would uncle Reed say to you if he were alive？'I asked．
'What？'cried Mrs Reed，her cold grey eyes full of fear，staring at me as if I were a ghost．I had to continue．
'My uncle Reed is now in heaven，and can see all you think and do，and so can my parents．They know how you hate me，and are cruel to me．'
Mrs Reed smacked my face and left me without a word．I was scolded for an hour by Bessie as the most ungrateful child in the world，and indeed with so much hate in my heart I did feel wicked．
Christmas passed by，with no presents or new clothes for me．Every evening I watched Eliza and Georgiana putting on their new dresses and going out to parties Sometimes Bessie would come up to me in my lonely bedroom，bringing a piece of cake，sometimes she would tell me a story，and sometimes she would kiss me goodnight．When she was kind to me I thought she was the best person in the world，but she did not always have time for me．
On the morning of the fifteenth of January，Bessie rushed up to my room，to tell me a visitor wanted to see me．Who could it be？I knew Mrs Reed would be there too and I was frightened of seeing her again．When I nervously entered the breakfast-room I looked up at a black column！At least that was what he looked like to me．He was a tall，thin man dressed all in black，with a cold，stony face at the top of the column．
'This is the little girl I wrote to you about，'said Mrs Reed to the stony stranger．
'Well，Jane Eyre，'said the stranger heavily，'and are you a good child？'
It was impossible to say yes，with Mrs Reed sitting there，so I was silent．
'Perhaps the less said about that，the better，Mr Brocklehurst，'said Mrs Reed，shaking her head．
'I'm sorry to hear it，he answered．'Come here．Jane Eyre，and answer my questions．Where do the wicked go after death？'
'They go to hell，'I answered．
'An
'Afraid of ghosts，are you？'he smiled．
'Of Mr Reed's ghost，yes．He died in that room，you know．Nobody ever goes in there any more．It was cruel to lock me in there alone without a candle．I shall never forget it！'
'But you aren't afraid now．There must be another reason why you are so sad，'he said，looking kindly at me．
How could I tell him all the reasons for my unhappiness！
'I have no father or mother，brothers or sisters，'I began．
'But you have a kind aunt and cousins．'
'But John Reed knocked me down and my aunt locked me in the red room，'I cried．There was a pause．
'Don't you like living at Gateshead，in such a beautiful house？'he asked．
'I would be glad to leave it，but I have nowhere else to go．'
'You have no relations apart from Mrs Reed？'
'I think I may have some，who are very poor，but I know nothing about them，'I answered．
'Would you like to go to school？'he asked finally．I thought for a moment．I knew very little about school，but at least it would be a change，the start of a new life．
'Yes，I would like to go，'I replied in the end．
'Well，well，'said the doctor to himself as he got up，'we'll see．The child is delicate，she ought to have a change of air．'
I heard later from the servants that he had spoken to Mrs Reed about me，and that she had agreed immediately to send me to school．Abbott said Mrs Reed would be glad to get rid of me．In this conversation I also learned for the first time that my father had been a poor vicar．When he married my mother，Miss Jane Reed of Gateshead，the Reed family were so angry that they disinherited her．I also heard that my parents both died of an illness only a year after their wedding．
But days and weeks passed，and Mrs Reed still said nothing about sending me to school．One day，as she was scolding me，I suddenly threw a question at her．The words just came out without my planning to say them．
'What would uncle Reed say to you if he were alive？'I asked．
'What？'cried Mrs Reed，her cold grey eyes full of fear，staring at me as if I were a ghost．I had to continue．
'My uncle Reed is now in heaven，and can see all you think and do，and so can my parents．They know how you hate me，and are cruel to me．'
Mrs Reed smacked my face and left me without a word．I was scolded for an hour by Bessie as the most ungrateful child in the world，and indeed with so much hate in my heart I did feel wicked．
Christmas passed by，with no presents or new clothes for me．Every evening I watched Eliza and Georgiana putting on their new dresses and going out to parties Sometimes Bessie would come up to me in my lonely bedroom，bringing a piece of cake，sometimes she would tell me a story，and sometimes she would kiss me goodnight．When she was kind to me I thought she was the best person in the world，but she did not always have time for me．
On the morning of the fifteenth of January，Bessie rushed up to my room，to tell me a visitor wanted to see me．Who could it be？I knew Mrs Reed would be there too and I was frightened of seeing her again．When I nervously entered the breakfast-room I looked up at a black column！At least that was what he looked like to me．He was a tall，thin man dressed all in black，with a cold，stony face at the top of the column．
'This is the little girl I wrote to you about，'said Mrs Reed to the stony stranger．
'Well，Jane Eyre，'said the stranger heavily，'and are you a good child？'
It was impossible to say yes，with Mrs Reed sitting there，so I was silent．
'Perhaps the less said about that，the better，Mr Brocklehurst，'said Mrs Reed，shaking her head．
'I'm sorry to hear it，he answered．'Come here．Jane Eyre，and answer my questions．Where do the wicked go after death？'
'They go to hell，'I answered．
'An