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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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190 ‘But under such circumstances, what could one do?’ returned Mason. ‘Oh, it was frightful!’ he added, shuddering. ‘And I did not expect it: she looked so quiet at first.’ ‘I warned you,’ was his friend’s answer; ‘I said-be on your guard when you go near her. Besides, you might have waited till to-morrow, and had me with you: it was mere folly to attempt the interview to-night, and alone.’ ‘I thought I could have done some good.’ ‘You thought! you thought! Yes, it makes me impatient to hear you: but, however, you have suffered, and are likely to suffer enough for not taking my advice; so I’ll say no more. Carter-hurry!- hurry! The sun will soon rise, and I must have him off.’ ‘Directly, sir; the shoulder is just bandaged. I must look to this other wound in the arm: she has had her teeth here too, I think.’ ‘She sucked the blood: she said she’d drain my heart,’ said Mason. I saw Mr. Rochester shudder: a singularly marked expression of disgust, horror, hatred, warped his countenance almost to distortion, but he only said‘Come, be silent, Richard, and never mind her gibberish: don’t repeat it.’ ‘I wish I could forget it,’ was the answer. ‘You will when you are out of the country: when you get back to Spanish Town, you may think of her as dead and buried-or rather, you need not think of her at all.’ ‘Impossible to forget this night!’ ‘It is not impossible: have some energy, man. You thought you were as dead as a herring two hours since, and you are all alive and talking now. There!- Carter has done with you or nearly so; I’ll make you decent in a trice. Jane’ (he turned to me for the first time since his re-entrance), ‘take this key: go down into my bedroom, and walk straight forward into my dressing-room: open the top drawer of the wardrobe and take out a clean shirt and neck- handkerchief: bring them here; and be nimble.’ I went; sought the repository he had mentioned, found the articles named, and returned with them. ‘Now,’ said he, ‘go to the other side of the bed while I order his toilet; but don’t leave the room: you may be wanted again.’ I retired as directed. ‘Was anybody stirring below when you went down, Jane?’ inquired Mr. Rochester presently. ‘No, sir; all was very still.’ ‘We shall get you off cannily, Dick: and it will be better, both for your sake, and for that of the poor creature in yonder. I have striven long to avoid exposure, and I should not like it to come at last. Here, Carter, help him on with his waistcoat. Where did you leave your furred cloak? You can’t travel a mile without that, I know, in this damned cold climate. In your room?- Jane, run down to Mr. Mason’s room,- the one next mine,- |
