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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.



CHAPTER VIII


Ere the half-hour ended, five o'clock struck; school was dismissed,
and all were gone into the refectory to tea. I now ventured to
descend: it was deep dusk; I retired into a corner and sat down on
the floor. The spell by which I had been so far supported began
to dissolve; reaction took place, and soon, so overwhelming was the
grief that seized me, I sank prostrate with my face to the ground.
Now I wept: Helen Burns was not here; nothing sustained me; left
to myself I abandoned myself, and my tears watered the boards. I
had meant to be so good, and to do so much at Lowood: to make so
many friends, to earn respect and win affection. Already I had
made visible progress: that very morning I had reached the head
of my class; Miss Miller had praised me warmly; Miss Temple had
smiled approbation; she had promised to teach me drawing, and to
let me learn French, if I continued to make similar improvement two
months longer: and then I was well received by my fellow-pupils;
treated as an equal by those of my own age, and not molested by
any; now, here I lay again crushed and trodden on; and could I ever
rise more?

"Never," I thought; and ardently I wished to die. While sobbing
out this wish in broken accents, some one approached: I started
up -- again Helen Burns was near me; the fading fires just showed
her coming up the long, vacant room; she brought my coffee and
bread.

"Come, eat something," she said; but I put both away from me,
feeling as if a drop or a crumb would have choked me in my present
condition. Helen regarded me, probably with surprise: I could not
now abate my agitation, though I tried hard; I continued to weep
aloud. She sat down on the ground near me, embraced her knees
with her arms, and rested her head upon them; in that attitude
she remained silent as an Indian. I was the first who spoke -

"Helen, why do you stay with a girl whom everybody believes to be
a liar?"

"Everybody, Jane? Why, there are only eighty people who have heard
you called so, and the world contains hundreds of millions."

"But what have I to do with millions? The eighty, I know, despise
me."

"Jane, you are mistaken: probably not one in the school either
despises or dislikes you: many, I am sure, pity you much."

"How can they pity me after what Mr. Brocklehurst has said?"

"Mr. Brocklehurst is not a god: nor is he even a great and admired
man: he is little liked here; he never took steps to make himself

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