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第7章 诚心

　　'Well, you have been crying, Miss Jane Eyre; can you tell me whatabout? Have you any pain?'

　　'Sir?' said Mrs. Fairfax.

　　Mrs. Fairfax had dropped her knitting, and, with raised eyebrows,seemed wondering what sort of talk this was.

　　'Abominable stuff! How shameful!'

　　'Your decisions are perfectly judicious, madam,' returned Mr.Brocklehurst. 'Humility is a Christian grace, and one peculiarlyappropriate to the pupils of Lowood; I, therefore, direct thatespecial care shall be bestowed on its cultivation amongst them. Ihave studied how best to mortify in them the worldly sentiment ofpride; and, only the other day, I had a pleasing proof of mysuccess. My second daughter, Augusta, went with her mama to visitthe school, and on her return she exclaimed: "Oh, dear papa, how quietand plain all the girls at Lowood look, with their hair combedbehind their ears, and their long pinafores, and those littleholland pockets outside their frocks- they are almost like poorpeople's children! and," said she, "they looked at my dress andmama's, as if they had never seen a silk gown before."'

　　'Has it other furniture of the same kind within?'

　　'And hungry too, no doubt: let her have some supper before she goesto bed, Miss Miller. Is this the first time you have left your parentsto come to school, my little girl?'

　　I let down the window and looked out; Millcote was behind us;judging by the number of its lights, it seemed a place of considerablemagnitude, much larger than Lowton. We were now, as far as I couldsee, on a sort of common; but there were houses scattered all over thedistrict; I felt we were in a different region to Lowood, morepopulous, less picturesque; more stirring, less romantic.

　　'How is Helen Burns?'