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make much sense of what I heard; for the discourse of Louisa Eshton
and Mary Ingram, who sat nearer to me, confused the fragmentary
sentences that reached me at intervals. These last were discussing the
stranger; they both called him 'a beautiful man.' Louisa said he was
'a love of a creature,' and she 'adored him'; and Mary instanced his
'pretty little mouth, and nice nose,' as her ideal of the charming.
'And what a sweet-tempered forehead he hast' cried Louisa,- 'so
smooth- none of those frowning irregularities I dislike so much; and
such a placid eye and smile!'
And then, to my great relief, Mr. Henry Lynn summoned them to the
other side of the room, to settle some point about the deferred
excursion to Hay Common.
I was now able to concentrate my attention on the group by the
fire, and I presently gathered that the newcomer was called Mr. Mason;
then I learned that he was but just arrived in England, and that he
came from some hot country: which was the reason, doubtless, his
face was so sallow, and that he sat so near the hearth, and wore a
surtout in the house. Presently the words Jamaica, Kingston, Spanish
Town, indicated the West Indies as his residence; and it was with no
little surprise I gathered, ere long, that he had there first seen and
become acquainted with Mr. Rochester. He spoke of his friend's dislike
of the burning heats, the hurricanes, and rainy seasons of that
region. I knew Mr. Rochester had been a traveller: Mrs. Fairfax had
said so; but I thought the continent of Europe had bounded his
wanderings; till now I had never heard a hint given of visits to
more distant shores.
I was pondering these things, when an incident, and a somewhat
unexpected one, broke the thread of my musings. Mr. Mason, shivering
as some one chanced to open the door, asked for more coal to be put on
the fire, which had burnt out its flame, though its mass of cinder
still shone hot and red. The footman who brought the coal, in going
out, stopped near Mr. Eshton's chair, and said something to him in a
low voice, of which I heard only the words, 'old woman,'- 'quite
troublesome.'
'Tell her she shall be put in the stocks if she does not take
herself off,' replied the magistrate.
'No- stop!' interrupted Colonel Dent. 'Don't send her away, Eshton;
we might turn the thing to account; better consult the ladies.' And
speaking aloud, he continued- 'Ladies, you talked of going to Hay
Common to visit the gipsy camp; Sam here says that one of the old
Mother Bunches is in the servants' hall at this moment, and insists
upon being brought in before "the quality," to tell them their
fortunes. Would you like to see her?'
'Surely, colonel,' cried Lady Ingram, 'you would not encourage such
a low impostor? Dismiss her, by all means, at once!'
'But I cannot persuade her to go away, my lady,' said the
footman; 'nor can any of the servants: Mrs. Fairfax is with her just