abused me and an aunt who punished me for the bad behavior of her own children Have you any relatives besides Mrs Reed he asked I don’t know Aunt Reed said I might have some poor relations called Eyre But she knew nothing about them If you had such relatives would you like to go live with them I thought about that I knew little of being poor only what my cousins said I believed all the poor to be ragged dirty hungry cold and given to terrible acts I was not brave enough to escape the Reeds that way so I shook my head Aunt Reed said they are all beggars I wouldn’t like to beg I said Would you like to go to school Mr Lloyd asked I thought about that John went to school and hated it but I did not let that trouble me 10
John liked very few things I knew you learned things at school and I liked that idea Yes I fi nally replied Well let us see what happens he said The child could use a change of air and scene Then he left to speak to Mrs Reed Afterward I learned that I would be sent to school as soon as possible 11
2 Lowood Institute Weeks passed Mrs Reed insisted her darlings stay far away from me so my life improved At one point John tried to bully me but I would not accept such treatment and fought back When John ran howling to his mother she only scolded him I told you not to go near her She is not worthy of notice At that I cried out They are not fi t to associate with me Mrs Reed fairly fl ew up the stairs at me and nearly hurled me into the nursery Again my tongue would not be silent What would Uncle Reed say to you if he were alive I demanded What she whispered her face fearful 12
Uncle Reed is in heaven He can see what you do So can my papa and mama They know how you lock me up They know you wish me dead Mrs Reed shook me roughly and stormed out of the nursery After that I was kept even farther from her and my cousins I was rarely noticed and that alone made my life better Then in January a visitor came and I was called downstairs Mrs Reed was in the breakfast room with a tall grim man named Mr Brocklehurst Her size is small he said She is ten years old Mrs Reed said Old enough for your school I believe Jane Eyre are you a good child Mrs Reed said that I was not She told him I was prone to lying The tall man frowned at me Do you know where the wicked go after death To hell I said What must you do to avoid it he asked 13
