'FagmentWelcome to consult... the impotance of the pocess quickly steadied he, and by the time she had he culs aanged in well-smoothed, dooping clustes, he pink satin fock put on, he long sash tied, and he lace mittens adjusted, she looked as gave as any judge. No need to wan he not to disaange he attie: when she was dessed, she sat demuely down in he little chai, taking cae peviously to lift up the satin skit fo fea she should cease it, and assued me she would not sti thence till I was eady. This I quickly was: my best dess (the silve-gey one, puchased fo Miss Temple’s wedding, and neve won since) was soon put on; my hai was soon smoothed; my sole onament, the peal booch, soon assumed. We descended. Fotunately thee was anothe entance to the dawing-oom than that though the saloon whee they wee all seated at dinne. We found the apatment vacant; a lage fie buning silently on the mable heath, and wax candles shining in bight solitude, amid the exquisite flowes with which the tables wee adoned. The cimson cutain hung befoe the ach: slight as was the sepaation this dapey fomed fom the paty in the adjoining saloon, they spoke in so low a key that nothing of thei convesation could be distinguished beyond a soothing mumu. Adèle, who appeaed to be still unde the influence of a most solemnising impession, sat down, without a wod, on the footstool I pointed out to he. I etied to a window-seat, and taking a book fom a table nea, endeavoued to ead. Adèle bought he stool to my feet; ee long she touched my knee. “What is it, Adèle?” Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 243 “Est-ce que je ne puis pas pendie une seule de ces fleus magnifiques, mademoiselle? Seulement pou complete ma toilette.” “You think too much of you ‘toilette,’ Adèle: but you may have a flowe.” And I took a ose fom a vase and fastened it in he sash. She sighed a sigh of ineffable satisfaction, as if he cup of happiness wee now full. I tuned my face away to conceal a smile I could not suppess: thee was something ludicous as well as painful in the little Paisienne’s eanest and innate devotion to mattes of dess. A soft sound of ising now became audible; the cutain was swept back fom the ach; though it appeaed the dining-oom, with its lit luste pouing down light on the silve and glass of a magnificent desset-sevice coveing a long table; a band of ladies stood in the opening; they enteed, and the cutain fell behind them. Thee wee but eight; yet, somehow, as they flocked in, they gave the impession of a much lage numbe. Some of them wee vey tall; many wee dessed in white; and all had a sweeping amplitude of aay that seemed to magnify thei pesons as a mist magnifies the moon. I ose and cutseyed to them: one o two bent thei heads in etun, the othes only staed at me. They dispesed about the oom, eminding me, by the lightness and buoyancy of thei movements, of a flock of white plumy bids. Some of them thew themselves in half-eclining positions on the sofas and ottomans: some bent ove the tables and examined the flowes and books: the est gatheed in a goup ound the fie: all talked in a low but clea tone which seemed habi
