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188 and Mr. Rochester turned to see who the "person" was. He made a curious grimace&mdash;one of his strange and equivocal demonstrations&mdash;threw down his cue and followed me from the room.

"Well, Jane?" he said, as he rested his back against the schoolroom door, which he had shut.

"If you please, sir, I want leave of absence for a week or two."

"What to do?&mdash;where to go?"

"To see a sick lady who has sent for me."

"What sick lady?&mdash;where does she live?"

"At Gateshead; in &mdash;&mdash;shire."

"&mdash;&mdash;shire? That is a hundred miles off! Who may she be that sends for people to see her that distance?"

"Her name is Reed, sir&mdash;Mrs. Reed."

"Reed of Gateshead? There was a Reed of Gateshead, a magistrate."

"It is his widow, sir."

"And what have you to do with her? How do you know her?"

"Mr. Reed was my uncle&mdash;my mother's brother."

"The deuce he was! You never told me that before; you always said you had no relations."

"None that would own me, sir. Mr. Reed is dead, and his wife cast me off."

"Why?"

"Because I was poor, and burdensome, and she disliked me."

"But Reed left children?&mdash;you must have cousins? Sir George Lynn was talking of a Reed of Gateshead yesterday, who, he said, was one of the veriest rascals on town; and Ingram was mentioning a Georgiana Reed of the same place, who was much admired for her beauty a season or two ago in London."

"John Reed is dead, too, sir; he ruined himself and half-ruined his family, and is supposed to have committed suicide. The news so shocked his mother that it brought on an apoplectic attack."

"And what good can you do her? Nonsense, Jane! I would never think of running a hundred miles to see an old lady who will, perhaps, be dead before you reach her; besides, you say she cast you off."

"Yes, sir, but that is long ago; and when her circumstances were very different; I could not be easy to neglect her wishes now."

"How long will you stay?"

"As short a time as possible, sir."

"Promise me only to stay a week&mdash;"

"I had better not pass my word; I might be obliged to break it."