I repeated the question more distinctly.

"Miss Fairfax? Oh，you mean Miss Varens! Varens is the name of your future pupil."

"Indeed! Then she is not your daughter?"

"No,- I have no family."

I should have followed up my first inquiry，by asking in what way Miss Varens was connected with her; but I recollected it was not polite to ask too many questions: besides，I was sure to hear in time.

"I am so glad," she continued，as she sat down opposite to me，and took the cat on her knee; "I am so glad you are e; it will be quite pleasant living here now with a panion. To be sure it is pleasant at any time; for Thornfield is a fine old hall，rather neglected of late years perhaps，but still it is a respectable place; yet you know in winter-time one feels dreary quite alone in the best quarters. I say alone- Leah is a nice girl to be sure，and John and his wife are very decent people; but then you see they are only servants，and one can"t converse with them on terms of equality: one must keep them at due distance，for fear of losing one"s authority.

I"m sure last winter (it was a very severe one，if you recollect，and when it did not snow，it rained and blew)，not a creature but the butcher and postman came to the house，from November till February; and I really got quite melancholy with sitting night after night alone; I had Leah in to read to me sometimes; but I don"t think the poor girl liked the task much: she felt it confining. In spring and summer one got on better: sunshine and long days make such a difference; and then，just at the mencement of this autumn，little Adela Varens came and her nurse: a child makes a house alive all at once; and now you are here I shall be quite gay."

My heart really warmed to the worthy lady as I heard her talk; and I drew my chair a little nearer to her，and expressed my sincere wish that she might find my pany as agreeable as she anticipated.