Mr. Rochester"s extreme pallor had disappeared，and he looked once more firm and stern. He took the glass from my hand.

"Here is to your health，ministrant spirit!" he said. He swallowed the contents and returned it to me. "What are they doing，Jane?"

"Laughing and talking，sir."

"They don"t look grave and mysterious，as if they had heard something strange?"

"Not at all: they are full of jests and gaiety."

"And Mason?"

"He was laughing too."

"If all these people came in a body and spat at me，what would you do，Jane?"

"Turn them out of the room，sir，if I could."

He half smiled. "But if I were to go to them，and they only looked at me coldly，and whispered sneeringly amongst each other，and then dropped off and left me one by one，what then? Would you go with them?"

"I rather think not，sir: I should have more pleasure in staying with you."

"To fort me?"