"Now，my good fellow，how are you?" he asked.

"She"s done for me，I fear," was the faint reply.

"Not a whit!- courage! This day fortnight you"ll hardly be a pin the worse of it: you"ve lost a little blood; that"s all. Carter，assure him there"s no danger."

"I can do that conscientiously," said Carter，who had now undone the bandages; "only I wish I could have got here sooner: he would not have bled so much- but how is this? The flesh on the shoulder is torn as well as cut. This wound was not done with a knife: there have been teeth here!"

"She bit me," he murmured. "She worried me like a tigress，when Rochester got the knife from her."

"You should not have yielded: you should have grappled with her at once," said Mr. Rochester.

"But under such circumstances，what could one do?" returned Mason. "Oh，it was frightful!" he added，shuddering. "And I did not expect it: she looked so quiet at first."

"I warned you," was his friend"s answer; "I said- be on your guard when you go near her. Besides，you might have waited till to-morrow，and had me with you: it was mere folly to attempt the interview to-night，and alone."

"I thought I could have done some good."

"You thought! you thought! Yes，it makes me impatient to hear you: but，however，you have suffered，and are likely to suffer enough for not taking my advice; so I"ll say no more. Carter- hurry!- hurry! The sun will soon rise，and I must have him off."

"Directly，sir; the shoulder is just bandaged. I must look to this other wound in the arm: she has had her teeth here too，I think."