"You may well say so，ma"am: it was frightful!"

He shuddered.

"And afterwards?" I urged.

"Well，ma"am，afterwards the house was burnt to the ground: there are only some bits of walls standing now."

"Were any other lives lost?"

"No- perhaps it would have been better if there had."

"What do you mean?"

"poor Mr. Edward!" he ejaculated，"I little thought ever to have seen it? Some say it was a just judgment on him for keeping his first marriage secret，and wanting to take another wife while he had one living: but I pity him，for my part."

"You said he was alive?" I exclaimed.

"Yes，yes: he is alive; but many think he had better be dead."

"Why? How?" My blood was again running cold. "Where is he?" I demanded. "Is he in England?"

"Ay- ay- he"s in England; he can"t get out of England，I fancy- he"s a fixture now."

What agony was this! And the man seemed resolved to protract it.

"He is stone-blind," he said at last. "Yes，he is stone-blind，is Mr. Edward."

I had dreaded worse. I had dreaded he was mad. I summoned strength to ask what had caused this calamity.

"It was all his own courage，and a body may say，his kindness，in a way，ma"am: he wouldn"t leave the house till every one else was out before him. As he came down the great staircase at last，after Mrs.

Rochester had flung herself from the battlements，there was a great crash- all fell. He was taken out from under the ruins，alive，but sadly hurt: a beam had fallen in such a way as to protect him partly; but one eye was knocked out，and one hand so crushed that Mr. Carter，the surgeon，had to amputate it directly. The other eye inflamed: he lost the sight of that also. He is now helpless，indeed- blind and a cripple."

"Where is he? Where does he now live?"