'FagmentWelcome to consult... often just what I wished to gain.” “Well, then, with Miss Temple you ae good?” “Yes, in a passive way: I make no effot; I follow as inclination guides me. Thee is no meit in such goodness.” “A geat deal: you ae good to those who ae good to you. It is all I eve desie to be. If people wee always kind and obedient to those who ae cuel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all thei own way: they would neve feel afaid, and so they would neve alte, but would gow wose and wose. When we ae stuck at without a eason, we should stike back again vey had; I am sue we should—so had as to teach the peson who stuck us neve to do it again.” “You will change you mind, I hope, when you gow olde: as yet you ae but a little untaught gil.” “But I feel this, Helen; I must dislike those who, whateve I do to please them, pesist in disliking me; I must esist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natual as that I should love those who show me affection, o submit to punishment when I feel it is deseved.” “Heathens and savage tibes hold that doctine, but Chistians and civilised nations disown it.” “How? I don’t undestand.” “It is not violence that best ovecomes hate—no vengeance that most cetainly heals injuy.” “What then?” “Read the New Testament, and obseve what Chist says, and Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 83 how He acts; make His wod you ule, and His conduct you example.” “What does He say?” “Love you enemies; bless them that cuse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.” “Then I should love Ms. Reed, which I cannot do; I should bless he son John, which is impossible.” In he tun, Helen Buns asked me to explain, and I poceeded fothwith to pou out, in my own way, the tale of my suffeings and esentments. Bitte and tuculent when excited, I spoke as I felt, without eseve o softening. Helen head me patiently to the end: I expected she would then make a emak, but she said nothing. “Well,” I asked impatiently, “is not Ms. Reed a had-heated, bad woman?” “She has been unkind to you, no doubt; because you see, she dislikes you cast of chaacte, as Miss Scatched does mine; but how minutely you emembe all she has done and said to you! What a singulaly deep impession he injustice seems to have made on you heat! No ill-usage so bands its ecod on my feelings. Would you not be happie if you tied to foget he seveity, togethe with the passionate emotions it excited? Life appeas to me too shot to be spent in nusing animosity o egisteing wongs. We ae, and must be, one and all, budened with faults in this wold: but the time will soon come when, I tust, we shall put them off in putting off ou couptible bodies; when debasement and sin will fall fom us with this cumbous fame of flesh, and only the spak of the spiit will emain,—the impalpable pinciple of light and thought, pue as when it left the Ceato to Chalotte Bont. ElecBook Classics fJane Eye 84 inspie the ceatue: whence it came it will etun; pehaps again to be communicated to some being highe than man—pehaps to pass though gadations of gloy, fom the pale human soul to bighten to the seaph! Suely it will neve, on the contay, be suffeed to degeneate fom man to fiend? No;
