Chapter 7: The first quarter at Lowood passes, and it is so cold that the girls' feet get swollen from the walk in the cold to church. The girls do not have sufficient clothes for such weather, and they do not have enough food. One day Mr. Brocklehurst arrives, and Jane is scared that he will do as he had said and speak against her to Miss Temple and the other teachers. He asks Miss Temple why there was an expense for bread and cheese, and when she tells him that the girls had to go without breakfast, he says that they should have, and that he is trying not to accustom them to luxury but make them hardy and self-reliant.
Jane tries to remain unnoticed by Mr. Brocklehurst, but when she accidentally drops her slate to the floor, he brings her up and makes her stand on a stool in front of the class. He tells the class and the teachers that Jane is a castaway, and that they should shun her example and exclude her, as he learned from her benefactress that she is deceitful. Mr. Brocklehurst leaves the room, and Jane is to stand on the stool for half an hour. She is only able to stand it because she sees Helen and her smile.
Chapter 8: When the half-hour ends, the other girls have gone to tea, and Jane gets off the stool and weeps. Helen brings her coffee and bread, and tells her that the others will not scorn her because of what happened, as they do not like Mr. Brocklehurst. Soon Miss Temple arrives and asks them to her room where she gives them tea, bread and seed cake. Miss Temple asks for Jane's side of the story. She tells of her life at Gateshead, and when she mentions Mr. Lloyd, Miss Temple says that she knows him and will write to him to confirm her story, for while Miss Temple believes Jane, the others may want proof. In about a week, a return letter comes from Mr. Lloyd, and Miss Temple tells the school that Jane has been cleared of the charges against her. Jane does well at the school, is soon promoted to a higher class, and in two months starts French and drawing. She no longer goes to bed imagining a hot supper, but thinks about the work of her own hands in drawing. She realizes that she would not trade the privations of Lowood for the luxuries of Gateshead.
Our Networks