No one saw her: they only knew by rumour that such a person was at the Hall; and who or what she was it was difficult to conjecture.

They said Mr. Edward had brought her from abroad, and some believed she had been his mistress. But a queer thing happened a year since — a very queer thing.”

I feared now to hear my own story. I endeavoured to recall him to the main fact.

“And this lady?”

“This lady, ma’am,” he answered, “turned out to be Mr. Rochester’s wife! The discovery was brought about in the strangest way. There was a young lady, a governess at the Hall, that Mr. Rochester fell in — ”

“But the fire,” I suggested.