# ■ 22 Sudden wealth

When St John left，it was beginning to snow，and it continued snowing all night and all the next day．In the evening I sat by my fire，listening to the wind blowing outside，and had just started reading when I heard a noise．The wind，I thought，was shaking the door，but no，it was St John，who came in out of the frozen darkness，his coat covered in snow．

what's happened？'I cried，amazed．'I thought nobody would be out in weather like this！What's the matter？'

There's nothing wrong，'he answered calmly，hanging up his coat，and stamping the snow from his boots．'I just came to have a little talk to you．Besides，since yesterday I've been eager to hear the other half of your story．'He sat down．I had no idea what he was referring to，and remembering his strange behaviour with the piece of paper，I began to fear that he might be going mad．He looked quite normal，however，and we made conversation for a while，although he seemed to be thinking of something else．

Suddenly he said，'When I arrived I said I wanted to hear the rest of your story．But perhaps it's better if I tell the story．I'm afraid you've heard it before，but listen anyway．Twenty years ago a poor vicar fell in love with a rich man's daughter．She also fell in love with him，and married him，against the advice of all her family．Sadly，less than two years later the couple were both dead．I've seen their grave．Their baby daughter was brought up by an aunt，a Mrs Reed of Gateshead．You jumped— did you hear a noise？ I'll continue．I don't know whether the child was happy with Mrs Reed，but she stayed there ten years，until she went to Lowood school，where you were yourself．In fact，it seems her life was quite similar to yours．She became a teacher at Lowood，as you did，and then became a governess in the house of a certain Mr Rochester．'

Mr Rivers！'I interrupted，unable to keep silent．

I can imagine how you feel，'he replied，'but wait till I've finished．I don't know anything about Mr Rochester's character，but I do know that he offered to marry this young girl，who only discovered during the wedding ceremony that he was in fact already married，to a mad woman．The governess disappeared soon after this，and although investigations have been carried out，and advertisements placed in newspapers，and every effort made to find her，nobody knows where she's gone．But she must be found！Mr Briggs，a lawyer，has something very important to tell her．'

Just tell me one thing，'I said urgently．'What about Mr Rochester？How and where is he？What's he doing？Is he well？'

I know nothing about Mr Rochester．Why don't you ask the name of the governess，and why everybody is looking for her？'

Did Mr Briggs write to Mr Rochester？'I asked．

He did，but he received an answer not from him，but from the housekeeper，a Mrs Fairfax．'

I felt cold and unhappy．No doubt Mr Rochester had left England for a life of wild pleasure in the cities of Europe．That was what I had been afraid of．Oh，my poor master—once almost my husband—who I had often called' my dear Edward'！

As you won't ask the governess's name，I'll tell you myself，'continued St John．'I've got it written down．It's always better to have facts in black and white．'And he took out of his wallet a tiny piece of paper，which I recognized as part of my sketch book，and showed it to me．On it I read，in my own writing，'JANE EYRE'，which I must have written without thinking．

The advertisements and Briggs spoke of a Jane Eyre，but I only knew a Jane Elliott，'said St John．'Are you Jane Eyre？'

Yes—yes，but doesn't Mr Briggs know anything about Mr Rochester？'I asked desperately．

I don't think Briggs is at all interested in Mr Rochester．You're forgetting the really important thing．Don't you want to know why he's been looking for you？'

Well，what did he want？'I asked，almost rudely．

Only to tell you that your uncle，Mr Eyre of Madeira，is dead，that he has left you all his property，and that you're now rich—only that，nothing more．'

Rich！One moment I was poor，the next moment I was wealthy．It was hard to realize my new situation．A fortune brings serious worries and responsibilities with it，which I could hardly imagine．I was sorry to hear that my uncle，my only surviving relation，was dead．However，the inheritance would give me independence for life，and I was glad of that．

Perhaps you would like to know how much you've inherited？'offered St John politely．'It's nothing much really，just twenty thousand pounds，I think．'

Twenty thousand pounds？'The news took my breath away．St John，who I had never heard laugh before，actually laughed out loud at my shocked face．'Perhaps…perhaps you've made a mistake？'I asked him nervously．

No，there's no mistake．Now I must be leaving．Good night．'He was about to open the door，when suddenly I called，' Stop！Why did Mr Briggs write to you in order to find me？'

Oh，I'm a vicar．I have ways of discovering things．'

No，that doesn't satisfy me．Tell me the truth，'I insisted，putting myself between him and the door．

Well，I'd rather not tell you just now，but I suppose you'll discover it sooner or later．Did you know that my full name is St John Eyre Rivers？'

No，I didn't！But then what—'And I stopped as light flooded my mind and I saw clearly the chain of circumstances which connected us．But St John continued his explanation．

My mother's name was Eyre，'he said．'She had two brothers，one，a vicar，who married Miss Jane Reed of Gateshead，and the other，John Eyre of Madeira．Mr Briggs，Mr Eyre's lawyer，wrote to us telling us that our uncle had died，and left all his property，not to us，because of his quarrel with our father，but to his brother's daughter．Then Mr Briggs wrote again later，saying this girl could not be found．Well，I've found her．'He moved towards the door，his hat in his hand．

Wait a moment，just let me think，'I said．'So you，Diana and Mary are my cousins？'

We are your cousins，yes，'he said，waiting patiently．

As I looked at him，it seemed I had found a brother and sisters to love and be proud of for the rest of my life．The people who had saved my life were my close relations！This was wealth indeed to a lonely heart，brighter and more life-giving than the heavy responsibility of coins and gold．

Oh，I'm glad—I'm so glad！'I cried，laughing．

St John smiled．'You were serious when I told you you had inherited a fortune．Now you're excited about something very unimportant．'

What can you mean？It may mean nothing to you．You already have sisters and don't need any more family．But I had nobody，and now I suddenly have three relations in my world，or two，if you don't want to be counted．'I walked rapidly round the room，my thoughts rising so fast I could hardly understand them．The family I now had， the people who had saved me from starvation，I could now help them！There were the four of us cousins．Twenty thousand pounds，shared equally，would be five thousand pounds each，more than enough for each one of us．It would be a fair and just arrangement，and we would all be happy．I would no longer have the worry of controlling a large amount of money，and they would never have to work again．We would all be able to spend more time together at Moor House．

Naturally，when I made this suggestion to St John and his sisters，they protested strongly，and it was with great difficulty that I finally managed to convince them of my firm intention to carry out this plan．In the end they agreed that it was a fair way of sharing the inheritance，and so the legal steps were taken to transfer equal shares to all of us．

■ 22 財從天降

聖約翰離開時，天下起雪來，持續了一晚上和第二天一天。晚上，我坐在爐邊，聽著屋外呼嘯的風聲。我正要開始看書，突然聽到什麼響動。我想是風吹動門的聲音吧，但不是，是聖約翰。他從寒夜中走進來，身上披滿雪花。

“出了什麼事？”我驚訝地問。“我以為沒人會在這種鬼天氣裡外出。怎麼啦？”

“沒出什麼事。”他平靜地說，一邊掛好帽子，並跺掉靴子上的積雪。“我只是要跟你談談。另外，從昨天開始，我很想聽聽你的另外一部分故事。”他坐了下來。我摸不清他指的是什麼，想起他昨晚撕紙的奇怪舉動，我開始擔心他是不是要瘋了。但是，他看上去一切正常，我們說了會兒話，不過他顯然在想著別的事情。

突然，他說：“我剛才到的時候，說我想聽聽你另一部分故事，不過也許由我來講更好。也許你以前聽過，但還是再聽聽吧！二十年前，一個窮牧師愛上了一個富家的女兒，女孩也愛上了他，和他結了婚，違背了家庭的意願。不幸的是，不到兩年，他們便雙雙去世。我曾見到他們的墓。他們的小女兒由舅媽——蓋茨赫德的裡德太太撫養長大。你抖了一下，是聽到什麼動靜了嗎？我接著說。我不知道孩子跟著裡德太太生活得是否幸福，但她在那兒住了十年，直到去洛伍德上學。你也在那兒待過。實際上，她的生活經歷似乎和你很像。然後，她成了一位羅切斯特先生家的家庭教師。”

“李維斯先生！”我無法再保持沉默，打斷了他。

“我能夠想像你的感受，”他答道。“不過，還是先聽我說完。我不瞭解羅切斯特先生的性格，但他提出要娶這位年輕姑娘。姑娘是在婚禮上才發現他已經結婚，妻子是個瘋女人。此後不久家庭教師很快失蹤了。儘管進行了調查，報上登了啟事，用盡了一切辦法尋找她，還是沒人知道她的下落。但是，必須要找到她！律師布萊格斯先生有重要的事要跟她說。”

“就告訴我一件事。”我急切地說。“羅切斯特先生怎麼了？他現在怎麼樣？在哪兒？在做什麼？他好嗎？”

“我對羅切斯特先生一無所知。你為什麼不問問家庭教師的名字，以及為什麼大家都在找她？”

“布萊格斯先生給羅切斯特先生寫信了嗎？”我問。

“他寫過，但回信的不是他，而是管家，一位費爾法斯太太。”

我感到身上發冷，很不高興。無疑羅切斯特先生又離開英格蘭到歐洲的城市去尋歡作樂了，這正是我所擔心的。噢，我可憐的主人，差點兒成了我的丈夫，我曾經常稱做“我親愛的愛德華”的人！

“既然你不問家庭教師的名字，我來告訴你。”聖約翰接著說。“我有筆頭證據，最好還是白紙黑字清楚些。”他拿出錢包，從裡面抽出一張小紙片，拿給我看。我認出那是我速寫本上的，上面是我自己的親筆字“簡·愛”，這一定是我無意之中寫上去的。

“布萊格斯先生及啟事中提到一個簡·愛，但我只認識一個簡·艾略特。”聖約翰說。“你是簡·愛嗎？”

“是的，是的，可布萊格斯先生就沒有羅切斯特先生的消息嗎？”我迫不急待地問。

“我覺得布萊格斯先生對羅切斯特先生毫無興趣，你忘了真正重要的事。你想知道他為什麼在找你嗎？”

“好吧，他究竟想要什麼？”我幾乎無禮地問。

“只是想告訴你，你舅舅，馬迪拉的愛先生去世了，他把財產留給了你，你現在富有了。就這些，再沒別的了。”

富有！一時我很窮，一時我又富了。我很難意識到自己的新境遇。一筆財富可以帶來我根本無法想像的擔憂和責任。聽到我唯一活著的親人我的舅舅去世了，我感到很難過。但是繼承遺產可以讓我獨立生活，這點我很高興。

“或許你想知道你繼承了多少財產？”聖約翰客氣地說。“其實並不很多，我想只有20 000英鎊。”

“20 000英鎊？”這消息讓我停止了呼吸。我從未聽到過聖約翰的笑聲，這時他看到我吃驚的樣子，不禁大笑了起來。“也許……也許你搞錯了。”我膽怯地問他。

“不，沒有錯。現在我得走了，晚安。”他正要開門，我突然喊道：“站住！為什麼布萊格斯找我要寫信給你？”

“哦，我是牧師，有途徑找到。”

“不，我不滿意你的話，告訴我實情。”我堅持道，站在門前擋住他。

“我本不想現在告訴你，不過我想你早晚也會知道。你知道不知道我的全名叫聖約翰·愛·李維斯？”

“不，不知道！不過，那麼這就是說……”我停住了，腦子裡念頭一閃，開始明白聯繫我們之間的那一連串的事情。但聖約翰繼續解釋著。

“我母親姓愛。”他說。“她有兩個哥哥，一個是牧師，娶了蓋茨赫德的簡·裡德小姐，另一個就是馬迪拉的約翰·愛。布萊格斯先生是愛先生的律師，他寫信告訴我們舅舅死了。因為和我們的父親吵架，他沒有把財產留給我們，而是給了他弟弟的女兒。後來布萊格斯先生又寫信來，說找不到那位姑娘。不過，我把你找到了。”他手裡拿著帽子朝門口走去。

“等一等，讓我想想。”我說。“那麼戴安娜和瑪麗是我的表姐妹了？”

“是的，我們是你的表親。”他耐心地等待著。

我看著他，好像自己找到了一個哥哥和兩個姐姐，可以一輩子愛他們，並以他們為榮。原來救了我的命的人竟是我的近親！對一顆孤獨的心來說，這的確是一筆財富，比金錢帶來的沉重負擔更能照亮我的生命。

“啊，我真高興——我真高興！”我笑著，叫著。

聖約翰笑了。“我跟你說你繼承了財產時你很嚴肅，現在對這無關緊要的事你倒激動起來了。”

“你這是什麼意思？這可能對你毫無意義。你已經有兩個妹妹，不再需要什麼親人了。可是我沒有一個親人，而現在我的世界裡卻突然有了三個親人，或許是兩個，如果241

你不願被稱做一個的話。”我在屋裡急步踱著，腦子裡的念頭一個接一個地閃現，我自己都搞不懂了。我現在的親人，這些曾從飢餓中拯救過我的人，我如今可以幫助他們！我們表兄妹四個，均分 20 000英鎊，每人可得5 000英鎊，足夠用的。這樣安排公平合理，我們大家都會感到高興，我也不必再為掌握著這麼多錢而擔心，她們也不必再工作了。我們可以有更多的時間一起生活在摩爾屋了。

我向聖約翰和他的妹妹們提出這個建議時，他們堅決反對。我費了很大力氣才說服她們我一定要這樣辦。最後他們終於同意這樣分配遺產是公平的，於是我們辦理了必要的法律手續，把財產平均劃到每個人名下。