CHAPTER XI 131
" Is Mr. Rochester an exacting, fastidious sort of man?"
" Not particularly so; but he has a gentleman ' s tastes and habits, and he expects to have things managed in conformity to them."
" Do you like him? Is he generally liked?"
" Oh, yes; the family have always been respected here. Almost all the land in this neighbourhood, as far as you can see, has belonged to the Rochesters time out of mind."
" Well, but, leaving his land out of the question, do you like him? Is he liked for himself?"
" I have no cause to do otherwise than like him; and I believe he is considered a just and liberal landlord by his tenants: but he has never lived much amongst them."
" But has he no peculiarities? What, in short, is his character?"
" Oh! his character is unimpeachable, I suppose. He is rather peculiar, perhaps: he has travelled a great deal, and seen a great deal of the world, I should think. I dare say he is clever, but I never had much conversation with him."
" In what way is he peculiar?"
" I don ' t know-- it is not easy to describe-- nothing striking, but you feel it when he speaks to you; you cannot be always sure whether he is in jest or earnest, whether he is pleased or the contrary; you don ' t thoroughly understand him, in short-- at least, I don ' t: but it is of no consequence, he is a very good master."
This was all the account I got from Mrs. Fairfax of her employer and mine. There are people who seem to have no notion of sketching a character, or observing and describing salient points, either in persons or things: the