CHAPTER XVII 207
" She gets good wages , I guess ?"
" Yes ," said Leah ; " I wish I had as good ; not that mine are to complain of , -- there ' s no stinginess at Thornfield ; but they ' re not one fifth of the sum Mrs . Poole receives . And she is laying by : she goes every quarter to the bank at Millcote . I should not wonder but she has saved enough to keep her independent if she liked to leave ; but I suppose she ' s got used to the place ; and then she ' s not forty yet , and strong and able for anything . It is too soon for her to give up business ."
" She is a good hand , I daresay ," said the charwoman .
" Ah ! -- she understands what she has to do , -- nobody better ," rejoined Leah significantly ; " and it is not every one could fill her shoes -- not for all the money she gets ."
" That it is not !" was the reply . " I wonder whether the master -- "
The charwoman was going on ; but here Leah turned and perceived me , and she instantly gave her companion a nudge .
" Doesn ' t she know ?" I heard the woman whisper .
Leah shook her head , and the conversation was of course dropped . All I had gathered from it amounted to this , -- that there was a mystery at Thornfield ; and that from participation in that mystery I was purposely excluded .
Thursday came : all work had been completed the previous evening ; carpets were laid down , bed-hangings festooned , radiant white counterpanes spread , toilet tables arranged , furniture rubbed , flowers piled in vases : both chambers and saloons looked as fresh and bright as hands could make them . The hall , too , was scoured ; and the great carved clock , as well as the steps and banisters of the staircase , were polished to the brightness of glass ; in the dining-room , the sideboard flashed resplendent with plate ; in the drawing-room and boudoir , vases of exotics bloomed on all sides .