CHAPTER III 26
" Well , you have been crying , Miss Jane Eyre ; can you tell me what about ? Have you any pain ?"
" No , sir ."
" Oh ! I daresay she is crying because she could not go out with Missis in the carriage ," interposed Bessie .
" Surely not ! why , she is too old for such pettishness ."
I thought so too ; and my self-esteem being wounded by the false charge , I answered promptly , " I never cried for such a thing in my life : I hate going out in the carriage . I cry because I am miserable ."
" Oh fie , Miss !" said Bessie .
The good apothecary appeared a little puzzled . I was standing before him ; he fixed his eyes on me very steadily : his eyes were small and grey ; not very bright , but I dare say I should think them shrewd now : he had a hard-featured yet good-natured looking face . Having considered me at leisure , he said -
" What made you ill yesterday ?" " She had a fall ," said Bessie , again putting in her word .
" Fall ! why , that is like a baby again ! Can ' t she manage to walk at her age ? She must be eight or nine years old ."
" I was knocked down ," was the blunt explanation , jerked out of me by another pang of mortified pride ; " but that did not make me ill ," I added ; while Mr . Lloyd helped himself to a pinch of snuff .
As he was returning the box to his waistcoat pocket , a loud bell rang for the servants ' dinner ; he knew what it was . " That ' s for you , nurse ," said he ; " you can go down ; I ' ll give Miss Jane a lecture till you come back ."