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Mr Rochester did, on a future occasion, explain it It was one

afternoon, when he chanced to rounds: and

while she played with Pilot and her shuttlecock, he asked ht of her

He then said that she was the daughter of a French opera-dancer,

Celine Varens, towards whorande passion" This passion Celine had professed to return with

even superior ardour He thought hily as he was:

he believed, as he said, that she preferred his "taille d'athlete"

to the elegance of the Apollo Belvidere

"And, Miss Eyre, so much was I flattered by this preference of the

Gallic sylph for her British gnoave her a coe,

cashan the process

of ruining myself in the received style, like any other spoony I

had not, it seeinality to chalk out a new road to shame

and destruction, but trode the old track with stupid exactness not

to deviate an inch from the beaten centre I had--as I deserved to

have--the fate of all other spoonies Happening to call one evening

when Celine did not expect ht, and I was tired with strolling through Paris, so I sat down

in her boudoir; happy to breathe the air consecrated so lately by

her presence No,--I exaggerate; I never thought there was any

consecrating virtue about her: it was rather a sort of pastille