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"You shall tell me this part of the story another time," I said;

"but now I have a particular reason for wishing to hear all about

the fire Was it suspected that this lunatic, Mrs Rochester, had

any hand in it?"

"You've hit it, ma'am: it's quite certain that it was her, and

nobody but her, that set it going She had a woman to take care of

her called Mrs Poole--an able woman in her line, and very

trustworthy, but for one fault--a fault common to a deal of them

nurses and matrons--she KEPT A PRIVATE BOTTLE OF GIN BY HER, and now

and then took a drop over-much It is excusable, for she had a hard

life of it: but still it was dangerous; for when Mrs Poole was

fast asleep after the gin and water, theas a witch, would take the keys out of her pocket, let

herself out of her cha

any wild mischief that came into her head They say she had nearly

burnt her husband in his bed once: but I don't know about that

However, on this night, she set fire first to the hangings of the

rooot down to a lower storey, and overness's--(she was like