Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë & Emily Brontë
Contents
Jane Eyre — CHAPTER XV
Overview
Rochester confides his past with Céline Varens, explaining Adèle’s doubtful parentage and his disgust at betrayal, while vowing to reform. That night, Jane wakes to a demonic laugh and finds Rochester’s bed ablaze, saves him, and is urged to keep silent. Rochester implies Grace Poole’s involvement, binding Jane closer to him through gratitude and secrecy.
Summary
Walking with Adèle nearby, Mr. Rochester tells Jane that Adèle is the child of Céline Varens, a French opera-dancer with whom he once had a grand passion. He recounts discovering Céline’s infidelity with a young vicomte, confronting them, dueling and wounding the man, and later taking the abandoned Adèle to England though he doubts paternity. Jane assures him she will not desert Adèle and values the child more for her loneliness.
Rochester’s mood swings surface as he vows to like Thornfield and break obstacles to goodness, hinting at a dark destiny tied to the house. In the weeks surrounding this confidence, his manner to Jane grows steadily kind and frank; Jane, feeling seen and respected, grows healthier and quietly attached, while acknowledging his pride and gloom and attributing them to past suffering.
In the night, Jane hears a lugubrious laugh outside her door, then smells smoke. She finds Rochester’s room on fire, rouses him, and douses the flames with water from basins and her jug. He forbids waking the household, goes upstairs alone, and returns pale, saying he has found out everything.
Questioning Jane, Rochester confirms she heard a laugh like Grace Poole’s and extracts her promise of silence. He decides to sleep in the library and dismisses summoning others. As Jane departs, he stops her, ardently thanking her for saving his life and hinting at a deep sympathy between them. Jane spends the rest of the night wakeful, torn between rising hope and cautious judgment.
Who Appears
- Jane EyreGoverness; receives Rochester’s confession, saves him from a bedroom fire, promises secrecy, and feels growing attachment.
- Mr. RochesterMaster of Thornfield; reveals past with Céline, doubts Adèle’s paternity, vows to reform, survives a mysterious fire, implies Grace Poole’s guilt.
- Adèle VarensJane’s pupil; likely not Rochester’s child. Jane reaffirms commitment to her care.
- Céline VarensFrench opera-dancer from Rochester’s past; betrayed him and later abandoned Adèle.
- Grace PooleSewing woman at Thornfield; her eerie laugh resembles the one heard before the fire; suspected by Rochester.
- The VicomteCéline’s lover; dueled by Rochester and wounded in Paris.
- Mrs. FairfaxHousekeeper; mentioned as sleeping while Rochester keeps the incident secret.
- PilotRochester’s dog; briefly considered the source of nighttime noises.