Mr. Rochester continued, hardily and recklessly: "Bigamy is an ugly word! -I meant however, to be a bigamist; but fate has out-manoeuvred me, or Providence has checked me perhaps the last. I am little better than a devil at this moment; and, as my pastor there would tell me, deserve no doubt the sternest judgments of God, even to the quenchless fire and deathless worm. Gentlemen, my plan is broken up: what this lawyer and his client say is true: I have been married, and the woman to whom I was married lives! You say you never heard of a Mrs. Rochester at the house up yonder, Wood: but I daresay you have many a time inclined your ear to gossip about the mysterious lunatic kept there under watch and ward. Some have whispered to you that he is my bastard half-sister: some, my cast-off mistress. I now inform you that she is my fe, whom I married fifteen years ago, Bertha Mason by name; sister of this resolute personage, who is now. with his quivering limbs and white cheeks, showing you what a never fear me!- almost soon strike a stout heart men may bear. woman as you Bertha Mason is mad; and she came of a mad family; idiots and maniacs through three generations! Her mother the Creole, was both a madwoman and a I found out after I had wed the daughter: for they were silent on family ecrets before. Bertha, like a dutiful child, copied her parent in both points. 1 had a charming partner pure, wise, modest: you can fancy I was a happy man. I went through rich scenes! Oh! my experience has been heavenly, if you only knew it! But I owe you no further explanation, Briggs, Wood, Mason, I invite you all to come up to the house and visit Mrs. Poole's patient, and my wife! You shall see what sort of a being I was cheated into espousing, and judge whether or not I had a right to break the compact, and eek sympathy with something at least human. This girl," he continued, looking at me knew no more than you, Wood, of the disgusting secret: she thought all was fair and legal and never dreamt she was going to be entrapped into a feigned union with a defrauded wretch, already bound to a bad, mad, and embruted partner! Come all of you follow!