said possibly I might have some poor； low relations called Eyre； but she knew nothing about them。”
“If you had such； would you like to go to them？”
I reflected。 Poverty looks grim to grown people； still more so to children： they have not much idea of industrious； working； respectable poverty； they think of the word only as connected with ragged clothes； scanty food； fireless grates； rude manners； and debasing vices： poverty for me was synonymous with degradation。
“No； I should not like to belong to poor people；” was my reply。
“Not even if they were kind to you？”
I shook my head： I could not see how poor people had the means of being kind； and then to learn to speak like them； to adopt their manners； to be uneducated； to grow up like one of the poor women I saw sometimes nursing their children or washing their clothes at the cottage doors of the village of Gateshead： no； I was not heroic enough to purchase liberty at the price of caste。
“But are your relatives so very poor？ Are they working people？”
“I cannot tell； Aunt。 Reed says if I have any； they must be a beggarly set： I should not like to go a begging。”
“Would you like to go to school？”
Again I reflected： I scarcely knew what school was： Bessie sometimes spoke of it as a place where young ladies sat in the stocks； wore backboards； and were expected to be exceedingly genteel and precise： John Reed hated his school； and abused his master； but John Reed’s tastes were no rule for mine； and if Bessie’s accounts of school…discipline （gathered from the young ladies of a family where she had lived before ing to Gateshead） were somewhat appalling； her details of certain acplishments attained by these same young ladies were； I thought； equally attractive。 She boa