Eight years pass before Jane again picks up her narrative. Following an investigation into the cause of the typhus epidemic at Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst is publicly humiliated, and a new building is erected. Brocklehurst remains the treasurer for the school, but other, more enlightened, gentlemen become the school’s inspectors and it becomes a “truly useful and noble institution.” Jane remains at Lowood for eight years: six as a student and two as a teacher.
Jane enjoys excelling in her studies, but after two years as a teacher, Jane needs a change. First, Miss Temple marries and moves far away, taking with her Jane’s “serene” feelings about Lowood. Jane’s old need for adventure returns and she longs to experience the perils of the real world. Since arriving at the school, Jane has never quitted it, even for holidays, and she now dreams of “liberty” and a “new servitude.” Jane places an ad in the newspaper for a job as a governess. A response arrives from a Mrs. Fairfax of Thornfield, Millcote, who needs a governess for a little girl, and Jane decides to take the job. Before leaving for her new position, Jane has an unexpected visit from Bessie Lee, the Reeds’ nursemaid. From her, she learns that none of the Reed children has turned out well: Georgiana tried to elope with a young man and Eliza jealously tattled on them, and John leads a life of excess. Bessie is impressed with Jane’s ladylike appearance and accomplishments. Jane also learns that her father’s brother, John Eyre had come to the Reeds seeking Jane seven years ago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t visit her at Lowood, because he was leaving for Madeira to make his fortune.
