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Jane sat with Rochester on the bench beneath the formerly glorious chestnut tree. He clasped her hands within his. "Jane," he said quietly, "The night you left, those words you spoke to me earlier in the year rang in my thoughts. You said that you could not counsel me because you yourself are human. I realized that you were right, so I turned to God. I read in the New Testament, in I Thessalonians. The third chapter contained verses which truly showed me how I felt about you and you about me."
"What verses?" Jane asked. "I can fetch my Bible." she offered.
"I memorized them." he told her.
"In one night?" she remembered that she had not been gone but a day before the fire and the loss of his sight.
"No." he shook his head. "I remembered the reference and had Mrs. Fairfax read them to me and school me in them until I could recite them."
"Well, what verses are they?" Jane asked.
"I Thessalonians chapter three, verses seven through thirteen. 'Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God, night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.' Jane, you were my first step toward God. You were my salvation. When you departed, I only had God Himself to rely upon.
"In my affliction, your faith comforted me. I thanked God for you; prayed for you when you were gone from me. I prayed that I could share this with you."
"My friend Helen, from the orphans' school, once told me that if I was blameless in my heart, then God would find me so." Jane revealed to Rochester the words in her heart.
"Dearest, loveliest Jane, you were my first salvation, but Christ is my new salvation!" he grasped her hands, passionate for his love for both Jane and Christ. "Our love is also blameless before God, and it will be so before men. I trust that Helen would see it as such."
"She would, and I'm sure that she does." Jane nodded. "She is one of His saints, and we will see her again someday.
"We shall indeed." Rochester smiled joyfully, as he and Jane sat together under the chestnut tree.
