Mrs Reed
Gateshead
Mr BrockleHurst
Lowood School
Dear Sir,
I am begging you to reconsider your previous refusal to admit my niece Jane Eyre to your school.
After the death of my dear husband, I have been charged with this ridiculous girls upbringing, although she is of no blood relation to me. I am, unfortunately, bound to the promise I made to my husband who, on his death bed, made me swear to care for her.
I wish now to give her a good chance in life by releasing her to the discipline of your amazing school.
You are a religious man: You know that if you are good and kind and you help and love your neighbours as our Lord Jesus teaches, you are likely to reach heaven and eternal life. So I ask you, grant your neighbour this request. I am only one weak woman and I do not have enough strength in me to care for and discipline such a wicked child.
Your school, however, with its strong and wonderfully selected teachers, its amazing disciplinary program and its policy to follow the teachings of God would be more than able to teach this awful girl who is currently the bane of my existence.
I am telling you of her many faults so that you are not unprepared if you do accept her into your excellent school. She is deceitful, ungrateful and violent. She is cruel and wicked with her words.
No punishment is too harsh for her. She displays no kindness even to myself, her benefactress, and her cousins.
She is an evil girl and yet I beg of you to take her off my hands and save her from her sins.
But do not be discouraged by this description. I am sure your school can manage her, and once she is cured of her wicked ways she could be a valuable asset to your school.
For example, she is constantly reading, even though the books are not hers to read.
She also enjoys reading most parts of the bible, except, sinful as Jane is, she does not enjoy the Psalms.
With the correct guidance that I unfortunately an unable to give her, Jane could easily become a clever, well respected lady in due time, no matter how she has started off.
This guidance I know your school is capable of giving. Only your school, Sir, would have such excellent standards as to transform a wild, barbaric girl into a respectable lady. Surely once others know of your kindness and achievements with her, you will be overrun with hopeful students.
Also, wonderful though your teachers are, they could also benefit from the experience, could they not? They is always room for improvement even in your amazing teachers, and the experience of teaching Jane would surely help improve your teachers.
And, although I hope it does not resort to this, Sir, do you remember that time when I helped you that you made me swear never to speak of to anyone?
You promised that someday you would do something to help me which was just, or more, important. I am surprised that you did not remember this when you refused Jane's place before.
And now I ask you to keep your promise to me. Do the best thing you could ever do for me and take this monster out of my life.
Sir, I do not wish to resort to blackmail, but it could do a serious amount of damage to your reputation if I forgot, even for a moment, that I had sworn never to tell a soul of what happened. Previously I have managed to refrain from mentioning it, but if Jane does not attend your school I may let something slip.
I do hope you understand my meaning, Mr Brocklehurst. And I hope, for your own good, that you reconsider refusing Jane's entry to the school.
And if you tell anyone of this, I should imagine they may be very curious to know what I helped you with. So if you tell anyone or refuse my plea, then it shall not be me who shall suffer.
Thank you sir. I expect to find that you have changed your mind in the near future.
Otherwise…I'll let you think about that.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Reed