Jane Eyre 10

• "He had done. Turning from me, he once more 'Looked to river, looked to hill:' But this time his feelings were all pent in his heart: I was not worthy to hear them uttered." (p. 416)
  

The line, "looked to river, looked to hill," in this excerpt is from the poem, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, by Sir Walter Scott. The poem intends to illustrate the customs and manners that prevailed on the Borders of England and Scotland. As Mr. St. John is about to leave for the night, he states a line from this particular poem. Charlotte Bronte alludes to this poem, leaving Jane with a difficult case to ponder. This specific line refers to Mr. St. John River (assuming the river) and Mr. Rochester (assuming the hill) as Jane is torn between the decision of marrying one of the men.

"Work Cited"
"The Lay of the Last Minstrel." Poets' Corner - Bookshelf. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://theotherpages.org/poems/minstrel.html.
"Jane Eyre." Review Materials. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://reviewmaterials.tripod.com/english/jane_eyre.html.