Ext. A midsummer dawn. Thornfield the grounds

JOHN REED (CONT'D)

Rat.

He exits. Jane breathes a sigh of relief. She slowly pulls

the curtain across, making the window a private sanctuary.

There is a book lying on the seat. She opens it.

CUT TO:

Jane is sitting cross-legged, completely absorbed in her

book - a beautifully drawn picture of a cormorant. She runs

her finger over it. We hear the sound of great waves

plunging on to a shore.

EXT. DAY. AN ARCTIC COAST.

Jane, aged ten, is sitting cross-legged on an isolated

rock, her eyes locked with those of a stooping black

cormorant. St John's voice comes from a long way away.

ST JOHN (V.O.)

Diana, Mary help me get her

upstairs...

The cormorant raises its wings like a great black cloak.

Jane watches as it takes off and flies away.

Jane Eyre adapted by Moira Buffini March 2008 7.