The Mystery of Grace Poole

"...so much was I occupied in puzzling my brains over the enigmatical character of Grace Poole, and still more in pondering the problem of her position at Thornfield..." (Chapter 15)

Grace Poole is plump, short, and works at Thornfield. Grace gives Jane the impression that she is absurd and strange. Eventually, Jane becomes suspicious of her when Mr. Rochester's room catches on fire. Mr.Rochester immediately goes up to the third floor where Grace reports to and stays everyday. She keeps Jane on the edge by her mysterious nature. This causes Jane to assume that Grace is responsible for the fire. Jane begins to speculate the reason why Mr.Rochester does nothing to discharge his employee. She eases into an interrogation of Grace which does not lead to any valuable answers. Grace receives a higher pay compared to the rest of the employees at Thornfield, but no one exactly knows what her job she carries out on the third floor, which is another mystery to be solved.