He had not imagined that a woman would dare to speak so to a man. For me, I felt at home in this sort of discourse. I could never rest in communication with strong, discreet, and refined minds, whether male or female, till I had passed the outworks of conventional reserve, and crossed the threshold of confidence, and won a place by their heart’s very hearthstone.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 32. St. John is surprised by how direct and outspoken Jane is about his repressed feelings for Miss Oliver. She has told St. John how he is “wasting away” and trembles and becomes flushed whenever Rosamond enters the schoolroom. He was not used to a woman speaking to him so frankly, but Jane continues to defy the expectations of women in Victorian society.