"Good-night, my-" He stopped, bit his lip, and abruptly left me." p.184
Here Rochester is speaking to Jane giving her orders for the night, he dismisses her with the statement "good-night my-" but doesn't finish the statement. Brontë uses this quote to show the complications of the relationship between Jane and Rochester. At this point in the story Jane and Rochester both have feelings for each other but have not made them known. We don't know exactly what he would have said but the way he says it shows that it would have been something affectionate. "He stopped, bit his lip" shows how hesitant he is towards Jane and his feelings for her. It's almost as if he can't hold it back but knows he has to for the sake of his status.
Deanna, I can definitely picture how he was saying this to her. Rochester seems as though he is hiding his true feelings for her. I have seen this tactic in cinema many times and every time I feel as if the hesitation and the not finishing, along with the bite of the lip, ads to the power of the tension of love in the seen. Great work!
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