Of course I did not--I had never heard of him before; but the old lady seemed to regard his existence as a universally understood fact, with which everybody must be acquainted by instinct.
-- Certes, non, je ne le savais pas; je n'avais jamais entendu parler de lui.» Mais la bonne dame semblait croire que l'existence de M. Rochester était universellement connue, et que tout le monde devait en avoir conscience.