painting idea

thinking the moment propitious for making a request in my favour,
cried out-
'N'est-ce pas, monsieur, qu'il y a un cadeau pour Mademoiselle Eyre
dans votre petit coffre?'
'Who talks of cadeaux?' said he gruffly. 'Did you expect a present,
Miss Eyre? Are you fond of presents?' and he searched my face with
eyes that I saw were dark, irate, and piercing.
'I hardly know, sir; I have little experience of them: they are
generally thought pleasant things.'
'Generally thought? But what do you think?'
'I should be obliged to take time, sir, before I could give you
an answer worthy of your acceptance: a present has many faces to it,
has it not? and one should consider all, before pronouncing an opinion
as to its nature.'
'Miss Eyre, you are not so unsophisticated as Adele: she demands
a "cadeau," clamorously, the moment she sees me: you beat about the
bush.'
'Because I have less confidence in my deserts than Adele has: she
can prefer the claim of old acquaintance, and the right too of custom;