Bronte packs a threesome of metaphors into her description of Mr. Sympson, starting with his continuing blandness, then turning to his pin-sitting agitation, and round off with his griddle-stepping hen-gait.

For a day or two Mr. Sympson continued as bland as oil, but also he seemed to sit on pins, and his gait, when he walked, emulated that of a hen treading a hot girdle.

See also our quote-packed celebration of Bronte’s bestellar, Jane Eyre.

Source: Charlotte Bronte, Shirley (London: Collins, 1968), p. 431

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