She would come out of her room with a basin, or a plate, or a tray in her hand, go down to the kitchen and shortly return, generally (oh romantic reader, forgive me for telling the plain truth!) bearing a pot of porter. Her appearance always acted as a damper to the curiosity raised by her oral oddities: hard-featured and staid, she had no point to which interest could attach. I made some attempts to draw her into conversation, but she seemed a person of few words: a monosyllabic reply usually cut short every effort of that sort.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 12. Jane is decribing Grace Poole, a strange and enigmatic figure. But Grace Poole is actually a red herring. She is in the story to misdirect Jane and the reader into believing that she is responsible for the strange noises and happenings in Thornfield. She is the keeper, nurse and prison guard of Bertha Mason, the madwoman locked in the attic and real source of the strange happenings.