Jane says this after she drops her slate at Lowood and Mr. Brocklehirst calls her forward. She likens her situation to Julius Caesar crossing the river Rubicon.She is very nervous until she is standing in front of everyone and then she feels almost relieved because she knows that there is no going back now. Caesar knew that crossing the river meant the he could not put this conflict off any longer. Alex Askaroff wrote an article about the phrase and concludes, "So the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" has survived to refer to any person who commits themselves irrevocably past the point of no return" (Askaroff). This is exactly the usage Jane intends, she means that the conflict between herself and Mr. Brocklehirst could not be avoided and that
