"My ostensible errand on this occasion was to get measured for a pair of shoes; so i discharged that business first, and when it was done, i stepped across the clean and quiet little street from the shoemaker's to the post office: it was kept by an old dame, who wore horn spectacles on her nose, and black mittens on her hands" (89).
After Jane advertised for a job as a governess, she had to run errands to cover up her awaiting the arrival of a response to her advertisement. She described these tasks as her "ostensible errands" . Ostensible implies that there is an underlying purpose or meaning behind actions.In Jane's case, the action she took was buying shoes, but in fact she went to town to see if she had received a letter that would determine her future employment.
Another example of the word ostensible is, "The ostensible reason for Jane's smile was teaching Adele." In this sentence, it appears that Adele is the source of Jane's happiness, but she is actually smiling because of her conversations with Mr. Rochester.
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