Serial and cereal are the two homophones
technically you wouldn't be able to do that since there are an uneven amount of terms and definitions.
Many authors use unique forms of writing, and in this case Brontë decided to start the last chapter with a simple sentence in order to mix up the length of sentences, as well as making it more interesting for the readers.
Ummmmm I think 6 or 7... Hopefully im thinking of the same person