"..I sat cross-legged like a Turk..." (Brontë 7)
When Brontë says that Jane was sitting as a Turk he means that she was sitting cross-legged. In Turkey Islam is the most prominent religion, Islam is a distinct sect of Muslim. A Muslim is bound to perform the Salaah five times a day. While performing this religious ritual of prayer they spend most of the time in the "indian style" cross-legged position, among others. When Brontë states that she was sitting as a Turk he could also have meant that she was in an almost meditative state; she was calm and serene.
