Charlotte Bronte and Her Circle | Page 7

MANCHESTER
'ILKLEY, July 26th, 1855.
'MY DEAR MADAM,--Owing to my absence from home your letter has only just reached me. I had not heard of Mr. Bronte's request, but I am most heartily glad that he has made it. A letter from Mr. Nicholls was forwarded along with yours, which I opened first, and was thus prepared for your communication, the subject of which is of the deepest interest to me. I will do everything in my power to aid the righteous work you have undertaken, but I feel my powers very limited, and apprehend that you may experience some disappointment that I cannot contribute more largely the information which you desire. I possess a great many letters (for I have destroyed but a small portion of the correspondence), but I fear the early letters are not such as to unfold the character of the writer except in a few points. You perhaps may discover more than is apparent to me. You will read them with a purpose--I perused them only with interests of affection. I will immediately look over the correspondence, and I promise to let you see all that I can confide to your friendly custody. I regret that my absence from home should have made it impossible for me to have the pleasure of seeing you at Brookroyd at the time you propose. I am engaged to stay here till Monday week, and shall be happy to see you any day you name after that date, or, if more convenient to you to come Friday or Saturday in next week, I will gladly return in time to give you the meeting. I am staying with our schoolmistress, Miss Wooler, in this place. I wish her very much to give me leave to ask you here, but she does not yield to my wishes; it would have been pleasanter to me to talk with you among these hills than sitting in my home and thinking of one who had so often been present there.--I am, my dear madam, yours sincerely,
'ELLEN NUSSEY.'
Mrs. Gaskell and Miss Nussey met, and the friendship which ensued was closed only by death; and indeed one of the most beautiful letters in the collection in my hands is one signed 'Meta Gaskell,' and dated January 22, 1866. It tells in detail, with infinite tenderness and pathos, of her mother's last moments. {14} That, however, was ten years later than the period with which we are concerned. In 1856 Mrs. Gaskell was energetically engaged upon a biography of her friend which should lack nothing of thoroughness, as she hoped. She claimed to have visited the scenes of all the incidents in Charlotte's life, 'the two little pieces of private governess-ship excepted.' She went one day with Mr. Smith to the Chapter Coffee House, where the sisters first stayed in London. Another day she is in Yorkshire, where she makes the acquaintance of Miss Wooler, which permitted, as she said, 'a more friendly manner of writing towards Charlotte Bronte's old schoolmistress.' Again she is in Brussels, where Madame Heger refused to see her, although M. Heger was kind and communicative, 'and very much indeed I both like and respect him.' Her countless questions were exceedingly interesting. They covered many pages of note-paper. Did Branwell Bronte know of the publication of Jane Eyre,' she asks, 'and how did he receive the news?' Mrs. Gaskell was persuaded in her own mind that he had never known of its publication, and we shall presently see that she was right. Charlotte had distinctly informed her, she said, that Branwell was not in a fit condition at the time to be told. 'Where did the girls get the books which they read so continually? Did Emily accompany Charlotte as a pupil when the latter went as a teacher to Roe Head? Why did not Branwell go to the Royal Academy in London to learn painting? Did Emily ever go out as a governess? What were Emily's religious opinions? Did she ever make friends?' Such were the questions which came quick and fast to Miss Nussey, and Miss Nussey fortunately kept her replies.
TO MRS. GASKELL, MANCHESTER
'BROOKROYD, October 22nd, 1856.
'MY DEAR MRS. GASKELL,--If you go to London pray try what may be done with regard to a portrait of dear Charlotte. It would greatly enhance the value and interest of the memoir, and be such a satisfaction to people to see something that would settle their ideas of the personal appearance of the dear departed one. It has been a surprise to every stranger, I think, that she was so gentle and lady-like to look upon.
'Emily Bronte went to Roe Head as pupil when Charlotte went as teacher; she stayed there but two months; she never settled, and was ill from nothing but home-sickness. Anne took