in the course of this sad autumn of 1845, a new interest came up; faint, indeed, and often lost sight of in the vivid pain and constant pressure of anxiety respecting their brother. in the biographical notice of her sisters, which charlotte prefixed to the edition of “wuthering heights” and “agnes grey,” published in 1850—a piece of writing unique, as far as i know, in its pathos and its power—she says:—
“one day in the autumn of 1845, i accidentally lighted on a ms. volume of verse, in my sister emily’s handwriting. of course, i was not surprised, knowing that she could and did write verse: i looked it over, and something more than surprise seized me—a deep conviction that these were not common effusions, nor at all like the poetry women generally write. i thought them condensed and terse, vigorous and genuine. to my ear they had also a peculiar music, wild, melancholy, and elevating. my sister emily was not a person of demonstrative character, nor one on the recesses of whose mind and feelings even those nearest and dearest to her could, with impunity, intrude unlicensed: it took hours to reconcile her to the discovery i had made, and days to persuade her that such poems merited publication . . . meantime, my younger sister quietly produced some of her own compositions, intimating that since emily’s had given me pleasure, i might like to look at hers. i could not but be a partial judge, yet i thought that these verses too had a sweet sincere pathos of their own. we had very early cherished the dream of one day being authors. we agreed to arrange a small selection of our poems, and, if possible, get them printed. averse to personal publicity, we veiled our own names under those of currer, ellis, and acton bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming christian names, positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because—without at the time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called ‘feminine,’ we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice; we noticed how critics sometimes use for their chastisement the weapon of personality, and for their reward, a flattery, which is not true praise. the bringing out of our little book was hard work. as was to be expected, neither we nor our poems were at all wanted; but for this we had been prepared at the outset; though inexperienced ourselves, we had read the experience of others. the great puzzle lay in the difficulty of getting answers of any kind from the publishers to whom we applied. being greatly harassed by this obstacle, i ventured to apply to the messrs. chambers, of edinburgh, for a word of advice; they may have forgotten the circumstance, but i have not, for from them i received a brief and business-like, but civil and sensible reply, on which we acted, and at last made way.”
i inquired from mr. robert chambers, and found, as miss brontë conjectured, that he had entirely forgotten the application which had been made to him and his brother for advice; nor had they any copy or memorandum of the correspondence.
there is an intelligent man living in haworth, who has given me some interesting particulars relating to the sisters about this period. he says:—
“i have known miss brontë, as miss brontë, a long time; indeed, ever since they came to haworth in 1819. but i had not much acquaintance with the family till about 1843, when i began to do a little in the stationery line. nothing of that kind could be had nearer than keighley before i began. they used to buy a great deal of writing paper, and i used to wonder whatever they did with so much. i sometimes thought they contributed to the magazines. when i was out of stock, i was always afraid of their coming; they seemed so distressed about it, if i had none. i have walked to halifax (a distance of ten miles) many a time, for half a ream of paper, for fear of being without it when they came. i could not buy more at a time for want of capital. i was always short of that. i did so like them to come when i had anything for them; they were so much different to anybody else; so gentle and kind, and so very quiet. they never talked much. charlotte sometimes would sit and inquire about our circumstances so kindly and feelingly! . . . though i am a poor working man (which i have never felt to be any degradation), i could talk with her with the greatest freedom. i always felt quite at home with her. though i never had any school education, i never felt the want of it in her company.”
the publishers to whom she finally made a successful application for the production of “currer, ellis, and acton bell’s poems,” were messrs. aylott and jones, paternoster row. mr. aylott has kindly placed the letters which she wrote to them on the subject at my disposal. the first is dated january 28th, 1846, and in it she inquires if they will publish one volume octavo of poems; if not at their own risk, on the author’s account. it is signed “c. brontë.” they must have replied pretty speedily, for on january 31st she writes again:—
“gentlemen,
“since you agree to undertake the publication of the work respecting which i applied to you, i should wish now to know, as soon as possible, the cost of paper and printing. i will then send the necessary remittance, together with the manuscript. i should like it to be printed in one octavo volume, of the same quality of paper and size of type as moxon’s last edition of wordsworth. the poems will occupy, i should think, from 200 to 250 pages. they are not the production of a clergyman, nor are they exclusively of a religious character; but i presume these circumstances will be immaterial. it will, perhaps, be necessary that you should see the manuscript, in order to calculate accurately the expense of publication; in that case i will send it immediately. i should like, however, previously, to have some idea of the probable cost; and if, from what i have said, you can make a rough calculation on the subject, i should be greatly obliged to you.”
in her next letter, february 6th, she says:—
“you will perceive that the poems are the work of three persons, relatives—their separate pieces are distinguished by their respective signatures.”
she writes again on february 15th; and on the 16th she says:—
“the ms. will certainly form a thinner volume than i had anticipated. i cannot name another model which i should like it precisely to resemble, yet, i think, a duodecimo form, and a somewhat reduced, though still clear type, would be preferable. i only stipulate for clear type, not too small, and good paper.”
on february 21st she selects the “long primer type” for the poems, and will remit 31l. 10s. in a few days.
minute as the details conveyed in these notes are, they are not trivial, because they afford such strong indications of character. if the volume was to be published at their own risk, it was necessary that the sister conducting the negotiation should make herself acquainted with the different kinds of type, and the various sizes of books. accordingly she bought a small volume, from which to learn all she could on the subject of preparation for the press. no half-knowledge—no trusting to other people for decisions which she could make for herself; and yet a generous and full confidence, not misplaced, in the thorough probity of messrs. aylott and jones. the caution in ascertaining the risk before embarking in the enterprise, and the prompt payment of the money required, even before it could be said to have assumed the shape of a debt, were both parts of a self-reliant and independent character. self-contained also was she. during the whole time that the volume of poems was in the course of preparation and publication, no word was written telling anyone, out of the household circle, what was in progress.
i have had some of the letters placed in my hands, which she addressed to her old schoolmistress, miss w-. they begin a little before this time. acting on the conviction, which i have all along entertained, that where charlotte brontë’s own words could be used, no others ought to take their place, i shall make extracts from this series, according to their dates.
“jan. 30th, 1846.
“my dear miss w---,
“i have not yet paid my visit to ---; it is, indeed, more than a year since i was there, but i frequently hear from e., and she did not fail to tell me that you were gone into worcestershire; she was unable, however, to give me your exact address. had i known it, i should have written to you long since. i thought you would wonder how we were getting on, when you heard of the railway panic; and you may be sure that i am very glad to be able to answer your kind inquiries by the assurance that our small capital is as yet undiminished. the york and midland is, as you say, a very good line, yet, i confess to you, i should wish, for my own part, to be wise in time. i cannot think that even the very best lines will continue for many years at their present premiums; and i have been most anxious for us to sell our shares ere it be too late, and to secure the proceeds in some safer, if, for the present, less profitable investment. i cannot, however, persuade my sisters to regard the affair precisely from my point of view; and i feel as if i would rather run the risk of loss than hurt emily’s feelings by acting in direct opposition to her opinion. she managed in a most handsome and able manner for me, when i was in brussels, and prevented by distance from looking after my own interests; therefore, i will let her manage still, and take the consequences. disinterested and energetic she certainly is; and if she be not quite so tractable or open to conviction as i could wish, i must remember perfection is not the lot of humanity; and as long as we can regard those we love, and to whom we are closely allied, with profound and never-shaken esteem, it is a small thing that they should vex us occasionally by what appear to us unreasonable and headstrong notions.
“you, my dear miss w---, know, full as well as i do, the value of sisters’ affection to each other; there is nothing like it in this world, i believe, when they are nearly equal in age, and similar in education, tastes, and sentiments. you ask about branwell; he never thinks of seeking employment, and i begin to fear that he has rendered himself incapable of filling any respectable station in life; besides, if money were at his disposal, he would use it only to his own injury; the faculty of self-government is, i fear, almost destroyed in him. you ask me if i do not think that men are strange beings? i do, indeed. i have often thought so; and i think, too, that the mode of bringing them up is strange: they are not sufficiently guarded from temptation. girls are protected as if they were something very frail or silly indeed, while boys are turned loose on the world, as if they, of all beings in existence, were the wisest and least liable to be led astray. i am glad you like broomsgrove, though, i dare say, there are few places you would not like, with mrs. m. for a companion. i always feel a peculiar satisfaction when i hear of your enjoying yourself, because it proves that there really is such a thing as retributive justice even in this world. you worked hard; you denied yourself all pleasure, almost all relaxation, in your youth, and in the prime of life; now you are free, and that while you have still, i hope, many years of vigour and health in which you can enjoy freedom. besides, i have another and very egotistical motive for being pleased; it seems that even ‘a lone woman’ can be happy, as well as cherished wives and proud mothers. i am glad of that. i speculate much on the existence of unmarried and never-to-be-married women now-a-days; and i have already got to the point of considering that there is no more respectable character on this earth than an unmarried woman, who makes her own way through life quietly, perseveringly, without support of husband or brother; and who, having attained the age of forty-five or upwards, retains in her possession a well-regulated mind, a disposition to enjoy simple pleasures, and fortitude to support inevitably pains, sympathy with the sufferings of others, and willingness to relieve want as far as her means extend.”
during the time that the negotiation with messrs. aylott and co. was going on, charlotte went to visit her old school-friend, with whom she was in such habits of confidential intimacy; but neither then nor afterwards, did she ever speak to her of the publication of the poems; nevertheless, this young lady suspected that the sisters wrote for magazines; and in this idea she was confirmed when, on one of her visits to haworth, she saw anne with a number of “chambers’s journal,” and a gentle smile of pleasure stealing over her placid face as she read.
“what is the matter?” asked the friend. “why do you smile?”
“only because i see they have inserted one of my poems,” was the quiet reply; and not a word more was said on the subject.
to this friend charlotte addressed the following letters:—
“march 3rd, 1846.
“i reached home a little after two o’clock, all safe and right yesterday; i found papa very well; his sight much the same. emily and anne were going to keighley to meet me; unfortunately, i had returned by the old road, while they were gone by the new, and we missed each other. they did not get home till half-past four, and were caught in the heavy shower of rain which fell in the afternoon. i am sorry to say anne has taken a little cold in consequence, but i hope she will soon be well. papa was much cheered by my report of mr. c.’s opinion, and of old mrs. e.’s experience; but i could perceive he caught gladly at the idea of deferring the operation a few months longer. i went into the room where branwell was, to speak to him, about an hour after i got home: it was very forced work to address him. i might have spared myself the trouble, as he took no notice, and made no reply; he was stupified. my fears were not in vain. i hear that he got a sovereign while i have been away, under pretence of paying a pressing debt; he went immediately and changed it at a public-house, and has employed it as was to be expected. --- concluded her account by saying he was a ‘hopeless being;’ it is too true. in his present state it is scarcely possible to stay in the room where he is. what the future has in store i do not know.”
“march 31st, 1846.
“our poor old servant tabby had a sort of fit, a fortnight since, but is nearly recovered now. martha” (the girl they had to assist poor old tabby, and who remains still the faithful servant at the parsonage,) “is ill with a swelling in her knee, and obliged to go home. i fear it will be long before she is in working condition again. i received the number of the ‘record’ you sent . . . i read d’aubigné’s letter. it is clever, and in what he says about catholicism very good. the evangelical alliance part is not very practicable, yet certainly it is more in accordance with the spirit of the gospel to preach unity among christians than to inculcate mutual intolerance and hatred. i am very glad i went to—when i did, for the changed weather has somewhat changed my health and strength since. how do you get on? i long for mild south and west winds. i am thankful papa continues pretty well, though often made very miserable by branwell’s wretched conduct. there—there is no change but for the worse.”
meanwhile the printing of the volume of poems was quietly proceeding. after some consultation and deliberation, the sisters had determined to correct the proofs themselves, up to march 28th the publishers had addressed their correspondent as c. brontë, esq.; but at this time some “little mistake occurred,” and she desired messrs. aylott and co. in future to direct to her real address, “miss brontë,” &c. she had, however, evidently left it to be implied that she was not acting on her own behalf, but as agent for the real authors, since in a note dated april 6th, she makes a proposal on behalf of “c., e., and a. bell,” which is to the following effect, that they are preparing for the press a work of fiction, consisting of three distinct and unconnected tales, which may be published either together, as a work of three volumes, of the ordinary novel size, or separately, as single volumes, as may be deemed most advisable. she states, in addition, that it is not their intention to publish these tales on their own account; but that the authors direct her to ask messrs. aylott and co. whether they would be disposed to undertake the work, after having, of course, by due inspection of the ms., ascertained that its contents are such as to warrant an expectation of success. to this letter of inquiry the publishers replied speedily, and the tenor of their answer may be gathered from charlotte’s, dated april 11th.
“i beg to thank you, in the name of c., e., and a. bell, for your obliging offer of advice. i will avail myself of it, to request information on two or three points. it is evident that unknown authors have great difficulties to contend with, before they can succeed in bringing their works before the public. can you give me any hint as to the way in which these difficulties are best met? for instance, in the present case, where a work of fiction is in question, in what form would a publisher be most likely to accept the ms.? whether offered as a work of three vols., or as tales which might be published in numbers, or as contributions to a periodical?
“what publishers would be most likely to receive favourably a proposal of this nature?
“would it suffice to write to a publisher on the subject, or would it be necessary to have recourse to a personal interview?
“your opinion and advice on these three points, or on any other which your experience may suggest as important, would be esteemed by us as a favour.”
it is evident from the whole tenor of this correspondence, that the truthfulness and probity of the firm of publishers with whom she had to deal in this her first literary venture, were strongly impressed upon her mind, and was followed by the inevitable consequence of reliance on their suggestions. and the progress of the poems was not unreasonably lengthy or long drawn out. on april 20th she writes to desire that three copies may be sent to her, and that messrs. aylott will advise her as to the reviewers to whom copies ought to be sent.
i give the next letter as illustrating the ideas of these girls as to what periodical reviews or notices led public opinion.
“the poems to be neatly done up in cloth. have the goodness to send copies and advertisements, as early as possible, to each of the undermentioned periodicals.
“‘colburn’s new monthly magazine.’
“‘bentley’s magazine.’
“‘hood’s magazine.’
“‘jerrold’s shilling magazine.’
“‘blackwood’s magazine.’
“‘the edinburgh review.’
“‘tait’s edinburgh magazine.’
“‘the dublin university magazine.’
“also to the ‘daily news’ and to the ‘britannia’ papers.
“if there are any other periodicals to which you have been in the habit of sending copies of works, let them be supplied also with copies. i think those i have mentioned will suffice for advertising.”
in compliance with this latter request, messrs. aylott suggest that copies and advertisements of the work should be sent to the “athenæum,” “literary gazette,” “critic,” and “times;” but in her reply miss brontë says, that she thinks the periodicals she first mentioned will be sufficient for advertising in at present, as the authors do not wish to lay out a larger sum than two pounds in advertising, esteeming the success of a work dependent more on the notice it receives from periodicals than on the quantity of advertisements. in case of any notice of the poems appearing, whether favourable or otherwise, messrs. aylott and co. are requested to send her the name and number of those periodicals in which such notices appear; as otherwise, since she has not the opportunity of seeing periodicals regularly, she may miss reading the critique. “should the poems be remarked upon favourably, it is my intention to appropriate a further sum for advertisements. if, on the other hand, they should pass unnoticed or be condemned, i consider it would be quite useless to advertise, as there is nothing, either in the title of the work, or the names of the authors, to attract attention from a single individual.”
i suppose the little volume of poems was published some time about the end of may, 1846. it stole into life; some weeks passed over, without the mighty murmuring public discovering that three more voices were uttering their speech. and, meanwhile, the course of existence moved drearily along from day to day with the anxious sisters, who must have forgotten their sense of authorship in the vital care gnawing at their hearts. on june 17th, charlotte writes:—
“branwell declares that he neither can nor will do anything for himself; good situations have been offered him, for which, by a fortnight’s work, he might have qualified himself, but he will do nothing except drink and make us all wretched.”
in the “athenæum” of july 4th, under the head of poetry for the million, came a short review of the poems of c., e., and a. bell. the reviewer assigns to ellis the highest rank of the three “brothers,” as he supposes them to be; he calls ellis “a fine, quaint spirit;” and speaks of “an evident power of wing that may reach heights not here attempted.” again, with some degree of penetration, the reviewer says, that the poems of ellis “convey an impression of originality beyond what his contributions to these volumes embody.” currer is placed midway between ellis and acton. but there is little in the review to strain out, at this distance of time, as worth preserving. still, we can fancy with what interest it was read at haworth parsonage, and how the sisters would endeavour to find out reasons for opinions, or hints for the future guidance of their talents.
i call particular attention to the following letter of charlotte’s, dated july 10th, 1846. to whom it was written, matters not; but the wholesome sense of duty in it—the sense of the supremacy of that duty which god, in placing us in families, has laid out for us, seems to deserve especial regard in these days.
“i see you are in a dilemma, and one of a peculiar and difficult nature. two paths lie before you; you conscientiously wish to choose the right one, even though it be the most steep, strait, and rugged; but you do not know which is the right one; you cannot decide whether duty and religion command you to go out into the cold and friendless world, and there to earn your living by governess drudgery, or whether they enjoin your continued stay with your aged mother, neglecting, for the present, every prospect of independency for yourself, and putting up with daily inconvenience, sometimes even with privations. i can well imagine, that it is next to impossible for you to decide for yourself in this matter, so i will decide it for you. at least, i will tell you what is my earnest conviction on the subject; i will show you candidly how the question strikes me. the right path is that which necessitates the greatest sacrifice of self-interest—which implies the greatest good to others; and this path, steadily followed, will lead, i believe, in time, to prosperity and to happiness, though it may seem, at the outset, to tend quite in a contrary direction. your mother is both old and infirm; old and infirm people have but few sources of happiness—fewer almost than the comparatively young and healthy can conceive; to deprive them of one of these is cruel. if your mother is more composed when you are with her, stay with her. if she would be unhappy in case you left her, stay with her. it will not apparently, as far as short-sighted humanity can see, be for your advantage to remain at ---, nor will you be praised and admired for remaining at home to comfort your mother; yet, probably, your own conscience will approve, and if it does, stay with her. i recommend you to do what i am trying to do myself.”
the remainder of this letter is only interesting to the reader as it conveys a peremptory disclaimer of the report that the writer was engaged to be married to her father’s curate—the very same gentleman to whom, eight years afterwards, she was united; and who, probably, even now, although she was unconscious of the fact, had begun his service to her, in the same tender and faithful spirit as that in which jacob served for rachel. others may have noticed this, though she did not.
a few more notes remain of her correspondence “on behalf of the messrs. bell” with mr. aylott. on july 15th she says, “i suppose, as you have not written, no other notices have yet appeared, nor has the demand for the work increased. will you favour me with a line stating whether any, or how many copies have yet been sold?”
but few, i fear; for, three days later, she wrote the following:—
“the messrs. bell desire me to thank you for your suggestion respecting the advertisements. they agree with you that, since the season is unfavourable, advertising had better be deferred. they are obliged to you for the information respecting the number of copies sold.”
on july 23rd she writes to the messrs. aylott:—
“the messrs. bell would be obliged to you to post the enclosed note in london. it is an answer to the letter you forwarded, which contained an application for their autographs from a person who professed to have read and admired their poems. i think i before intimated, that the messrs. bell are desirous for the present of remaining unknown, for which reason they prefer having the note posted in london to sending it direct, in order to avoid giving any clue to residence, or identity by post-mark, &c.”
once more, in september, she writes, “as the work has received no further notice from any periodical, i presume the demand for it has not greatly increased.”
in the biographical notice of her sisters, she thus speaks of the failure of the modest hopes vested in this publication. “the book was printed; it is scarcely known, and all of it that merits to be known are the poems of ellis bell.
“the fixed conviction i held, and hold, of the worth of these poems, has not, indeed, received the confirmation of much favourable criticism; but i must retain it notwithstanding.”
