Delphi Complete Works of the Brontes Charlotte, Emily, Anne Brontë (Illustrated) (586 page)

 
TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
May
15
th
, 1840.

‘My dear Ellen, — I read your last letter with a great deal of interest.  Perhaps it is not always well to tell people when we approve of their actions, and yet it is very pleasant to do so; and as, if you had done wrongly, I hope I should have had honesty enough to tell you so, so now, as you have done rightly, I shall gratify myself by telling you what I think.

‘If I made you my father confessor I could reveal weaknesses which you do not dream of.  I do not mean to intimate that I attach a
high value
to empty compliments, but a word of panegyric has often made me feel a sense of confused pleasure which it required my strongest effort to conceal — and on the other hand, a hasty expression which I could construe into neglect or disapprobation has tortured me till I have lost half a night’s rest from its rankling pangs.

‘C. Brontë.

‘
P.S.
— Don’t talk any more of sending for me — when I come I will
send
myself.  All send their love to you.  I have no prospect of a situation any more than of going to the moon.  Write to me again as soon as you can.’

Here is the only glimpse that we find of her Penzance relatives in these later years.  They would seem to have visited Haworth when Charlotte was twenty-four years of age.  The impression they left was not a kindly one.

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
August
14
th
, 1840.

‘My dear Ellen, — As you only sent me a note, I shall only send you one, and that not out of revenge, but because like you I have but little to say.  The freshest news in our house is that we had, a fortnight ago, a visit from some of our South of England relations, John Branwell and his wife and daughter.  They have been staying above a month with Uncle Fennell at Crosstone.  They reckon to be very grand folks indeed, and
 
talk largely — I thought assumingly.  I cannot say I much admired them.  To my eyes there seemed to be an attempt to play the great Mogul down in Yorkshire.  Mr. Branwell was much less assuming than the womenites; he seemed a frank, sagacious kind of man, very tall and vigorous, with a keen active look.  The moment he saw me he exclaimed that I was the very image of my aunt Charlotte.  Mrs. Branwell sets up for being a woman of great talent, tact, and accomplishment.  I thought there was much more noise than work.  My cousin Eliza is a young lady intended by nature to be a bouncing, good-looking girl — art has trained her to be a languishing, affected piece of goods.  I would have been friendly with her, but I could get no talk except about the Low Church, Evangelical clergy, the Millennium, Baptist Noel, botany, and her own conversion.  A mistaken education has utterly spoiled the lass.  Her face tells that she is naturally good-natured, though perhaps indolent.  Her affectations were so utterly out of keeping with her round rosy face and tall bouncing figure, I could hardly refrain from laughing as I watched her.  Write a long letter next time and I’ll write you ditto.  Good-bye.’

We have already read the letters which were written to Miss Nussey during the governess period, and from Brussels.  On her final return from Brussels, Charlotte implores a letter.

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘Haworth,
February
10
th
, 1844.

‘Dear Ellen, — I cannot tell what occupies your thoughts and time.  Are you ill?  Is some one of your family ill?  Are you married?  Are you dead?  If it be so, you may as well write a word and let me know — for my part, I am again in old England.  I shall tell you nothing further till you write to me.

‘C. Brontë.

‘Write to me directly, that is a good girl; I feel really anxious, and have felt so for a long time to hear from you.’

 
She visits Miss Nussey soon afterwards at Brookroyd, and a little later writes as follows:

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
April
7
th
, 1844.

‘Dear Nell, — I have received your note.  It communicated a piece of good news which I certainly did not expect to hear.  I want, however, further enlightenment on the subject.  Can you tell me what has caused the change in Mary’s plans, and brought her so suddenly back to England?  Is it on account of Mary Dixon?  Is it the wish of her brother, or is it her own determination?  I hope, whatever the reason be, it is nothing which can give her uneasiness or do her harm.  Do you know how long she is likely to stay in England? or when she arrives at Hunsworth?

‘You ask how I am.  I really have felt much better the last week — I think my visit to Brookroyd did me good.  What delightful weather we have had lately.  I wish we had had such while I was with you.  Emily and I walk out a good deal on the moors, to the great damage of our shoes, but I hope to the benefit of our health.

‘Good-bye, dear Ellen.  Send me another of your little notes soon.  Kindest regards to all,

‘C. B.’

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
June
9
th
, 1844.

‘My dear Ellen, — Anne and Branwell are now at home, and they and Emily add their request to mine, that you will join us at the beginning of next week.  Write and let us know what day you will come, and how — if by coach, we will meet you at Keighley.  Do not let your visit be later than the beginning of next week, or you will see little of Anne and Branwell as their holidays are very short.  They will soon have to join the family at Scarborough.  Remember me kindly to your mother and sisters.  I hope they are all well.

‘C. B.’

 
TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
November
14
th
, 1844.

‘Dear Ellen, — Your letter came very apropos, as, indeed, your letters always do; but this morning I had something of a headache, and was consequently rather out of spirits, and the epistle (scarcely legible though it be — excuse a rub) cheered me.  In order to evince my gratitude, as well as to please my own inclination, I sit down to answer it immediately.  I am glad, in the first place, to hear that your brother is going to be married, and still more so to learn that his wife-elect has a handsome fortune — not that I advocate marrying for money in general, but I think in many cases (and this is one) money is a very desirable contingent of matrimony.

‘I wonder when Mary Taylor is expected in England.  I trust you will be at home while she is at Hunsworth, and that you, she, and I, may meet again somewhere under the canopy of heaven.  I cannot, dear Ellen, make any promise about myself and Anne going to Brookroyd at Christmas; her vacations are so short she would grudge spending any part of them from home.

‘The catastrophe, which you related so calmly, about your book-muslin dress, lace bertha, etc., convulsed me with cold shudderings of horror.  You have reason to curse the day when so fatal a present was offered you as that infamous little “varmint.”  The perfect serenity with which you endured the disaster proves most fully to me that you would make the best wife, mother, and mistress in the world.  You and Anne are a pair for marvellous philosophical powers of endurance; no spoilt dinners, scorched linen, dirtied carpets, torn sofa-covers, squealing brats, cross husbands, would ever discompose either of you.  You ought never to marry a good-tempered man, it would be mingling honey with sugar, like sticking white roses upon a black-thorn cudgel.  With this very picturesque metaphor I close my letter.  Good-bye, and write very soon.

‘C. Brontë.’

Much has been said concerning Charlotte Brontë’s visit to Hathersage in Derbyshire, and it is interesting because of the
 
fact that Miss Brontë obtained the name of ‘Eyre’ from a family in that neighbourhood, and Morton in
Jane Eyre
may obviously be identified with Hathersage.
 
  Miss Ellen Nussey’s brother Henry became Vicar of Hathersage, and he married shortly afterwards.  While he was on his honeymoon his sister went to Hathersage to keep house for him, and she invited her friend Charlotte Brontë to stay with her.  The visit lasted three weeks.  This was the only occasion that Charlotte visited Hathersage.  Here are two or three short notes referring to that visit.

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
June
10
th
, 1845.

‘Dear Ellen, — It is very vexatious for you to have had to go to Sheffield in vain.  I am glad to hear that there is an omnibus on Thursday, and I have told Emily and Anne I will try to come on that day.  The opening of the railroad is now postponed till July 7th.  I should not like to put you off again, and for that and some other reasons they have decided to give up the idea of going to Scarbro’, and instead, to make a little excursion next Monday and Tuesday, to Ilkley or elsewhere.  I hope no other obstacle will arise to prevent my going to Hathersage.  I do long to be with you, and I feel nervously afraid of being prevented, or put off in some way.  Branwell only stayed a week with us, but he is to come home again when the family go to Scarboro’.  I will write to Brookroyd directly.  Yesterday I had a little note from Henry inviting me to go to see you.  This is one of your contrivances, for which you deserve smothering.  You have written to Henry to tell him to write to me.  Do you think I stood on ceremony about the matter?

 
‘The French papers have ceased to come.  Good-bye for the present.

‘C. B.’

TO MRS. NUSSEY

‘
July
23
rd
, 1845.

‘My dear Mrs. Nussey, — I lose no time after my return home in writing to you and offering you my sincere thanks for the kindness with which you have repeatedly invited me to go and stay a few days at Brookroyd.  It would have given me great pleasure to have gone, had it been only for a day, just to have seen you and Miss Mercy (Miss Nussey I suppose is not at home) and to have been introduced to Mrs. Henry, but I have stayed so long with Ellen at Hathersage that I could not possibly now go to Brookroyd.  I was expected at home; and after all
home
should always have the first claim on our attention.  When I reached home (at ten o’clock on Saturday night) I found papa, I am thankful to say, pretty well, but he thought I had been a long time away.

‘I left Ellen well, and she had generally good health while I stayed with her, but she is very anxious about matters of business, and apprehensive lest things should not be comfortable against the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Henry — she is so desirous that the day of their arrival at Hathersage should be a happy one to both.

‘I hope, my dear Mrs. Nussey, you are well; and I should be very happy to receive a little note either from you or from Miss Mercy to assure me of this. — Believe me, yours affectionately and sincerely,

‘C. Brontë.’

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
July
24
th
, 1845.

‘Dear Ellen, — A series of toothaches, prolonged and severe, bothering me both day and night, have kept me very stupid of late, and prevented me from writing to you.  More than once I have sat down and opened my desk, but have not been able to get up to par.  To-day, after a night of fierce pain, I am better — much better, and I take advantage of the interval of
 
ease to discharge my debt.  I wish I had £50 to spare at present, and that you, Emily, Anne, and I were all at liberty to leave home without our absence being detrimental to any body.  How pleasant to set off
en masse
to the seaside, and stay there a few weeks, taking in a stock of health and strength. — We could all do with recreation.  Adversity agrees with you, Ellen.  Your good qualities are never so obvious as when under the pressure of affliction.  Continued prosperity might develope too much a certain germ of ambition latent in your character.  I saw this little germ putting out green shoots when I was staying with you at Hathersage.  It was not then obtrusive, and perhaps might never become so.  Your good sense, firm principle, and kind feeling might keep it down.  Holding down my head does not suit my toothache.  Give my love to your mother and sisters.  Write again as soon as may be. — Yours faithfully,

‘C. B.’

TO MISS ELLEN NUSSEY

‘
August
18
th
, 1845.