the life of charlotte bronte-1-第18章

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follows。　　The　Island　was　fifty　miles　in　circumference；　and　certainly　appeared　more　like　the　work　of　enchantment　than　anything　real；〃　&c。


Two　or　three　things　strike　me　much　in　this　fragment；　one　is　the　graphic　vividness　with　which　the　time　of　the　year；　the　hour　of　the　evening；　the　feeling　of　cold　and　darkness　outside；　the　sound　of　the　night…winds　sweeping　over　the　desolate　snow…covered　moors；　coming　nearer　and　nearer；　and　at　last　shaking　the　very　door　of　the　room　where　they　were　sittingfor　it　opened　out　directly　on　that　bleak；　wide　expanseis　contrasted　with　the　glow；　and　busy　brightness　of　the　cheerful　kitchen　where　these　remarkable　children　are　grouped。　　Tabby　moves　about　in　her　quaint　country…dress；　frugal；　peremptory；　prone　to　find　fault　pretty　sharply；　yet　allowing　no　one　else　to　blame　her　children；　we　may　feel　sure。　Another　noticeable　fact　is　the　intelligent　partisanship　with　which　they　choose　their　great　men；　who　are　almost　all　stanch　Tories　of　the　time。　　Moreover；　they　do　not　confine　themselves　to　local　heroes；　their　range　of　choice　has　been　widened　by　hearing　much　of　what　is　not　usually　considered　to　interest　children。　　Little　Anne；　aged　scarcely　eight；　picks　out　the　politicians　of　the　day　for　her　chief　men。

There　is　another　scrap　of　paper；　in　this　all　but　illegible　handwriting；　written　about　this　time；　and　which　gives　some　idea　of　the　sources　of　their　opinions。


THE　HISTORY　OF　THE　YEAR　1829。

〃Once　Papa　lent　my　sister　Maria　a　book。　　It　was　an　old　geography…　book；　she　wrote　on　its　blank　leaf；　'Papa　lent　me　this　book。'　　This　book　is　a　hundred　and　twenty　years　old；　it　is　at　this　moment　lying　before　me。　　While　I　write　this　I　am　in　the　kitchen　of　the　Parsonage；　Haworth；　Tabby；　the　servant；　is　washing　up　the　breakfast…things；　and　Anne；　my　youngest　sister　（Maria　was　my　eldest）；　is　kneeling　on　a　chair；　looking　at　some　cakes　which　Tabby　has　been　baking　for　us。　　Emily　is　in　the　parlour；　brushing　the　carpet。　　Papa　and　Branwell　are　gone　to　Keighley。　　Aunt　is　up…　stairs　in　her　room；　and　I　am　sitting　by　the　table　writing　this　in　the　kitchen。　　Keighley　is　a　small　town　four　miles　from　here。　　Papa　and　Branwell　are　gone　for　the　newspaper；　the　'Leeds　Intelligencer；'　a　most　excellent　Tory　newspaper；　edited　by　Mr。　Wood；　and　the　proprietor；　Mr。　Henneman。　　We　take　two　and　see　three　newspapers　a　week。　　We　take　the　'Leeds　Intelligencer；'　Tory；　and　the　'Leeds　Mercury；'　Whig；　edited　by　Mr。　Baines；　and　his　brother；　son…in…law；　and　his　two　sons；　Edward　and　Talbot。　　We　see　the　'John　Bull；'　it　is　a　high　Tory；　very　violent。　　Mr。　Driver　lends　us　it；　as　likewise　'Blackwood's　Magazine；'　the　most　able　periodical　there　is。　　The　Editor　is　Mr。　Christopher　North；　an　old　man　seventy…four　years　of　age；　the　1st　of　April　is　his　birth…day；　his　company　are　Timothy　Tickler；　Morgan　O'Doherty；　Macrabin　Mordecai；　Mullion；　Warnell；　and　James　Hogg；　a　man　of　most　extraordinary　genius；　a　Scottish　shepherd。　　Our　plays　were　established；　'Young　Men；'　June；　1826；　'Our　Fellows；'　July；　1827；　'Islanders；'　December；　1827。　These　are　our　three　great　plays；　that　are　not　kept　secret。　Emily's　and　my　best　plays　were　established　the　1st　of　December；　1827；　the　others　March；　1828。　　Best　plays　mean　secret　plays；　they　are　very　nice　ones。　　All　our　plays　are　very　strange　ones。　　Their　nature　I　need　not　write　on　paper；　for　I　think　I　shall　always　remember　them。　　The　'Young　Men's'　play　took　its　rise　from　some　wooden　soldiers　Branwell　had：　　'Our　Fellows'　from　'AEsop's　Fables；'　and　the　'Islanders'　from　several　events　which　happened。　I　will　sketch　out　the　origin　of　our　plays　more　explicitly　if　I　can。　　First；　'Young　Men。'　　Papa　bought　Branwell　some　wooden　soldiers　at　Leeds；　when　Papa　came　home　it　was　night；　and　we　were　in　bed；　so　next　morning　Branwell　came　to　our　door　with　a　box　of　soldiers。　　Emily　and　I　jumped　out　of　bed；　and　I　snatched　up　one　and　exclaimed；　'This　is　the　Duke　of　Wellington！　　This　shall　be　the　Duke！'　　When　I　had　said　this；　Emily　likewise　took　up　one　and　said　it　should　be　hers；　when　Anne　came　down；　she　said　one　should　be　hers。　　Mine　was　the　prettiest　of　the　whole；　and　the　tallest；　and　the　most　perfect　in　every　part。　　Emily's　was　a　grave…looking　fellow；　and　we　called　him　'Gravey。'　　Anne's　was　a　queer　little　thing；　much　like　herself；　and　we　called　him　'Waiting…Boy。'　Branwell　chose　his；　and　called　him　'Buonaparte。'〃

The　foregoing　extract　shows　something　of　the　kind　of　reading　in　which　the　little　Brontes　were　interested；　but　their　desire　for　knowledge　must　have　been　excited　in　many　directions；　for　I　find　a　〃list　of　painters　whose　works　I　wish　to　see；〃　drawn　up　by　Charlotte　when　she　was　scarcely　thirteen：…

〃Guido　Reni；　Julio　Romano；　Titian；　Raphael；　Michael　Angelo；　Correggio；　Annibal　Caracci；　Leonardo　da　Vinci；　Fra　Bartolomeo；　Carlo　Cignani；　Vandyke；　Rubens；　Bartolomeo　Ramerghi。〃

Here　is　this　little　girl；　in　a　remote　Yorkshire　parsonage；　who　has　probably　never　seen　anything　worthy　the　name　of　a　painting　in　her　life；　studying　the　names　and　characteristics　of　the　great　old　Italian　and　Flemish　masters；　whose　works　she　longs　to　see　some　time；　in　the　dim　future　that　lies　before　her！　　There　is　a　paper　remaining　which　contains　minute　studies　of；　and　criticisms　upon；　the　engravings　in　〃Friendship's　Offering　for　1829；〃　showing　how　she　had　early　formed　those　habits　of　close　observation；　and　patient　analysis　of　cause　and　effect；　which　served　so　well　in　after…life　as　handmaids　to　her　genius。

The　way　in　which　Mr。　Bronte　made　his　children　sympathise　with　him　in　his　great　interest　in　politics；　must　have　done　much　to　lift　them　above　the　chances　of　their　minds　being　limited　or　tainted　by　petty　local　gossip。　　I　take　the　only　other　remaining　personal　fragment　out　of　〃Tales　of　the　Islanders；〃　it　is　a　sort　of　apology；　contained　in　the　introduction　to　the　second　volume；　for　their　not　having　been　continued　before；　the　writers　had　been　for　a　long　time　too　busy；　and　latterly　too　much　absorbed　in　politics。


〃Parliament　was　opened；　and　the　great　Catholic　question　was　brought　forward；　and　the　Duke's　measures　were　disclosed；　and　all　was　slander；　violence；　party…spirit；　and　confusion。　　Oh；　those　six　months；　from　the　time　of　the　King's　speech　to　the　end！　　Nobody　could　write；　think；　or　speak　on　any　subject　but　the　Catholic　question；　and　the　Duke　of　Wellington；　and　Mr。　Peel。　　I　remember　the　day　when　the　Intelligence　Extraordinary　came　with　Mr。　Peel's　speech　in　it；　containing　the　terms　on　which　the　Catholics　were　to　be　let　in！　　With　what　eagerness　Papa　tore　off　the　cover；　and　how　we　all　gathered　round　him；　and　with　what　breathless　anxiety　we　listened；　as　one　by　one　they　were　disclosed；　and　explained；　and　argued　upon　so　ably；　and　so　well！　and　then　when　it　was　all　out；　how　aunt　said　that　she　thought　it　was　excellent；　and　that　the　Catholics　could　do　no　harm　with　such　good　security！　　I　remember　also　the　doubts　as　to　whether　it　would　pass　the　House　of　Lords；　and　the　prophecies　that　it　would　not；　and　when　the　paper　came　which　was　to　decide　the　question；　the　anxiety　was　almost　dreadful　with　which　we　listened　to　the　whole　affair：　　the　opening　of　the　doors；　the　hush；　the　royal　dukes　in　their　robes；　and　the　great　duke　in　green　sash　and　waistcoat；　the　rising　of　all　the　peeresses　when　he　rose；　the　reading　of　his　speechPapa　saying　that　his　words　were　like　precious　gold；　and　lastly；　the　majority　of　one　to　four　（sic）　in　favour　of　the　Bill。　　But　this　is　a　digression；〃　&c。；　&c。


This　must　have　been　written　when　she　was　between　thirteen　and　fourteen。

It　will　be　interesting　to　some　of　my　readers　to　know　what　was　the　character　of　her　purely　imaginative　writing　at　this　period。　　While　her　description　of　any　real　occurrence　is；　as　we　have　seen；　homely；　graphic；　and　forcible；　when　she　gives　way　to　her　powers　of　creation；　her　fancy　and　her　language　alike　run　riot；　sometimes　to　the　very　borders　of　apparent　delirium。　　Of　this　wild　weird　writing；　a　single　example　will　suffice。　　It　is　a　letter　to　the　editor　of　one　of　the　〃Little　Magazines。〃


〃Sir；It　is　well　known　that　the　Genii　have　declared　that　unless　they　perform　certain　arduous　duties　every　year；　of　a　mysterious　nature；　all　the　worlds　in　the　firmament　will　be　burnt　up；　and　gathered　together　in　one　mighty　globe；　which　will　roll　in　solitary　grandeur　through　the　vast