Text extracted from opening pages of book: CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND HER CIRCLE BY CLEMENT K. SHORTER OF fflsnrait a? UWIAW NEW YORK: DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, . ., 1896 Copyright, 1896, BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY. JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. P E E F A C E. IT is claimed for the following book of some five hundred pages that the larger part of it is an addition of entirely new material to the romantic story of the Brontes. For this result, but very small credit is due to me; and my very hearty acknowledgments must be made, in the first place, to the Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls, for whose generous surrender of personal inclination I must ever be grateful. It has been with extreme unwillingness that Mr. Nicholls has broken the silence of forty years, and he would not even now have consented to the publication of certain letters concerning his marriage, had he not been aware that these letters were already privately printed and in the hands of not less than eight or ten people. To Miss Ellen Nussey of Qomersall, I have also to render thanks for having placed the many letters in her possession at my disposal, and for having furnished a great deal of interesting information. Without the letters from Charlotte BrontS to Mr. W. S. Williams, which were kindly lent to me by CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND HER CIRCLE his son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Baumer Williams, my book would have been the poorer. Sir Wemyss Reid, Mr. J. J. Stead, of Heckmondwike, Mr. Butler Wood, of Bradford, Mr. W. W. Yates, of Dewsbury, Mr. Brskinc Stuart, Mr, Buxton Forman, and Mr. Thomas J. Wise are among the many Bronte specialists who have helped me with advice or with the loan of material. Mr. Wise, in particular, has lentme many valuable manuscripts. Finally, I haye to thank my friend Dr. Robertson Nicoll for the kindly pressure which has: ' !, . compelled me to prepare this little volume amid a multitude of journalistic duties, CLEMENT K. SHORTER. 198 STRAND, LONDON, September 1st, 1896. VI CONTENTS. PAGE PRELIMINARY 1 CHAPTER I. PATRICK BRONTE AND MARIA, HIS WIFE ..... 27 CHAPTER IT. CHILDHOOD f ., . 56 CHAPTER III. SCHOOL AND GOVERNESS LIFE 74 CHAPTER TV. PENSIONNAT HI GER, BRUSSELS 96 CHAPTER V. PATRICK BRANWELL BRONTE 120 CHAPTER r l. EMILY JANE BRONTE 144 CHAPTER VII. ANNE BRONTE . 181 CHAPTER VIII. ELLEN N USSEY 204 vii CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND HER CIRCLE CHAPTER IX. PAGE MARY TAYLOR' 234 CHAPTER X. MARGARET WOOLER 260 CHAPTER XL THE CURATES AT HAWORTH 280 CHAPTER XII. CHARLOTTE BRONTE'S LOVERS 293 CHAPTER XIII. LITERARY AMBITIONS 325 CHAPTER XIV. WILLIAM SMITH WILLIAMS .., ... 870 CHAPTER XV. WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY ..., ... 403 CHAPTER XVI. LITERARY FRIENDSHIPS 42i> CHAPTER XVII. ARTHUR BELL NICHOLLS 464 vni A BRONTE CHRONOLOGY Patrick Bronte born 17 March, 1777 Marie Bronte born 1783 Patrick leaves Ireland for Cambridge 1802 Degree of A. B 1806 Curacy at Wetherfield, Essex 1806 Curacy at Dewsbury, Yorks 1809 Curacy at Ha rtshead-cum-Clifton . . . 1811 Publishes' Cottage Poems' ( Halifax) 1811 Married to Maria Branwell 18 Dec., 1812 First Child, Maria, born 1813 Publishes * The Rural Minstrel' 1813 Elizabeth born 1814 Publishes' The Cottage in the Wood > 1815 Curacy at Thornton 1816 Charlotte Bronte born at Thornton 21 April, 1816 Patrick Branwell Bronte born 1817 Emily Jane Bronte born 1818 4 The Maid of Itillarney' published 1818 Anne Bronte born . 1819 Removal to Incumbency of HaworthFebruary, 1820 Mrs. Bronte died 15 September, 1821 Maria and Elizabeth Bronte at Cowan Bridge .... July, 1824 Charlotte and Emily Bronte at Cowan Bridge . . September, 1824 Leave Cowan Bridge, . . . 1825 Maria Bronte dies,6 May, 1825 ix CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND HER CIRCLE Elizabeth Bronte dies 15 Juno, 1825 Charlotte Bronte at School, Roe Head January, 1831 Leaves Roe Head School 1832 First Visit to Ellen Nussey at The Rhy dings . . September, 1832 Returns to Roe Head as governess 29 July, 1835 Branwell visits London . . 1835 Emily spends three months at Roe H