Haworth
My dearest Ellen
Your kind and interesting letter gave me the sincerest pleasure I have been expecting to hear from you almost every day since my arrival at home and I at length began to despair of receiving the wished-for letter. You ask me to give you a description of the manner in which I have passed every day since I left School:1 this is soon done as an account of one day is an account of all. In the morning from nine o’clock till half past twelve I instruct my Sisters & draw, then we walk till dinner after dinner I sew till tea-time, and after tea I either read, write, do a little fancy-work or draw, as I please Thus in one delightful, though somewhat monotonous course my life is passed. I have only been out to tea twice since I came home, we are expecting company this afternoon & on Tuesday next we shall have all the Female teachers of the Sunday-School to tea. A short time since I was rather surprised by the receipt of a letter from Miss L. S. Brooke2 it contained no news of consequence but she complained heavily “of the things which she understood had been said of her after she left school.” I suppose the little prattling amiable Maria3 had given her a full relation of all those disgraceful stories we heard respecting Miss Leah. I am extremely sorry to hear of the deaths of Mrs Wm Wooler4 and Mr Carr5 and I doubt not both those individuals will be a serious loss to their respective famillies. Your friend Harriette Carr’s6 account of Miss Isabella Sladen does not surprise me You know I had formed no very high opinion of her from the traits Miss Hall related of her character. I do hope my dearest that you will return to school again for your own sake though for mine I had rather you would remain at home as we shall then have more frequent opportunities of correspondence with each other. Should your Friends7 decide against your returning to school I know you have too much good sense and right-feeling not to strive earnestly for your own improvement. Your natural abilities are excellent and under the direction of a judicious and able friend (and I know you have many such) you might acquire a decided taste for elegant literature and even Poetry which indeed is included under that general term. I was very much dissapointed8 by your not sending the hair. You may be sure my dearest Ellen that I would not grudge double postage to obtain it but I must offer the same excuse for not sending you any. My Aunt and Sisters desire their love to you. Remember me kindly to your Mother & Sisters9 and accept all the fondest expressions of genuine attachment, from
Your real friend
Charlotte Brontë
P.S Remember the mutual promise we made of a regular correspondence with each other Excuse all faults in this wretched scrawl Give my love to the Miss Taylors10 when you see them. Farewell my dear dear dear Ellen.
MS HM 24403.
1. Margaret Wooler’s school, Roe Head, Mirfield, Yorks.
2. Leah Sophia Brooke (1815–55), a fellow-pupil at Roe Head.
3. Leah’s sister Anna Maria Brooke, b. 1818.
4. Sidney Maria, née Allbutt, wife of Margaret Wooler’s brother, Dr William Moore Wooler (1795–1873).
5. The solicitor Charles Carr of Gomersal (1777–13 July 1832).
6. Harriet Carr (1816–98); Isabelle Sladen was the daughter of Thomas Sladen of Mearclough House, Yorks.; Miss Hall (a fellow-pupil) has not been identified.
7. i.e. Ellen’s family.
8. Thus in MS.
9. Mrs Ellen Nussey, née Wade (?1771–1857), widow of John Nussey (1760–1826), and her daughters Ann (1795–1878) and Mercy (1801–86).
10. Mary Taylor (1817–93) and Martha Taylor (1819–42). See Biographical Notes p. 258.