Life of Charlotte Brontë | Page 4

to Scotland--Her first meeting with Mr.
Lewes--Her opinion of Balzac and George Sand--A characteristic
incident--Account of a friendly visit to Haworth Parsonage--Remarks
on "The Roman," by Sydney Dobell, and on the character of Dr.
Arnold--Letter to Mr. Dobell.
CHAPTER IX.
Miss Bronte's visit to Miss Martineau, and estimate of her
hostess--Remarks on Mr. Ruskin's "Stones of Venice"--Preparations for
another visit to London--Letter to Mr. Sydney Dobell: the moors in
autumn--Mr. Thackeray's second lecture at Willis's Rooms, and
sensation produced by Currer Bell's appearance there--Her account of
her visit to London--She breakfasts with Mr. Rogers, visits the Great
Exhibition, and sees Lord Westminster's pictures--Return to Haworth
and letter thence--Her comment on Mr. Thackeray's Lecture--Counsel
on development of character.
CHAPTER X.
Remarks on friendship--Letter to Mrs. Gaskell on her and Miss
Martineau's views of the Great Exhibition and Mr. Thackeray's lecture,
and on the "Saint's Tragedy"--Miss Bronte's feelings towards
children--Her comments on Mr. J. S. Mill's article on the Emancipation
of Women--More illness at Haworth Parsonage--Letter on
Emigration--Periodical returns of illness--Miss Wooler visits
Haworth--Miss Bronte's impressions of her visit to London--Her

account of the progress of Villette--Her increasing illness and
sufferings during winter--Her letter on Mr. Thackeray's Esmond--
Revival of sorrows and accessions of low spirits--Remarks on some
recent books--Retrospect of the winter of 1851-2--Letter to Mrs.
Gaskell on "Ruth."
CHAPTER XI.
Miss Bronte revisits Scarborough--Serious illness and ultimate
convalescence of her father--Her own illness--"Villette" nearly
completed--Further remarks on "Esmond" and "Uncle Tom's
Cabin"--Letter respecting "Villette"--Another letter about
"Villette"--Instance of extreme sensibility.
CHAPTER XII.
The biographer's difficulty--Deep and enduring attachment of Mr.
Nicholls for Miss Bronte--Instance of her self-abnegation--She again
visits London--Impressions of this visit--Letter to Mrs.
Gaskell--Reception of the critiques on "Villette"--Misunderstanding
with Miss Martineau--Letter on Mr. Thackeray's portrait--Visit of the
Bishop of Ripon to Haworth Parsonage--Her wish to see the
unfavourable critiques on her works--Her nervous shyness of strangers,
and its cause--Letter on Mr. Thackeray's lectures.
CHAPTER XIII.
Letter to Mrs. Gaskell on writing fiction, etc.--The biographer's account
of her visit to Haworth, and reminiscences of conversations with Miss
Bronte--Letters from Miss Bronte to her friends--Her engagement to
Mr. Nicholls, and preparations for the marriage--The marriage
ceremony and wedding tour--Her happiness in the married state--New
symptoms of illness, and their cause--The two last letters written by
Mrs. Nicholls--An alarming change--Her death.
CHAPTER XIV.

Mourners at the funeral--Conclusion.
CHAPTER I
During this summer of 1846, while her literary hopes were waning, an
anxiety of another kind was increasing. Her father's eyesight had
become seriously impaired by the progress of the cataract which was
forming. He was nearly blind. He could grope his way about, and
recognise the figures of those he knew well, when they were placed
against a strong light; but he could no longer see to read; and thus his
eager appetite for knowledge and information of all kinds was severely
balked. He continued to preach. I have heard that he was led up into the
pulpit, and that his sermons were never so effective as when he stood
there, a grey sightless old man, his blind eyes looking out straight
before him, while the words that came from his lips had all the vigour
and force of his best days. Another fact has been mentioned to me,
curious as showing the accurateness of his sensation of time. His
sermons had always lasted exactly half an hour. With the clock right
before him, and with his ready flow of words, this had been no difficult
matter as long as he could see. But it was the same when he was blind;
as the minute-hand came to the point, marking the expiration of the
thirty minutes, he concluded his sermon.
Under his great sorrow he was always patient. As in times of far greater
affliction, he enforced a quiet endurance of his woe upon himself. But
so many interests were quenched by this blindness that he was driven
inwards, and must have dwelt much on what was painful and
distressing in regard to his only son. No wonder that his spirits gave
way, and were depressed. For some time before this autumn, his
daughters had been collecting all the information they could respecting
the probable success of operations for cataract performed on a person
of their father's age. About the end of July, Emily and Charlotte had
made a journey to Manchester for the purpose of searching out an
operator; and there they heard of the fame of the late Mr. Wilson as an
oculist. They went to him at once, but he could not tell, from
description, whether the eyes were ready for being operated upon or not.
It therefore became necessary for Mr. Bronte to visit him; and towards

the end of August, Charlotte brought her father to him. He determined
at once to undertake the operation, and recommended them to