"She died in a time of promise."
So writes Charlotte, in the first flush of her grief. "She died in a time of promise;" having done much, indeed, having done enough to bring her powers to ripe perfection. And the fruit of that perfection is denied us. She died, between the finishing of labour and the award of praise. Before the least hint of the immortality that has been awarded her could reach her in her obscure and distant home. Without one success in all her life, with her school never kept, her verses never read, her novel never praised, her brother dead in ruin. All her ambitions had flagged and died of the blight. But she was still young, ready to live, eager to try again.
"She died in a time of promise. We saw her taken from life in its prime."
Truly a prime of sorrow, the dark mid-hour of the storm, dark with the grief gone by and the blackness of the on-coming grief. With Branwell dead, with her dearest sister dying, Emily died. Had she lived, what profit could she have made of her life? For us, indeed, it would have been well; but for her? Fame in solitude is bitter food; and Anne will die in May; and Charlotte six years after; and Emily never could make new friends. Better far for her, that loving, faithful spirit, to die while still her life was dear, while still there was hope in the world, than to linger on a few years longer, in loneliness and weakness, to quit in fame and misery a disillusioned life.
"She died in a time of promise. We saw her taken from life in its prime. But it is God's will, and the place where she is gone is better than that she has left."
Truly better, to leave her soul to speak in the world for aye, for the wind to be stronger for her breath, and the heather more purple from her heart; better far to be lost in the all-embracing, all-transmuting process of life, than to live in cramped and individual pain. So at least, wrong or right, thought this woman who loved the earth so well. She was not afraid to die. The thought of death filled her with no perplexities; but with assured and happy calm. She held it more glorious than fame, and sweeter than love, to give her soul to God and her body to the earth. And which of us shall carp at the belief which made a very painful life contented?
"The thing that irks me most is this shattered prison, after all. I'm tired of being enclosed here. I'm wearying to escape into that glorious world, and to be always there; not seeing it dimly through tears, and yearning for it through the walls of an aching heart; but really with it and in it. You think you are better and more fortunate than I, in full health and strength; you are sorry for me—very soon that will be altered. I shall be sorry for you. I shall be incomparably above and beyond you all."[32]
Ah, yes; incomparably above and beyond. Not only because of the keen vision with which she has revealed the glorious world in which her memory is fresher wind, and brighter sunshine, not only for that; but because the remembrance of her living self is a most high and noble precept. Never before were hands so inspired alike for daily drudgery and for golden writing never to fade. Never was any heart more honourable and strong, nor any more pitiful to shameful weakness. Seldom, indeed, has any man, more seldom still any woman, owned the inestimable gift of genius and never once made it an excuse for a weakness, a violence, a failing, which in other mortals we condemn. No deed of hers requires such apology. Therefore, being dead she persuades us to honour; and not only her works but the memory of her life shall rise up and praise her, who lived without praise so well.
THE END.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. H. ALLEN AND CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE. S.W.
Crown 8vo., Cloth, 3s. 6d. each.
EMINENT WOMEN SERIES
Edited by JOHN H. INGRAM.
The following Volumes are now ready:—
GEORGE ELIOT.
By Mathilde Blind.
EMILY BRONTË.
By A. Mary F. Robinson.
GEORGE SAND.
By Bertha Thomas.
MARY LAMB.
By Anne Gilchrist.
MARGARET FULLER.
By Julia Ward Howe.
MARIA EDGEWORTH.
By Helen Zimmern.
London: W. H. Allen & Co., 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
Crown 8vo., Cloth, 3s. 6d. each.
EMINENT WOMEN SERIES
Edited by JOHN H. INGRAM.
Volumes in Preparation.
ELIZABETH FRY.
By Mrs. E. R. PITMAN.
MADAME ROLAND.
By MATHILDE BLIND.
HARRIET MARTINEAU.
By Mrs. FENWICK MILLER.
COUNTESS OF ALBANY.
By VERNON LEE.
London: W. H. Allen & Co., 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
By the same Authors.
TROPICAL TRIALS.
A HANDBOOK
FOR
WOMEN IN THE TROPICS.
Contains Chapters dealing with the following subjects:—
I.—Introductory: General Remarks on Tropical Climates.
II.—Clothing and Outfit.
III.—Hints on Travelling by Land and by Water.
IV.—Diet, and Hints on Domestic Economy.
V.—On the Maintenance of Health.
VI.—Management and Rearing of Children.
The suggestions offered are based on practical experience, and the book is written in untechnical language, with a view to rendering it alike intelligible and useful to those for whom it is intended.
LONDON: W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 WATERLOO PLACE.
BOOKS ON HORSES AND RIDING.
LADIES ON HORSEBACK.
Learning, Park Riding, and Hunting; with Hints upon Costume, and numerous Anecdotes. By Mrs. Power O'Donoghue (Nannie Lambert), Authoress of "The Knave of Clubs," "Horses and Horsemen," "Grandfather's Hunter," &c. Crown 8vo., with Portrait, 5s.
THE HORSE; AS HE WAS, AS HE IS, AND AS HE OUGHT TO BE.
By James Irvine Lupton, F.R.C.V.S., Author of "The External Anatomy of the Horse," &c. Crown 8vo., Illustrated, 3s. 6d.
HOW TO RIDE AND SCHOOL A HORSE;
With a System of Horse Gymnastics. By Edward L. Anderson. Crown 8vo., 2s. 6d.
A SYSTEM OF SCHOOL TRAINING FOR HORSES.
By Edward L. Anderson, Author of "How to Ride and School a Horse." Crown 8vo., 2s. 6d.
THE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF THE HORSE
IN STABLE, FIELD, AND ON THE ROAD.
By A Stud Groom. New Edition. [In the Press.
ILLUSTRATED HORSE DOCTOR.
Being an Accurate and Detailed Account, accompanied by more than 400 Pictorial Representations, characteristic of the various Diseases to which the Equine Race are subjected; together with the latest Mode of Treatment, and all the requisite Prescriptions written in Plain English. By Edward Mayhew, M.R.C.V.S. 8vo., 18s. 6d.
ILLUSTRATED HORSE MANAGEMENT.
Containing descriptive remarks upon Anatomy, Medicine, Shoeing, Teeth, Food, Vices, Stables; likewise a plain account of the situation, nature, and value of the various points; together with comments on grooms, dealers, breeders, breakers, and trainers. Embellished with more than 400 Engravings from original designs made expressly for this work. By E. Mayhew. A new Edition, revised and improved by J. I. Lupton, M.R.C.V.S. 8vo., 12s.
London:
W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13, WATERLOO PLACE.
Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. each Volume.
EMINENT WOMEN
SERIES.
Edited by John H. Ingram.
VOLUMES ALREADY ISSUED:—
George Eliot. By Mathilde Blind.
Emily BrontË. By A. Mary F. Robinson.
George Sand. By Bertha Thomas.
Mary Lamb. By Anne Gilchrist.
Maria Edgeworth. By Helen Zimmern.
Margaret Fuller. By Julia Ward Howe.
Elizabeth Fry. By Mrs. E. R. Pitman.
Countess of Albany. By Vernon Lee.
Harriet Martineau. By Mrs. Fenwick Miller.
VOLUMES IN PREPARATION:—
Susannah Wesley. By Mrs. E. Clarke.
Mary Wollstonecraft. By Elizabeth Robins Pennell.
Madame Roland. By Mathilde Blind.
Madame de Stael. By Bella Duffy.
Margaret of Navarre. By Mary A. Robinson.
Vittoria Colonna. By Miss A. Kennard.
London: W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
Eminent Women Series
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
George Eliot. By Mathilde Blind.
"Miss Blind's book is a most excellent and careful study of a great genius."—Vanity Fair.
"No page of this interesting monograph should be skipped."—Graphic.
"Nothing is more needed in the present day than short treatises on great writers like these. Miss Blind has spared no pains to make a coherent and attractive narrative, and has succeeded in presenting us with a complete biography; interspersing her account with incisive criticisms."—British Quarterly Review.
Emily BrontË. By A. Mary F. Robinson.
"Miss Robinson makes the biographical part of her book of extreme interest, while her criticism of her author is just, searching, and brilliant."—Truth.
"In the volume before us we have a critical biography of the author of 'Wuthering Heights,' and presenting to the mind's eye a clear and definite conception of the truest and most unalloyed genius this country has produced. What Mrs. Gaskell did for Charlotte BrontË, Miss Robinson has with equal grace and sympathy done for her younger sister."—Manchester Courier.
"Emily BrontË is lovingly and faithfully presented both as a woman and as a writer, and the volume is one for which all lovers of literature will thank Miss Robinson, and the Editor who persuaded her to perform the task."—Derby Mercury.
George Sand. By Bertha Thomas.
"Miss Thomas' book is well written and fairly complete; she is well intentioned, always fair, and her book deserves decided recommendation as an introduction to its subject."—AthenÆum.
"In this unpretending volume general readers will find all that they need to know about the life and writings of George Sand. Miss Thomas has accomplished a rather difficult task with great adroitness."—St. James' Gazette.
"A life of George Sand written carefully and with adequate knowledge, must, and doubtless will, be of interest to many readers, and this little book shows both care and knowledge."—Vanity Fair.
London W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
Eminent Women Series
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
Mary Lamb. By Anne Gilchrist.
"Mrs. Gilchrist's 'Mary Lamb' is a painstaking cultivated sketch, written with knowledge and feeling."—Pall Mall Gazette.
"To her task of recording this life, Mrs. Gilchrist has evidently brought wide reading and accurate knowledge. She is to be congratulated on the clearness and interest of her narrative, on the success with which she has placed before us one of the gentlest and most pathetic figures of English literature."—Academy.
"A thoroughly delightful volume, lovingly sympathetic in its portraiture, and charged with much new and interesting matter."—Harpers' Magazine.
"To all persons who enjoy a narrative of private life, and to all who desire a greater intimacy than they have hitherto enjoyed with Elia and Bridget, we cordially recommend Mrs. Gilchrist's 'Mary Lamb.'"—Vanity Fair.
Maria Edgeworth. By Helen Zimmern.
"A very pleasing resumÉ of the life and works of our gifted countrywoman."—Freeman's Journal.
"An interesting biography."—Echo.
"Miss Zimmern is the first to tell the story as a whole for English readers, and the way in which she describes the Irish home, the literary partnership of eccentric father and obedient daughter, the visit to France, and Miss Edgeworth's sight of certain French celebrities including Madame de Genlis, is full of liveliness."—Pall Mall Gazette.
Margaret Fuller. By Julia Ward Howe.
"A very fresh and engaging piece of biography, and a worthy addition to Mr. Ingram's carefully-selected and well-edited series."—Freeman's Journal.
"Well worthy of association with its popular predecessors, and among the
new books that should be read."—Derby Mercury.
London: W. H. ALLEN & CO. 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
Eminent Women Series
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
Elizabeth Fry. By Mrs. E. R. Pitman.
"Of all English philanthropists, none exhibits a nobler nature or is worthier of a permanent record than Mrs. Fry. For this reason we welcome the sketch of her by Mrs. Pitman, published in the Eminent Women Series."—Times.
"An excellent idea of Mrs. Fry's noble life and work can be got from Mrs. Pitman's simple but impressive work."—Contemporary Review.
"One of the best and most interesting of the series."—Literary World.
"This is a good book, worthy of a place in the interesting Eminent Women Series."—Spectator.
"Excellent in arrangement and proportioned with judgment."—Academy.
Countess of Albany. By Vernon Lee.
"The accomplished authoress has done her work con amore, and left no stone unturned in her endeavour to show the world the flesh-and-blood aspect of the wife of the young Pretender and of her lover, the poet Alfieri."—Lady's Pictorial.
"Every page of the book bears witness to the author's ability and determination to realize her subject, and make readers realize it."—AthenÆum.
"There is a vivid power in Vernon Lee's realization of Florentine life and society, and much beauty and glow of colour in her descriptions."—Saturday Review.
"This romantic biography is as exciting as any work of imagination, and the incisive and graphic style of its author renders it singularly attractive."—Morning Post.
Harriet Martineau. By Mrs. Fenwick Miller.
"A faithful and sympathetic account of this remarkable woman."—Scotsman.
"As a reflective broad-minded woman's faithful description of another woman's private life and brilliant literary career, this critical sketch is admirable."—Whitehall Review.
"It is not in any sense of the word a compilation, but a memoir which is a model of that conciseness which is not incompatible with distinct portraiture or with a fresh and living interest in the narrative."—Daily News.
"Mrs. Miller has done her difficult work well, and her volume is one of the ablest and most interesting of the able and interesting series to which it belongs."—Derby Mercury.
London: W. H. ALLEN & CO., 13 Waterloo Place. S.W.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:
Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant spellings. Obvious typographical errors in punctuation (misplaced quotes and the like) have been fixed. Corrections [in brackets] in the text are noted below:
page 20: typographical error corrected:
looking on the garden, hat[that] on the right
page 30: added quote mark:
["]The projectors' object will not be fully
page 49: added possible dropped word:
The girls would take their friend [for] long walks on the moor.
page 96: typographical errors corrected:
those escapades of Barnwell's[Branwell's], for some
excesses; yet, strangly[strangely] enough, consumption,
page 109: typographical error corrected:
sister. Her burden of doubt was more that[than] she could
page 140: typographical error corrected:
a brief and business-like but civi[civil] and sensible reply
page 154: typographical error corrected:
and full of pity. Was is[it] wonderful that she summed up
page 181: typographical error corrected:
Catharine's visit to Thushcross[Thrushcross] Grange, his
page 184: added comma:
not because he's handsome, Nelly[,] but because he's more myself
page 207: added missing word:
final peace and mar its completeness. [His] grave is next to Catharine's
page 204: Transliteration from Greek: ta drasanti pathein
page 230: Transliteration from Greek: philÊ met' autou keisomai, philou meta.
******* This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
/2/5/7/8/25789
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.
