George Borrow: The Man and His BooksThomas, Edward
General
George Borrow: The Man and His Books
Thomas, Edward
Borrow, George, 1803-1881
thought he had a call, and still hoped "to die in the cause of my
Redeemer." In April he left Spain with Mrs. and Miss Clarke. Fifty or
sixty years later Mrs. Joseph Pennell "saw the sign, 'G. Borrow, Agent of
the British and Foreign Bible Society,' high upon a house in the Plaza de
la Constitucion, in Seville." Borrow was never again in Spain. After
reporting himself for the last time to the Society, and making a
suggestion which Brandram answered by saying, "the door seems shut," he
married Mrs. Clarke on April 23, 1840. She had 450 pounds a year and a
home at Oulton. Fifteen or sixteen years later he spoke of his wife and
daughter thus: "Of my wife I will merely say that she is a perfect
paragon of wives--can make puddings and sweets and treacle posset, and is
the best woman of business in Eastern Anglia--of my step daughter--for
such she is, though I generally call her daughter, and with good reason,
seeing that she has always shown herself a daughter to me--that she has
all kinds of good qualities, and several accomplishments, knowing
something of conchology, more of botany, drawing capitally in the Dutch
style, and playing remarkably well on the guitar--not the trumpery German
thing so called--but the real Spanish guitar." His wife wrote letters
for him, copied his manuscripts, and helped to correct his proofs. She
remained at Oulton, or Yarmouth, while he went about; if he went to Wales
or Ireland she sometimes accompanied him to a convenient centre and there
remained while he did as he pleased. She admired him, and she appears to
have become essential to his life, apart from her income, and not to have
resented her position at any time, though grieved by his unconcealed
melancholy.
A second time he praised her in print, saying that he had an exceedingly
clever wife, and allowed her "to buy and sell, carry money to the bank,
draw cheques, inspect and pay tradesmen's bills, and transact all my real
business, whilst I myself pore over old books, walk about the shires,
discoursing with Gypsies, under hedgerows, or with sober bards--in hedge
alehouses."
CHAPTER XIX--"THE ZINCALI"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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