The Brontë Family, with special reference to Patrick Branwell Brontë. Vol. 2 of 2Leyland, Francis A.
History
The Brontë Family, with special reference to Patrick Branwell Brontë. Vol. 2 of 2
Leyland, Francis A.
Authors, English -- 19th century -- Biography; Brontë family; Brontë, Patrick Branwell, 1817-1848
'Haworth,
'Bradford, Yorks.
'MY DEAR SIR,
'I send you the enclosed,--and I ought to tell you why I wished
anything of so personal a nature to appear in print.
'I have no other way, not pregnant with danger, of communicating
with one whom I cannot help loving. Printed lines, with my usual
signature, "Northangerland," could excite no suspicion--as my late
unhappy employer shrank from the bare idea of my being able to
write anything, and had a day's sickness after hearing that
Macaulay had sent me a complimentary letter; so _he_ won't know
the name.
'I sent through a private channel one letter of comfort in her
great and agonizing present afflictions, but I recalled it through
dread of the consequences of a discovery.
'These lines have only one merit,--that of really expressing my
feelings, while sailing under the Welsh mountain, when the band on
board the steamer struck up, "Ye banks and braes!" God knows that,
for many different reasons, those feelings were far enough from
pleasure.
'I suffer very much from that mental exhaustion which arises from
brooding on matters useless at present to think of,--and active
employment would be my greatest cure and blessing,--for really,
after hours of thoughts which business would have hushed, I have
felt as if I could not live, and, if long-continued, such a state
will bring on permanent affection of the heart, which is already
bothered with most uneasy palpitations.
'I should like extremely to have an hour's sitting with you, and,
if I had the chance, I would promise to try not to look gloomy. You
said you would be at Haworth ere long, but that "ere" has doubtless
changed to "ne'er;" so I must wish to get to Halifax some time to
see you.
'I saw Murray's monument praised in the papers, and I trust you are
getting on well with Beckwith's, as well as with your own personal
statue of living flesh and blood.
'Mine, like your Theseus, has lost its hands and feet, and I fear
its head also, for it can neither move, write, nor think as it once
could.
'I hope I shall hear from you on John Brown's return from Halifax,
whither he has gone.
'I remain, &c.,
'P. B. BRONTË.'
The poem enclosed was entitled:
PENMAENMAWR.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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