BY

CURRER, ELLIS
AND
ACTON BELL

LONDON
AYLOTT & JONES, 8 PATERNOSTER ROW
1846

We see by the letter to Aylott & Jones the first announcement of
_Wuthering Heights_, _Agnes Grey_, and _The Professor_. It would not
seem that there was much, or indeed any, difficulty in disposing of
_Wuthering Heights_ and _Agnes Grey_. They bear the imprint of Newby of
Mortimer Street, and they appeared in three uniform volumes, the two
first being taken up by _Wuthering Heights_, and the third by _Agnes
Grey_, {332a} which is quaintly marked as if it were a three-volumed
novel in itself, having 'Volume III' on title-page and binding. I have
said that there were no travels before the manuscripts of Emily and Anne.
That is not quite certain. Mrs. Gaskell implies that there were; but, at
any rate, there is no definite information on the subject. Newby, it is
clear, did not publish them until all the world was discussing _Jane
Eyre_. _The Professor_, by Currer Bell, had, however, travel enough! It
was offered to six publishers in succession before it came into the hands
of Mr. W. S. Williams, the 'reader' for Smith & Elder. The circumstance
of its courteous refusal by that firm, and the suggestion that a
three-volumed novel would be gladly considered, are within the knowledge
of all Charlotte Bronte's admirers. {332b}

One cannot but admire the fearless and uncompromising honesty with which
Charlotte Bronte sent the MSS. round with all its previous journeys
frankly indicated.

It is not easy at this time of day to understand why Mr. Williams refused
_The Professor_. The story is incomparably superior to the average
novel, and, indeed, contains touches which are equal to anything that
Currer Bell ever wrote. It seems to me possible that Charlotte Bronte
rewrote the story after its rejection, but the manuscript does not bear
out that impression. {332c}

Charlotte Bronte's method of writing was to take a piece of
cardboard--the broken cover of a book, in fact--and a few sheets of
note-paper, and write her first form of a story upon these sheets in a
tiny handwriting in pencil. She would afterwards copy the whole out upon
quarto paper very neatly in ink. None of the original pencilled MSS. of
her greater novels hav