e been preserved. The extant manuscripts of _Jane
Eyre_ and _The Professor_ are in ink.

_Jane Eyre_ was written, then, under Mr. Williams's kind encouragement,
and immediately accepted. It was published in the first week of October
1847.

The following letters were received by Mr. Williams while the book was
beginning its course.

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'_October_ 4_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--I thank you sincerely for your last letter. It is
valuable to me because it furnishes me with a sound opinion on points
respecting which I desired to be advised; be assured I shall do what
I can to profit by your wise and good counsel.

'Permit me, however, sir, to caution you against forming too
favourable an idea of my powers, or too sanguine an expectation of
what they can achieve. I am myself sensible both of deficiencies of
capacity and disadvantages of circumstance which will, I fear, render
it somewhat difficult for me to attain popularity as an author. The
eminent writers you mention--Mr. Thackeray, Mr. Dickens, Mrs. Marsh,
{333} etc., doubtless enjoyed facilities for observation such as I
have not; certainly they possess a knowledge of the world, whether
intuitive or acquired, such as I can lay no claim to, and this gives
their writings an importance and a variety greatly beyond what I can
offer the public.

'Still, if health be spared and time vouchsafed me, I mean to do my
best; and should a moderate success crown my efforts, its value will
be greatly enhanced by the proof it will seem to give that your kind
counsel and encouragement have not been bestowed on one quite
unworthy.--Yours respectfully,

'C. BELL.'

TO W. S. WILLIAMS

'_October_ 9_th_, 1847.

'DEAR SIR,--I do not know whether the _Dublin University Magazine_ is
included in the list of periodicals to which Messrs. Smith & Elder
are accustomed to send copies of new publications, but as a former
work, the joint production of myself and my two relatives, Ellis and
Acton Bell, received a somewhat favourable notice in that magazine,
it appears to me that if the editor's attention were drawn to _Jane
Eyre_ he might possibly be