The Project Gutenberg EBook of Maria Edgeworth, by Helen Zimmern

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Title: Maria Edgeworth

Author: Helen Zimmern

Release Date: July 26, 2010 [EBook #33268]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MARIA EDGEWORTH ***

Produced by Chuck Greif, the University of Michigan
Libraries and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
http://www.pgdp.net

Famous Women.

MARIA EDGEWORTH.

_The next volumes in the Famous Women Series will be_:

SARAH AND ANGELINA GRIMKE. By Mrs. Birney.

ANNE BRADSTREET. By Helen Campbell.

_Already published_:

GEORGE ELIOT. By Miss Blind.

EMILY BRONTE. By Miss Robinson.

GEORGE SAND. By Miss Thomas.

MARY LAMB. By Mrs. Gilchrist

MARGARET FULLER. By Julia Ward Howe.

MARIA EDGEWORTH. By Miss Zimmern.

[Illustration: FAMOUS WOMEN]

MARIA EDGEWORTH.

BY

HELEN ZIMMERN.

BOSTON:
ROBERTS BROTHERS.
1884.

_Copyright, 1883_, BY ROBERTS BROTHERS.

UNIVERSITY PRESS: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE.

PREFACE.

Though many notices of Miss Edgeworth have appeared from time to time,
nothing approaching to a Life of her has been published in this country.
As I have had the good fortune to have access to an unpublished memoir
of her, written by her stepmother, as well as to a large number of her
private letters, I am enabled to place what I hope is at least an
authentic biography before the reader. Besides much kindness received
from the members of Miss Edgeworth's family, I have also to acknowledge
my obligations for help afforded in the preparation of this little book
to Mrs. George Ticknor and Miss Ticknor of Boston, U. S. A., Mrs. Le
Breton, Sir Henry Holland, Bart., the Rev. Canon Holland, the Rev. Dr.
Sadler and Mr. F. Y. Edgeworth.

H. Z.

LONDON, August, 1883.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

INTRODUCTORY 9

CHAPTER II.

EARLY YEARS 17

CHAPTER III.

GIRLHOOD 28

CHAPTER IV.

WOMANHOOD 42