ust Jamie's strong, powerful, direct way of
putting a thing.'"

Mrs. McKee, now living in New Zealand, writes me: "My husband had
early copies of the novels from the Brontes, and he pronounced them to
be Bronte in warp and woof, before 'Currer Bell' was publicly known to
be Charlotte Bronte. He held that the stories not only showed the
Bronte genius and style, but that the facts were largely reminiscences
of the Bronte family. He recognized many of the characters as founded
largely on old Hugh's yarns, polished into literature. When 'Jane
Eyre' came into the hands of the uncles they were troubled as to its
character, but they were very grateful to my husband for his good
opinion of its ability. He pronounced it a remarkable and brilliant
work, before any of the reviews appeared."

In addition to the five hundred pounds that Smith, Elder & Co. paid
Charlotte Bronte for the copyright of each of her novels, they sent
half a dozen copies direct to herself. The book was published on
October 16th, and ten days later Charlotte thus acknowledged receipt
of the copies:

_October 26, 1847._

"MESSRS. SMITH, ELDER & CO.:

"_Gentlemen_: The six copies of 'Jane Eyre' reached me this
morning. You have given the work every advantage which good paper,
clear type and a seemly outside can supply; if it fails, the fault
will lie with the author--you are exempt. I now await the judgment
of the press and the public. I am, gentlemen,

"Yours respectfully,

"C. BELL."

Charlotte Bronte's friends were not numerous, and she was most anxious
that none of the few should find out that she was the author. In the
distribution of even her six copies, she would most likely send one to
her friends in Ireland. When the volumes arrived in Ireland, there
was no room for doubt as to the authorship of "Jane Eyre." The Brontes
had no other friend in England to send them books. They themselves
neither wrote nor read romances. They lived them.

It was well known to the family that the clever brother in England
had very clever daughters. Patrick was a constant correspondent
with the home circle, and a not infrequent visitor. Their habits
of study, their wonderful compositions, their education in Brussels,
were steps in the ascending gradation of the girls, minutely
communicated by the vicar to his only relatives, and fairly well
understood in Ballynaskeagh. Something was expected.

That something caused blank disappointment. C(ur