s engaged
to be married to her father's curate--the very same gentleman to whom,
eight years afterwards, she was united; and who, probably, even now,
although she was unconscious of the fact, had begun his service to her,
in the same tender and faithful spirit as that in which Jacob served for
Rachel. Others may have noticed this, though she did not.

A few more notes remain of her correspondence "on behalf of the Messrs.
Bell" with Mr. Aylott. On July 15th she says, "I suppose, as you have
not written, no other notices have yet appeared, nor has the demand for
the work increased. Will you favour me with a line stating whether
_any_, or how many copies have yet been sold?"

But few, I fear; for, three days later, she wrote the following:--

"The Messrs. Bell desire me to thank you for your suggestion respecting
the advertisements. They agree with you that, since the season is
unfavourable, advertising had better be deferred. They are obliged to
you for the information respecting the number of copies sold."

On July 23rd she writes to the Messrs. Aylott:--

"The Messrs. Bell would be obliged to you to post the enclosed note in
London. It is an answer to the letter you forwarded, which contained an
application for their autographs from a person who professed to have read
and admired their poems. I think I before intimated, that the Messrs.
Bell are desirous for the present of remaining unknown, for which reason
they prefer having the note posted in London to sending it direct, in
order to avoid giving any clue to residence, or identity by post-mark,
&c."

Once more, in September, she writes, "As the work has received no further
notice from any periodical, I presume the demand for it has not greatly
increased."

In the biographical notice of her sisters, she thus speaks of the failure
of the modest hopes vested in this publication. "The book was printed;
it is scarcely known, and all of it that merits to be known are the poems
of Ellis Bell.

"The fixed conviction I held, and hold, of the worth of these poems, has
not, indeed, received the confirmation of much favourable criticism; but
I must retain it notwithstanding."

FOOTNOTES:

{1} A reviewer pointed out the discrepancy between the age (twenty-seven
years) assigned, on the mural tablet, to Anne Bronte at the time of her
death in 1849, and the alleged fact that she was born at Thornton, from
which place Mr. Bronte removed on February 25th,