At the
same time, allow me to tell you, that there are some Catholics who are
as good as any Christians can be to whom the Bible is a sealed book,
and much better than many Protestants."
When the Brontes first went to Brussels, it was with the intention of
remaining there for six months, or until the _grandes vacances_ began in
September. The duties of the school were then suspended for six weeks or
two months, and it seemed a desirable period for their return. But the
proposal mentioned in the foregoing letter altered their plans. Besides,
they were happy in the feeling that they were making progress in all the
knowledge they had so long been yearning to acquire. They were happy,
too, in possessing friends whose society had been for years congenial to
them, and in occasional meetings with these, they could have the
inexpressible solace to residents in a foreign country--and peculiarly
such to the Brontes--of talking over the intelligence received from their
respective homes--referring to past, or planning for future days. "Mary"
and her sister, the bright, dancing, laughing Martha, were
parlour-boarders in an establishment just beyond the barriers of
Brussels. Again, the cousins of these friends were resident in the town;
and at their house Charlotte and Emily were always welcome, though their
overpowering shyness prevented their more valuable qualities from being
known, and generally kept them silent.
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