The great puzzle lay in the difficulty of getting answers of any kind
from the publishers to whom we applied. Being greatly harassed by
this obstacle, I ventured to apply to the Messrs. Chambers, of
Edinburgh, for a word of advice; _they_ may have forgotten the
circumstance, but _I_ have not, for from them I received a brief and
business-like, but civil and sensible reply, on which we acted, and at
last made way."
I inquired from Mr. Robert Chambers, and found, as Miss Bronte
conjectured, that he had entirely forgotten the application which had
been made to him and his brother for advice; nor had they any copy or
memorandum of the correspondence.
There is an intelligent man living in Haworth, who has given me some
interesting particulars relating to the sisters about this period. He
says:--
"I have known Miss Bronte, as Miss Bronte, a long time; indeed, ever
since they came to Haworth in 1819. But I had not much acquaintance with
the family till about 1843, when I began to do a little in the stationery
line. Nothing of that kind could be had nearer than Keighley before I
began. They used to buy a great deal of writing paper, and I used to
wonder whatever they did with so much. I sometimes thought they
contributed to the Magazines. When I was out of stock, I was always
afraid of their coming; they seemed so distressed about it, if I had
none.
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