Publisher's Synopsis
It is claimed for the following book of some five hundred pages that the larger part of it is an addition of entirely new material to the romantic story of the Brontës. For this result, but very small credit is due to me; and my very hearty ack-nowledgments must be made, in the first place, to the Rev. Arthur Bell Nicholls, for whose generous surrender of per-sonal inclination I must ever be grateful. It has been with extreme unwillingness that Mr. Nicholls has broken the si-lence of forty years, and he would not even now have con-sented to the publication of certain letters concerning his marriage, had he not been aware that these letters were al-ready privately printed and in the hands of not less than eight or ten people. To Miss Ellen Nussey of Gomersall, I have also to render thanks for having placed the many let-ters in her possession at my disposal, and for having furnis-hed a great deal of interesting information. Without the let-ters from Charlotte Brontë to Mr. W. S. Williams, which we-re kindly lent to me by his son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton Williams, my book would have been the poo-rer. Sir Wemyss Reid, Mr. J. J. Stead, of Heckmondwike, Mr. Butler Wood, of Bradford, Mr. W. W. Yates, of Dews-bury, Mr. Erskine Stuart, Mr. Buxton Forman, and Mr. Thomas J. Wise are among the many Brontë specialists who have helped me with advice or with the loan of rial. Mr. Wise, in particular, has lent me many valuable ma-nuscripts. Finally, I have to thank my friend Dr. Robertson Nicoll for the kindly pressure which has practically compel-led me to prepare this little volume amid a multitude of jo-urnalistic duties.
