TALES OF ISLANDERS (Complete Edition). Charlotte Bronte

have before put forth a volume of these tales in which the subject of the school was mentioned, in that volume I laid down the rule’s by which the school was governed & like wise the names of the governer’s with their several character’s &c. I shall now proceed with this subject.

      for some time after it was established the institution went on very well. all the rules were observed with scrupolous exactness, the governer’s attended admirably to their duty the children where absolutely becoming something like civilized being’s, to all outward appearance at least, gambling was less frequent among them, their quarrels with each other were less savage & some little attention was paid by themselve’s to order & cleanliness, at this time we constantly resided in the magnificent palace of the school as did all the governers so that nothing was left entirely to the care of servants & underlings. The great room had become the resort of all the great ministers in their hours of leisure (that is in the evenings) and they seeing how well were conducted resolved to uphold the institution with all their might.

      this prosperous state of affairs continued for about six months & then Parliament was opened & the Great Catholic question’ was brought forward & the Dukes measures were disclosed and all was slander violence party spirit & confusion. O those 3 months from the time of the kings speech to the end! nobody could think speak or write on anything but the catholic question and the Duke of Wellington or Mr Peel. I remember the day when the Intelligence Extraordinary came with Mr Peels speech in it containing the terms on which the catholics were to be let in; with what eagerness papa tore off the cover & how we all gathered round him & with what breathless anxiety we listend as one by one they were disclosed & explained & argued upon so ably & so well & then when it was all out how aunt said she thought it was excellent & that the catholics could do no harm with such good security. I remember also the doubts as to wether it would pass into the house of Lords & the prophecys that it would not. when the paper came which was to decide the question the anxiety was almost dreadful with which we listened to the whole affair - the opening of the doors the hush the Royal Dukes in there robes & the Great Duke in green sash & waistcoat the rising of all the peeresses when he rose the reading of his speech papa saying that his words were like precious gold & lastly the majority one to 4 in favour of the bill, but this is a digression & I must beg my reader’s to excuse it — to proceed with my subject then.

      in consequence of this catholic question the Duke & Mr Peel where of course obliged to be constantly in London & we soon took ourselves off to the same place. OShaugnesy & his nephew were away shooting somewhere & the whole management of the school was left to the Marquis of Dfouro and lord Charles Wfellesley. The upshot will be seen in the next chapter