I was recently contacted by someone who is a regular reader of this blog and one of the fabulous supporters who subscribe and keep annebronte.org going. They had read of a letter from Constantin Heger to Patrick Brontë about his daughters Charlotte and Emily, but didn’t have a translation of the letter. I was able to furnish them with the letter, and as it’s such a fascinating letter I hope they won’t mind me sharing it with you all below.
As you may know, Constantin Heger was the husband of Clare Heger who founded and ran the Pensionnat Heger school in Brussels. Charlotte and Emily Brontë attended the school as pupils in 1842, but returned to Haworth in the autumn after hearing of the death of their Aunt Branwell.
Emily never returned to Brussels, she remained in Haworth for the rest of her life. Charlotte did return to the school and was then given a teaching position, so that Monsieur Heger was first a teacher of Charlotte and then her colleague – he also became her unrequited love, and he looms large over her later literary creations Edward Rochester and Paul Emanuel.
At the time this letter was written it is clear that the Hegers did not anticipate Charlotte’s return, and that they thought they were waving goodbye to both Brontë sisters for ever. In this light, it gives a fascinating glimpse into their time in Brussels, and into perceptions of them:
‘Constantin Heger to Revd P. Brontë, 5th November 1842
Sir, A very sad event has caused your daughters sudden return to England; this departure, which grieves us very much, has nevertheless my full approval; it is very natural that they should seek to console you for what heaven has just taken from you by rejoining your family circle, so that you will more readily appreciate what heaven has given you and what it has still left you. I hope that you will forgive me, sir, for taking advantage of this circumstance to send you this expression of my respect; I have not the honour of knowing you personally, and yet I feel for you yourself a sentiment of sincere veneration, for in judging the father of a family by his children there is no risk of being mistaken; and in this respect the education and opinions we have found in your daughters could only give us a very high idea of your worth and your character. No doubt you will be pleased to hear that your children have made very notable progress in all the branches of instruction, and that this progress is entirely owing to their love of work and their perseverance; in dealing with such pupils we have had but little to do; their progress is your handiwork much more than ours; we have not had to teach them the value of time and instruction, they had learnt all that in their father’s house, and we for our part have had the minor merit of guiding their efforts and providing suitable material to foster the admirable activity that your daughters have derived from your example and your lessons. May the well-deserved praise that we give to your children be some consolation to you in the sorrows that afflicts you; that is our hope in writing to you, and for Miss Charlotte and Miss Emily it will be a sweet and genuine reward for their labours.
We must not conceal from you that in losing our two dear pupils we feel both regretful grief and anxiety: we are grieved because this sudden separation breaks up the almost fatherly affection which we have devoted to them, and our distress is increased by the realization that there are so many incomplete tasks, so many things which have been well begun, and which only need a little more time to be satisfactorily completed. In a year’s time each of your daughters would have been fully prepared for all future contingencies; each was both improving her knowledge and learning how to teach. Miss Emily was about to learn the piano – to receive lessons from the best teacher we have in Belgium, and she herself already had little pupils, consequently she was losing both the remaining traces of ignorance and a more embarrassing residue of timidity; Miss Charlotte was beginning to give lessons in French, and to gain the assurance and aplomb so essential in teaching; in another year at the most the work would have been completed and well completed. Then we would have been able, if you were agreeable, to offer to your daughters or at least to one of the two a position which would have suited her, and which would have given her that precious independence which is so hard for a young person to find. This is not, please believe me sir, this is not a question of our personal advantage, but a question of affection; you must pardon me if we speak to you of your children and concern ourselves with their future as if they formed part of our family; their personal qualities, their good will, their extreme zeal are the only reasons leading us to venture in this way. We know, sir, that you will assess more maturely and wisely than we the effects which a total interruption of their studies would have on your daughters’ future; you will decide what needs to be done, and you will forgive our frankness, if you will kindly consider that we are motivated by a disinterested affection which would be sorely troubled if it had to submit to being no longer of use to your dear children.
I beg you sir to accept the respectful expression of my high regard, C. Heger.‘
This fascinating letter gives us a glimpse into Constantin Heger that we rarely see: a respectful, caring man rather than simply the proud, arrogant man who broke Charlotte Brontë’s heart . I hope you can join me next week, as September arrives, for another new Brontë blog post.