the life of charlotte bronte-1-第35章

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In　that　mansion　were　held　all　the　splendid　feasts　of　the　Grand　Serment　des　Arbaletriers。　　The　master…archer　lived　there　constantly；　in　order　to　be　ever　at　hand　to　render　his　services　to　the　guild。　　The　great　saloon　was　also　used　for　the　court　balls　and　festivals；　when　the　archers　were　not　admitted。　　The　Infanta　caused　other　and　smaller　houses　to　be　built　in　her　new　street；　to　serve　as　residences　for　her　〃garde　noble；〃　and　for　her　〃garde　bourgeoise；〃　a　small　habitation　each；　some　of　which　still　remain；　to　remind　us　of　English　almshouses。　　The　〃great　mansion；〃　with　its　quadrangular　form；　the　spacious　saloononce　used　for　the　archducal　balls；　where　the　dark；　grave　Spaniards　mixed　with　the　blond　nobility　of　Brabant　and　Flandersnow　a　school…room　for　Belgian　girls；　the　cross…bow　men's　archery…groundall　are　there　the　pensionnat　of　Madame　Heger。

This　lady　was　assisted　in　the　work　of　instruction　by　her　husband　a　kindly；　wise；　good；　and　religious　manwhose　acquaintance　I　am　glad　to　have　made；　and　who　has　furnished　me　with　some　interesting　details；　from　his　wife's　recollections　and　his　own；　of　the　two　Miss　Bronte　during　their　residence　in　Brussels。　　He　had　the　better　opportunities　of　watching　them；　from　his　giving　lessons　in　the　French　language　and　literature　in　the　school。　　A　short　extract　from　a　letter；　written　to　me　by　a　French　lady　resident　in　Brussels；　and　well　qualified　to　judge；　will　help　to　show　the　estimation　in　which　he　is　held。

〃Je　ne　connais　pas　personnellement　M。　Heger；　mais　je　sais　qu'il　est　peu　de　caracteres　aussi　nobles；　aussi　admirables　que　le　sien。　Il　est　un　des　membres　les　plus　zeles　de　cette　Societe　de　S。　Vincent　de　Paul　dont　je　t'ai　deje　parle；　et　ne　se　contente　pas　de　servir　les　pauvres　et　les　malades；　mais　leur　consacre　encore　les　soirees。　　Apres　des　journees　absorbees　tout　entieres　par　les　devoirs　que　sa　place　lui　impose；　il　reunit　les　pauvres；　les　ouvriers；　leur　donne　des　cours　gratuits；　et　trouve　encore　le　moyen　de　les　amuser　en　les　instruisant。　　Ce　devouement　te　dira　assez　que　M。　Heger　est　profondement　et　ouvertement　religieux。　　Il　a　des　manieres　franches　et　avenantes；　il　se　fait　aimer　de　tous　ceux　qui　l'approchent；　et　surtout　des　enfants。　　Il　a　la　parole　facile；　et　possde　e　un　haut　degre　l'eloquence　du　bon　sens　et　du　coeur。　　Il　n'est　point　auteur。　　Homme　de　zele　et　de　conscience；　il　vient　de　se　demettre　des　fonctions　elevees　et　lucratives　qu'il　exercait　e　l'Athenee；　celles　de　Prefet　des　Etudes；　parce　qu'il　ne　peut　y　realiser　le　bien　qu'il　avait　espere；　introduire　l'enseignement　religieux　dans　le　programme　des　etudes。　　J'ai　vu　une　fois　Madame　Heger；　qui　a　quelque　chose　de　froid　et　de　compasse　dans　son　maintien；　et　qui　previent　peu　en　sa　faveur。　　Je　la　crois　pourtant　aimee　et　appreciee　par　ses　eleves。〃

There　were　from　eighty　to　a　hundred　pupils　in　the　pensionnat；　when　Charlotte　and　Emily　Bronte　entered　in　February　1842。

M。　Heger's　account　is　that　they　knew　nothing　of　French。　　I　suspect　they　knew　as　much　（or　as　little）；　for　all　conversational　purposes；　as　any　English　girls　do；　who　have　never　been　abroad；　and　have　only　learnt　the　idioms　and　pronunciation　from　an　Englishwoman。　　The　two　sisters　clung　together；　and　kept　apart　from　the　herd　of　happy；　boisterous；　well…befriended　Belgian　girls；　who；　in　their　turn；　thought　the　new　English　pupils　wild　and　scared…looking；　with　strange；　odd；　insular　ideas　about　dress；　for　Emily　had　taken　a　fancy　to　the　fashion；　ugly　and　preposterous　even　during　its　reign；　of　gigot　sleves；　and　persisted　in　wearing　them　long　after　they　were　〃gone　out。〃　　Her　petticoats；　too；　had　not　a　curve　or　a　wave　in　them；　but　hung　down　straight　and　long；　clinging　to　her　lank　figure。　　The　sisters　spoke　to　no　one　but　from　necessity。　　They　were　too　full　of　earnest　thought；　and　of　the　exile's　sick　yearning；　to　be　ready　for　careless　conversation　or　merry　game。　　M。　Heger；　who　had　done　little　but　observe；　during　the　few　first　weeks　of　their　residence　in　the　Rue　d'Isabelle；　perceived　that　with　their　unusual　characters；　and　extraordinary　talents；　a　different　mode　must　be　adopted　from　that　in　which　he　generally　taught　French　to　English　girls。　　He　seems　to　have　rated　Emily's　genius　as　something　even　higher　than　Charlotte's；　and　her　estimation　of　their　relative　powers　was　the　same。　　Emily　had　a　head　for　logic；　and　a　capability　of　argument；　unusual　in　a　man；　and　rare　indeed　in　a　woman；　according　to　M。　Heger。　　Impairing　the　force　of　this　gift；　was　a　stubborn　tenacity　of　will；　which　rendered　her　obtuse　to　all　reasoning　where　her　own　wishes；　or　her　own　sense　of　right；　was　concerned。　　〃She　should　have　been　a　mana　great　navigator；〃　said　M。　Heger　in　speaking　of　her。　　〃Her　powerful　reason　would　have　deduced　new　spheres　of　discovery　from　the　knowledge　of　the　old；　and　her　strong　imperious　will　would　never　have　been　daunted　by　opposition　or　difficulty；　never　have　given　way　but　with　life。〃　And　yet；　moreover；　her　faculty　of　imagination　was　such　that；　if　she　had　written　a　history；　her　view　of　scenes　and　characters　would　have　been　so　vivid；　and　so　powerfully　expressed；　and　supported　by　such　a　show　of　argument；　that　it　would　have　dominated　over　the　reader；　whatever　might　have　been　his　previous　opinions；　or　his　cooler　perceptions　of　its　truth。　　But　she　appeared　egotistical　and　exacting　compared　to　Charlotte；　who　was　always　unselfish　（this　is　M。　Heger's　testimony）；　and　in　the　anxiety　of　the　elder　to　make　her　younger　sister　contented　she　allowed　her　to　exercise　a　kind　of　unconscious　tyranny　over　her。

After　consulting　with　his　wife；　M。　Heger　told　them　that　he　meant　to　dispense　with　the　old　method　of　grounding　in　grammar；　vocabulary；　&c。；　and　to　proceed　on　a　new　plansomething　similar　to　what　he　had　occasionally　adopted　with　the　elder　among　his　French　and　Belgian　pupils。　　He　proposed　to　read　to　them　some　of　the　master…pieces　of　the　most　celebrated　French　authors　（such　as　Casimir　de　la　Vigne's　poem　on　the　〃Death　of　Joan　of　Arc；〃　parts　of　Bossuet；　the　admirable　translation　of　the　noble　letter　of　St。　Ignatius　to　the　Roman　Christians　in　the　〃Bibliotheque　Choisie　des　Peres　de　l'Eglise；〃　&c。）；　and　after　having　thus　impressed　the　complete　effect　of　the　whole；　to　analyse　the　parts　with　them；　pointing　out　in　what　such　or　such　an　author　excelled；　and　where　were　the　blemishes。　　He　believed　that　he　had　to　do　with　pupils　capable；　from　their　ready　sympathy　with　the　intellectual；　the　refined；　the　polished；　or　the　noble；　of　catching　the　echo　of　a　style；　and　so　reproducing　their　own　thoughts　in　a　somewhat　similar　manner。

After　explaining　his　plan　to　them；　he　awaited　their　reply。　　Emily　spoke　first；　and　said　that　she　saw　no　good　to　be　derived　from　it；　and　that；　by　adopting　it；　they　should　lose　all　originality　of　thought　and　expression。　　She　would　have　entered　into　an　argument　on　the　subject；　but　for　this；　M。　Heger　had　no　time。　　Charlotte　then　spoke；　she　also　doubted　the　success　of　the　plan；　but　she　would　follow　out　M。　Heger's　advice；　because　she　was　bound　to　obey　him　while　she　was　his　pupil。　　Before　speaking　of　the　results；　it　may　be　desirable　to　give　an　extract　from　one　of　her　letters；　which　shows　some　of　her　first　impressions　of　her　new　life。

〃Brussels；　1842　（May？）。

〃I　was　twenty…six　years　old　a　week　or　two　since；　and　at　this　ripe　time　of　life　I　am　a　school…girl；　and；　on　the　whole；　very　happy　in　that　capacity。　　It　felt　very　strange　at　first　to　submit　to　authority　instead　of　exercising　itto　obey　orders　instead　of　giving　them；　but　I　like　that　state　of　things。　　I　returned　to　it　with　the　same　avidity　that　a　cow；　that　has　long　been　kept　on　dry　hay；　returns　to　fresh　grass。　　Don't　laugh　at　my　simile。　　It　is　natural　to　me　to　submit；　and　very　unnatural　to　command。

〃This　is　a　large　school；　in　which　there　are　about　forty　externes；　or　day　pupils；　and　twelve　pensionnaires；　or　boarders。　　Madame　Heger；　the　head；　is　a　lady　of　precisely　the　same　cast　of　mind；　degree　of　cultivation；　and　quality　of　intellect　as　Miss　…。　　I　think　the　severe　points　are　a　little　softened；　because　she　has　not　been　disappointed；　and　consequently　soured。　　In　a　word；　she　is　a　married　instead　of　a　maiden　lady。　　There　are　three　teachers　in　the　schoolMademoiselle　Blanche；　Mademoiselle　Sophie；　and　Mademoiselle　Marie。　　The　two　first　have　no　particular　character。　One　is　an　old　maid；　and　the　other　will　be　one。　　Mademoiselle　Marie　is　talented　and　original；　but　of　repulsive　and　arbitrary　manners；　which　have　made　the　whole　school；　except　myself　and　Emily；　her　bitter　enemies。　　No　less　than　seven　masters　attend；　to　teach　the　different　branches　of　educationFrench；　Drawing；　Music；　Singing；　Writing；　Arithmetic；　and　German。　　All　in　the　house　are　Catholics　except　ourselves；　one　other　girl；　and　the　gouvernante　of　Madame's　children；　an　Englishwoman；　in　rank　something　between　a　lady's　maid　and　a　nursery　governess。　　The　difference　in　country　and　religion　makes　a　broad　line　of　demarcation　between　us　and　all　the　rest。　　We　are　completely　isolated　in　the　midst　of　numbers。　　Yet　I　think　I　am　never　unhappy；　my　present　life　is　so　delightful；　so　congenial　to　my　own　nature；　compared　to　that　of　a　governess。　　My　time；　constantly　occupied；　passes　too　rapidly。　　Hitherto　both　Emily　and　I　have　had　good　health；　and　therefore　we　have　been　able　to　work　well。　　There　is　one　individual　of　whom　I　have　not　yet　spokenM。　Heger；　the　husband　of　Madame。　　He　is　professor　of　rhetoric；　a　man　of　power　as　to　mind；　but　very　choleric　and　irritable　in　temperament。　　He　is　very　angry　with　me　just　at　present；　because　I　have　written　a　translation　which　he　chose　to　stigmatize　as　'PEU　CORRECT。'　　He　did　not　tell　me　so；　but　wrote　the　word　on　the　margin　of　my　book；　and　asked；　in　brief　stern　phrase；　how　it　happened　that　my　compositions　were　always　better　than　my　translations？　adding　that　the　thing　seemed　to　him　inexplicable。　　The　fact　is；　some　weeks　ago；　in　a　high…flown　humour；　he　forbade　me　to　use　either　dictionary　or　grammar　in　translating　the　most　difficult　English　compositions　into　French。　　This　makes　the　task　rather　arduous；　and　compels　me　every　now　and　then　to　introduce　an　English　word；　which　nearly　plucks　the　eyes　out　of　his　head　when　he　sees　it。　　Emily　and　he　don't　draw　well　together　at　all。　　Emily　works　like　a　horse；　and　she　has　had　great　difficulties　to　contend　withfar　greater　than　I　have　had。　　Indeed；　those　who　come　to　a　French　school　for　instruction　ought　previously　to　have　acquired　a　considerable　knowledge　of　the　French　language；　otherwise　they　will　lose　a　great　deal　of　time；　for　the　course　of　instruction　is　adapted　to　natives　and　not　to　foreigners；　and　in　these　large　establishments　they　will　not　change　their　ordinary　course　for　one　or　two　strangers。　　The　few　private　lessons　that　M。　Heger　has　vouchsafed　to　give　us；　are；　I　suppose；　to　be　considered　a　great　favour；　and　I　can　perceive　they　have　already　excited　much　spite　and　jealousy　in　the　school。

〃You　will　abuse　this　letter　for　being　short　and　dreary；　and　there　are　a　hundred　things　which　I　want　to　tell　you；　but　I　have　not　time。　　Brussels　is　a　beautiful　city。　　The　Belgians　hate　the　English。　　Their　external　morality　is　more　rigid　than　ours。　　To　lace　the　stays　without　a　handkerchief　on　the　neck　is　considered　a　disgusting　piece　of　indelicacy。〃

The　passage　in　this　letter　where　M。　Heger　is　represented　as　prohibiting　the　use　of　dictionary　or　grammar；　refers；　I　imagine；　to　the　time　I　have　mention