4 Growing up

When Branwell was fourteen or fifteen，he did a lot of oil－paintings．He painted people in the village，and it was easy to recognize¹ the faces in the pictures．Later，he did a fine painting of his three sisters．I was very proud of him．We all decided² he would become a famous artist．

Charlotte went to school again when she was fifteen．It was a much better school—Miss Wooler's school at Roe³ Head．I don't think Charlotte liked school，but she wanted to be a teacher—a governess—so she worked hard．I taught Bran－well at home，and Aunt Branwell taught Emily and Anne．The girls and Branwell were learning⁴ to play the piano， and Bran-well played the music in church．

Emily and Anne had dogs，and they used⁵ to take them for walks on the moors．Anne's dog was called Flossy，and Emily had a big strong one called Keeper．Keeper⁷ went everywhere with her—I think Emily loved that dog more than any person．Emily was sometimes a difficult child．She was very shy，and did not often speak to anyone outside the family．When she was older，I sent her to school with Charlotte，but she hated it，so I brought her home and sent Anne instead．

Branwell was not shy．He could talk to anyone for hours．Everyone in Haworth liked him．I remember the day in 1835when Branwell went to London．He was eighteen years old，and he was going to the Royal⁸ Academy⁹ in London to learn to be an artist．He walked down the hill in Haworth with a bag of his best paintings on his back，and everyone in the village came out to see him go．That was a great day for me．

Something terrible happened in London，but I don't know what it was．Branwell came back two weeks later，his face white，his clothes dirty．I don't know where he went or what happened in London．He refused to tell me．He just sat upstairs，alone in his room for hours．

Later，I paid for a room in Bradford for him to work in．He could paint pictures of famous people there，I thought．It was easy work for him．But he couldn't do it．He spent all my mon－ey，and came home again after a while．

This was a sad time for me．My eyes were very bad，and I had to pay a young curate to help me with my work for the church．My old servant，Tabby，broke her leg and was very ill．And then one day I got a letter from Miss Wooler's school．My curate read it to me．

Dear Mr Bront，the letter said．I am afraid that your daughter Anne is very ill，and...

I don't think I ever moved so fast in all my life．Six hours later，I was at Roe Head．The next day Anne and Charlotte were home．Anne was still alive，thank God！A month later she was well again．Thank God．

All my children were safe at home．

I was happy to have them here．They were so clever，and kind，and they loved each other so much．But I was an old man with bad eyes，and Aunt Branwell and I had very little money．My children had to find work somewhere，in order to live．

But what sort¹¹ of work could they do？

4 长大

布兰韦尔长到十四五岁时已经画了大量的油画。他画村子里的人，从画面上很容易认出那些人的面孔。后来他为3个姐妹精心地画了一幅画。我为他感到非常自豪，我们都认为他会成为一个有名的艺术家。

夏洛蒂15岁时又去了学校。那是一所很好的学校——伍勒小姐学校的罗伊•海德分校。我觉得夏洛蒂不喜欢学校，但她想成为一名教师——家庭教师，为此她努力学习。我在家里教布兰韦尔，姨妈教爱米丽和安妮。同时他们也学弹钢琴，布兰韦尔还曾在教堂演奏。

爱米丽和安妮养了些狗，她们常常带狗在荒野上散步。安妮的狗叫“福劳赛”，爱米丽的大狗叫“管家”。“管家”到哪儿都跟着她，我猜爱米丽爱狗超过了爱其他人。爱米丽有时是个很难相处的孩子，她非常害羞，不爱与家庭以外的人讲话。长大点后我送她到学校，和夏洛蒂在一起。可她不喜欢学校，于是我又把她接回来，而把安妮送去了。

布兰韦尔可不害羞。他可以和任何人谈上几小时。霍沃斯的每个人都喜欢他。记得1835年的一天，布兰韦尔要去伦敦。他18岁了，要到伦敦皇家学院学艺术。他从霍沃斯走下山去，背上的包里装着他最好的画，村里的人都出来为他送行。那一天真是我的好日子。

在伦敦发生了一些可怕的事情。我也不知道究竟是怎么回事。两星期后他回来了，脸色苍白，衣衫褴褛。我不知道他在伦敦去了什么地方，也不知道出了什么事，他拒绝跟我讲。他只是在楼上自己的房间里一坐就是半天。

后来我在布莱福德为他租了间画室，我想他在那儿可以为大人物们画像。那种工作对他来说是轻而易举的，但他做不到。过了一阵，他把钱花光了后又回家了。

这次我很难过。我的视力很差了。得付钱请一名年轻的副牧师协助教堂的工作。我的老用人泰比跌断了腿，病得很重。一天，我收到伍勒小姐学校的一封信，我的助手给我念着：

“亲爱的勃朗特先生，”信中写道，“您的女儿安妮恐怕病得很重，而且……”

我觉得自己一生中从未行动地如此迅速，6个小时后我已到了罗伊•海德，第二天安妮和夏洛蒂回到了家里。感谢上帝，安妮还活着，1个月后她痊愈了。真得感谢上帝！

我的孩子们在家里很安全。

我高兴让他们留在这儿。他们是那么聪明、善良，而且彼此友爱。但我已是个视力糟糕透顶的老人了，布兰韦尔姨妈和我的钱少得可怜。我的孩子们为了生存，就必须去什么地方找个工作。

可是他们能干什么呢？