The Life of Charlotte Bronte, Volume I by Elizabeth Gaskell

The moors were a great resource this spring; Emily and Charlotte walked out on them perpetually, "to the great damage of our shoes, but I hope, to the benefit of our health. " The old plan of school-keeping was often discussed in these rambles; but in-doors they set with vigour to shirt- making for the absent Branwell, and pondered in silence over their past and future life. At last they came to a determination.

"I have seriously entered into the enterprise of keeping a school -- or rather, taking a limited number of pupils at home. That is, I have begun in good earnest to seek for pupils. I wrote to Mrs. -- - " (the lady with whom she had lived as governess, just before going to Brussels), "not asking her for her daughter -- I cannot do that -- but informing her of my intention. I received an answer from Mr. -- - expressive of, I believe, sincere regret that I had not informed them a month sooner, in which case, he said, they would gladly have sent me their own daughter, and also Colonel S. 's, but that now both were promised to Miss C. I was partly disappointed by this answer, and partly gratified; indeed, I derived quite an impulse of encouragement from the warm assurance that if I had but applied a little sooner they would certainly have sent me their daughter. I own I had misgivings that nobody would be willing to send a child for education to Haworth.