Page:Life and Works of the Sisters Bronte - Volume I.djvu/35

 But she did read George Sand, as the same letter informs us, and the influence of that great romantic artist in whom restless imagination went hand in hand with a fine and chosen realism, was probably of some true importance in the development of Charlotte Bronte's genius. During her two years in Brussels, under the teaching of M. Heger who gave her passages from Victor Hugo to study as models of style, and was himself a keen reader, critic, and lecturer there can be little question that she made wide acquaintance with the French books of the day, and it was the day of Victor Hugo, Alfred de Musset and George Sand. It has not yet, I think, been pointed out that there is in ' Jacques ' a novel written in 1834 a very curious anticipation of the cry of Rochester to Jane. The passage occurs in a letter from Sylvia, the sisterly friend, to Jacques, about to become the husband of Fernande :--

Mon ame est habituee a vivre seule, Dieu le veut ainsi ; que vient faire la tienne dans ma solitude? Viens-tu m'avertir de quelque danger, ou m'annoncer quelque malheur plus epouvan- table que tous ceux auxquels a suffi mon courage ? L'autre soir j'etais assise au pied de la montagne ; le ciel etait voile, et le vent gemissait dans les arbres ; j'ai entendu distinctement, au milieu de ces sons d'une triste harmonic, le son de ta voix. Elle a jete trois ou quatre notes dans 1'espace, faibles, mais si pures et si saisissables que j'ai ete voir les buissons d'ou elle etait partie pour m'assurer que tu n'y etais pas. Ces choses-la m'ont rarement trompee; Jacques, il faut qu'il y ait un orage sur nos tetes.

The suggestion, the romantic suggestion of these sentences may very possibly have come in Charlotte Bronte's way, may have mingled with, perhaps given birth to, some later fancy or experience, of which she spoke to Mrs. Gaskell, and so found shape ultimately in the thrilling scene of 'Jane Eyre.' Of direct imitation of George Sand there is nowhere any trace ; but in certain parts of ' Shirley,' in the ' Marriage of Genius and Humanity,' for instance, the stimulating influence of certain famous passages in ' L^lia ' suggests itself readily ; and throughout 'Villette' there is constantly something in