back
to Literature
"We
have had complaints from all sides from our subscribers!”
After helping
at the soup kitchen began to get rather “tiresome”, Ellen, Emily and their
elder sister Louisa decided to set up a book society.
The idea was to order a box of books, the titles of which were decided
between them and their members. On
arrival the books were to be carefully covered and then distributed.
This
initially seemed like a very good idea. After
all, it would mean that the sisters themselves would have a ready supply of new
books!
Emily’s
Diary, 30th January, 1839 (p139)
“I want book very badly and
have been employing myself for want of a better reading “The Listerian”,
which I certainly do like very much.”
"The
books will soon arrive…and we shall have a nice job in the unpacking and
arranging of them.”
Emily’s
Diary, 2nd February, 1839
“All this evening we have
been occupied in covering and pasting and writing etd., and Mr Bissell came in
and helped us_and went away again before we were done_ and we were kept up till
11 o’clock.Papa did nothing but fuss and grumble and tell us he was sure all
along it would be so…”
However,
things did not quite go to plan!
Emily’s
Diary, Monday 4th February
"All
this day, or at least the greater part of it, Lou and I have been employed in
arranging the books and covering fresh ones selected from our own and the
Dean’s, and at last all our labour has been spent in vain, for when the Porter
had been waiting here some time for them Papa found out it was raining, and
ordered them back again”
Obviously, the other members of the club were
getting impatient as Emily also noted that day:
“We have had complaints from all sides from our subscribers.”
back
to top
back
to Literature
back
to Hobbies
