[Charlotte Bronte ‘did not always tell the truth’ and guilty of ‘deceit’.] Copy of Typed Letter to E. F. Benson [from her editor John Alexander Symington], criticising her, with reference to C. W. Hatfield and T. J. Wise.

See the various entries in the Oxford DNB. Typed carbon copy. 1p, foolscap 8vo. Text complete, on aged piece of carbon paper, worn and chipped at edges. No signature. Addressed at foot to ‘E. F. Benson Esq.’ Thirty-one lines of text. He begins by stating that Benson, in his ‘work on Charlotte Brontë’, has ‘made a very correct study of her’. After discussing a point about Branwell Bronte, he states: ‘We cannot rely on Charlotte’s assertion that he knew nothing whatever of their ventures in publishing. I am just busy preparing the “Life and Letters” for the Shakespeare Head edition, and have found from Charlotte’s letters and other associated facts that she did not always tell the truth.’ She describes the ‘most glaring instance’, concerning ‘her references to Balzac’s works’, and adds that there are ‘ other instances of deceit in her correspondence with Ellen Nussey’. In the final paragraph he states that his ‘old friend Mr. C. W. Hatfield [of the Bronte Society] will not hear a wrong word about Charlotte, and pleads with me to modify my editorial notes concerning the influence of Branwell, whilst my colleagues and editorial chief T. J. Wise is quite impartial, though he would like Charlotte’s reputation upheld. In consequence of this I am venturing to send you the introductory portion (in rough galley form) of Chapter XIV in “Life and Letters” which I have headed “The Influence of Branwell.” I wonder if you would be good enough to look this over and give me your opinion and criticism of it.’