A Lady of England 6 A great event of Charlotte’s young days was the

A Lady of England 6

A great event of Charlotte’s young days was the fancy-dress ball given

by her parents in the spring of 1835. The Duke of Wellington himself was

present; prominent still in the minds of men as the Deliverer of Europe,

only twenty years earlier, from a tyrant’s thraldom. All the young

Tuckers, not to speak of their parents, were ardent admirers of the Duke.

Laura, still a mere child, in her enthusiasm slipped close up behind,

when the Duke was ascending the stairs, and gently abstracted a fallen

hair from the shoulder of the hero, which hair she preserved ever after

among her choicest treasures; and Charlotte was no whit behind Laura in

this devotion.

 

At the ball Frances made her appearance dressed as Queen

Elizabeth,--‘very neat and very stately,’--while Charlotte represented

‘the star of the morning,’ in a dress of pure muslin, full and well

starched, so nicely made and so beautifully white that the impression of

it lasts still in the mind of a brother, after the lapse of more than

half a century. The prettiness of her dress on that particular occasion

was no doubt accentuated by the fact that in general Charlotte did _not_

attire herself becomingly; and also by the fact of another young lady

being present as a second ‘star of the morning.’ For the other ‘star’

had hired a dress for the evening; a muslin dress, which was by no means

white, but dingy and tumbled. In contrast, Charlotte’s pure whiteness,

relieved by a star upon her forehead, drew much attention. Since she was

then only a girl of about fourteen, it appears that a close distinction

was not drawn in those days, as in these, between girls ‘out’ and girls

‘not out.’ Her brother, St. George, a boy of twelve or thirteen, was

also present, wearing a Highland costume.

 

The hero of the day appeared in evening dress, according to the then

fashion, with a star on his breast. Frances, in her queenly apparel,

presented him with a bag which contained a Commission to defend

England,--a business which, one is disposed to think, he had already

pretty well accomplished! The Duke received this offering graciously; and

a day or two later the following playful letter arrived from him to Mr.

Tucker:--

 

‘STRATHFIELDSAYE.

_Ap. 26, 1835._

 

‘MY DEAR SIR,--When Queen Elizabeth gave me that beautiful

bag on Friday night, I was not aware that it contained a

Letter Patent which I prize highly; and for which I ought to

have returned my grateful acknowledgment at the time it was

delivered.

 

‘I beg you to present my thanks; and to express my hopes that

her Majesty continued to enjoy the pleasures of the evening;

and that she has not been fatigued by them.

 

‘Ever, my dear Sir,

 

‘Your most faithful humble servant,

 

(Signed) ‘WELLINGTON.

 

‘H. St. George Tucker, Esq., etc.’

 

The delight and enthusiasm amongst the young people, aroused by this

letter, may be imagined. It seems to have come later into the possession

of Charlotte; and when she went to India it was presented by her to her

sister Laura,--the envelope which contained it having in Charlotte’s

handwriting the following inscription:--

 

‘_What I consider one of my most valuable possessions, and therefore send

to my beloved Laura, to whom it will recall past days._’

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER III

 

A.D. 1835-1848

 

EARLY WRITINGS

 

 

One after another the brothers of Charlotte went out to India. Henry

Carre, the eldest, well known in Indian story, had left in 1831, when she

was only ten years old; and in 1835 her particular companion, Robert,

went also. He was a tall, handsome young fellow; and though only eighteen

years old, he had already done well in his studies. At Haileybury his

remarkable abilities won him the admiration of the Professors; and at his

last examination for the Civil Service he signalised himself by actually

carrying off _four_ gold medals.

 

Among other gifts he had a keen touch of satire, and a power of easy

versification. Some of the early verses preserved show considerable

power, and are very spirited as well as amusing. A main feature of his

character was, however, his intense earnestness. He was of the same stern

and heroic cast of mind as Charlotte herself; with perhaps less fun and

sparkle to lighten the sternness. Like her, he was markedly self-reliant,

and was never known to lean upon the opinion of others.

 

With all Charlotte’s gaiety and merriment, her delight in dancing and

acting, and her love of games, there was a stern side, even in those

early days, to her girlish nature; and in this respect she and Robert

were well suited the one to the other. She was, as one says who knew her

well, ‘a born heroine’; indeed, both she and Robert were of the stuff of

which in former centuries martyrs have been made.

 

At what date Charlotte first began to think seriously upon religious

questions it is not possible to say. Probably at a very early age.

Underlying her high spirits was a stratum of deep thought; and strong

principle seems almost from the beginning to have held control over her

life. One of her brothers speaks of her as ‘always religious.’ She may

have thought and may have felt to any extent, without __EXPRESSION__ in words

of what she thought or felt. The innate reticence, which veiled so much

of herself from others, would naturally in early years extend itself to

matters of religion. Later in life reserve broke down in that direction;

but silence in girlhood was no proof whatever of indifference.

 

An undated letter to her niece, Miss Laura Veronica Tucker, written in

middle life, gives us something of a clue here.

 

‘I am much interested in hearing from your dear Mother that you

are so soon to take upon you the vows made for you in Baptism,

and I wish specially to remember you, my love, in prayer on the

18th.

 

‘To-morrow, too, you attain the age of fifteen.... I was about

your age, dear Laura, when the feeling of being His--of indeed

having the Saviour as _my own_ Saviour, came upon me like a

flood of daylight. I was so happy! This was a little time

before my Confirmation. Though I have often often done wrong

since, and shed many many tears, I have never _quite_ lost the

light shed on me then, and now it brightens all the future,

so that I can scarcely say that I have any care as regards

myself--the Lord will take care of me in advancing age--in

the last sickness--in what is called death, (it is only its

shadow).’

 

To the majority of people religious conviction and experience come as

daylight comes; not in one sudden burst, but gradually, heralded by grey

dawn, slowly unfolding into brightness. Brought up as Charlotte was

in an atmosphere of kindness, of gentleness, of unselfish thought for

others, of generosity, of high principle, and of most real religion,

albeit not much talked about, she would naturally imbibe the latter

almost unconsciously, and as naturally would say little. The spiritual

life, begun early in her, would expand and develop year by year, as fresh

influences came, each in turn helping to shape the young ardent nature.

 

She was essentially independent; one who would of necessity think

questions out for herself, and form her own opinions; and when an

opinion was once formed, she would act in accordance with that opinion,

fearlessly and conscientiously. All this came as a logical result of what

she was in herself. But the very independence was of gradual growth; and

side by side with it existed always a spirit of beautiful and reverent

submission to her Father and Mother.

 

Although she never published anything during her Father’s

lifetime--whether because she was slow to recognise her own capabilities,

or because he failed to encourage the idea, does not distinctly

appear,--her pen was often busy. A small magazine or serial in

manuscript, for family use, was early started among the brothers and

sisters, and to this, as might be expected, Charlotte was a frequent

contributor.

 

She also wrote several plays, following in her Father’s footsteps; and

some of these are extant, not _written_ but exquisitely printed by her

own hand. She was indeed an adept at such printing, as at many other

things; and one amusing story is told anent this particular gift. About

1840, when her brother St. George was at Haileybury College, the latter

wrote an essay, which was copied for him by Charlotte in small printed

characters. Whereupon a rumour went through the College that one of

the competitors had actually had his essay printed for the occasion.

Inquiries were made; and the ‘printed copy’ was discovered to be the

essay of Mr. St. George Tucker.

 

The earliest in date of these unpublished plays, composed for the

entertainment of the home-circle, appears to have been _The Iron Mask_;

achieved in 1839, when Charlotte was about eighteen years old. It was

‘Dedicated, with the fondest esteem and affection, to her beloved Father,

Henry St. George Tucker, to whom she is indebted for the outline of the

characters and plot, by the Author, Charlotte Maria Tucker.’ By which

Dedication may be plainly seen that Mr. Tucker encouraged his daughter’s

literary bent, so far as actual writing went, though he does not seem

to have helped her into print. The Preface to this early work is quaint

enough to be worth quoting. The young Author had evidently studied Miss

Edgeworth’s style.

 

‘I cannot pretend to offer that most common excuse of

Authors that their works have been written in great haste

and consequently under great disadvantages. I have been a

considerable time about my little performance, and its defects

are not owing to want of care or attention on my part.