The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-07
DICKENS IND HIS WIFE.
The Cause OF their separaion-Thc
Great Novelfst's Own Account OF his
Family Trouble.

. The following private letter from Charles
Dickens is published, prefaced with the follow
ing sentence: "You have not only my full
permissi on to show this, but beg you to show
this to any one who has b cen misledinto doing
me wrong:'
Nu Dear -: Mrs. Dickens and have
lived unhappy together for many years. Hard
ly any one who has known us intimately can
fail to have known that we are, in all respects
of character and temperament, wonderfully
unsrlited to each other. suppose that no two
people, not vicious in themselves, ever were
Joined together who had greater difficulty in
understanding one another, or who had less
in common. An attached woman servant,
more friend to both of us than servant)
who lived with us sixteen years, and is now
married, and who was and still Is in Mrs. Dick
ems confidence and mine, who had the closest
familiar experience Of this unhappiness in
London, in the country, in France, in Italy,
wherever we have been, year after year, month
after month, week after week, day after day,
will bear testimony to this.
Nothing has, on many. occasions, stood DC,
tween us and a separation but Mrs. Dickens.
sister, Georgine Hogarth. From the age OF
fifteen she has devoted herself to our house
and children. She has been their playmate,
nurse, instructress, friend, prCtectress, ad-
wiser and companion. In the manly conside-
ration towards Mrs. Dickens which owe to
my wife, will merely remark OF her that the
REGULARITY Of her character has thrown all
the care Of the children on some one else.
do not know-I cannot by any stretch OF fancy
imagine what would have become Of them
but for this aunt who has grown up with them,
to whom they are devoted, and who has sacri-
feed the best part Of her youth and life to
them.
She has demonstrated, reasoned, suffered
and toiled, and come again to prevent sepa-
ration between Mrs. Dickens and me. MRS.
Dickens has often expressed to her her sense
of her affectionate care and devotion in the
houseLnever more strongly than within the
last twelve months.
For some years past Mrs. Dickens has been
in the habit Of representing to me that It would
be better for her to 60 away and live apart !;
that her always increasing estrangement made
mental disorder under which she sometimes
labors more, that she felt herself unit for the
life she had to lead as my wife, and that she 1e
would be far better away. | have uniformly
replied that she must bear our misfortune and
fight the fight out to the end that the children
were the first consideration, and that feared
they must bind us together "in appearance"
At length, within these three weeks, 1t was
suggested to me by Foster, that even for their
sakes, it would surely be better to reconstruct
and rearrange the unhappy home. Iempower
ed him to treat with Mrs. Dickens as the friend
of both of us for one and twenty years. Mrs.
Dickens wished to add, on her part, Mark
Lemon, and did so. On Saturday last Lemon
wrote to Foster that Mrs. Dickens gratefully
and thankfully accepted" the terms proposed
to her. Of the pecuniary part of them, l will
only say that believed they are as generous
as If Mrs. Dickens were lady OF distinction
and l man of fortune. The remaining parts
of them are easily described-my eldest boy to
live with Mrs. Dickens and to take care of her;
my eldest girl to keep my house; both my girls
and all my children but the eldest son to live
with me in continued companionship OF their
Aunt Georgine, for whom they have all the
tenderest affections that l have ever seen
among young people, and who has q higher
claim (as / have often declared for many
years. upon my affection, respect and grati-
tude than anybody in this world.
/ hope that no one who may become ac-
Quainted with what l write here, can possibly
be so cruel and unjust as to put any miscon-
struction on our separation 30 far. My elder
children all understand 1t perfectly, aud all ac-
cept it as inevitable.
There is not a shadow of doubt or conceal
ment among us. My eldest son and l are one
as to 1t all.
Two wicked persons, who should have spo-,
ken very differently Of me, in consideration OF
earned respect and gratitude, have las am
told, and, indeed, to my personal knowledge
coupled with this separation the name OF
young lady fol-. whom have a great attach
ment and regard. will not repeat the name;
| honor Ii too much. Upon my soul and
honor, there is not on this earth a more spot
less creature than that young lady. l know
her to be pure, and as good as my own
daughters.
Further, am quite sure that Mrs. Dickens,
having received this assurance from me, must
now believe it, in the respect know her to
have for me, and in the perfect confidence
know her, in her better moments, to repose IN
my truthfulness.
On this head, again, there is not shadow OF
doubt or concealment between my children
and me. All is open and plain among us, as
though we were brothers and sisters. They
are perfectly certain that l would not deceive
them, and the confidence among us is without