The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-10-07
DICKENS -AND HIS WIFE.
The Cause OF their sopnration-Thc
Great Novelist'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
pcrmissi on to show this, but beg you to shoW
this to any one who has cen misled into doing
me wrong:n
lived unhappy together for many years. Hard
~ any ono who has known us intimately can
fall to have known that we are, In all respects
Of character and temperament, wonderfully
unsllted to each other. suppose that no two
os So ~ hod eger were
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 be-
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, protectress, ad-
ration towards Mrs. Dickens which 1 owe to
my wife, will merely remark of her that the
peculiarity of her character has thrown all
inc care OF the children on some one else.
do not know-l cannot by any stretch of fhncy
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 reconstructed, 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 ahectionate care and devotion In the
house-never more strongly than within the
last twelve months.
:, For some years past Mrs Dickens has been
be better for her to go away and live apart
that her always increasing arrangement made
mental disorder under which she sometimes
n6oEs LAP e more, that she felt herself unft for the
lie she had to lead as my wife, and that she
would be far better away. I have uniformly
replied that she must bear our misfortune and
light the fight out to the end that the children
were the hrst consideration, and that feared
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
ana az rearrange the unhappy home. Iempower
ofboth Of us for one and twenty years. Mrs.
Dickens wished TO add, ON her part, Mark
Lemon, and did 3d. On Saturday last Lemon
wrote to Foster that Mrs: Dickens .".gratefully
to her. or the pecuniary part Of them, viii
only say that believed they are as generous
as n Mrs. Dickens were a lady Of distinction
and man Of fortune. The remaining parts
of them are easily described-my eldest boy to
1--we 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 have ever seen
among young people, and who has a higher
claim claim tas ! have often declared for many
tude than anybody in this world. Nit'iTl
nope that no one who may become ac-
qualnted with what write here, can possibly
be SO cruel and unjust as to put any miscon-
stTuction on our separation SO far. Ny elder
cnlldren an understand 1t perfectly, and all ac-
There is not q shadow Of. doubt or conceal.
ment smong us, Ny eldest son and are one
Two wicked persons; who should have spo-
ken very differently Of me, in consideration Of
earned respect and gratitude, have (as I am
told, and, Indeed, to my personal knowledge }
young lady for whom have a great attach
ment and regard. I will not repeat the name;
! honor 1t too much. Upon my soul and
honor, there is not On this earth q more spot
less creature than that young lady. know
her to be pure, and as good ms my own
having received this assurance from me. mast
now believe 1t, In the respect know her to
have for me, and in the perfect confidence I
my tiuthfnlncss.
| On this head, again, there is not shadow OF
ao9pI ao9 D., or eS1ySsslmsnt y between my children
tSoigS tnm e: va An s, = egsn ana plain among qs ss
are perfectly certain that I. would not deceive
! 3 fear. - q. ID.