Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-10-04
Why Charles Dickens Separated
from His Wife-yIis own state

FROM Inc DUStOu EQllO.
The great novelist prefaces his letter
as follows "You have not only my full
permission to show this, but I beg you
to show this to any one who has been
misled into doing me wrong" We
therefore take pleasure in presenting his
statement to our readers:
MY Dear --: Mrs. Dickens and
have lived unhappiy together for many
years. Hardly any one who has known
us intimately can fail to have known
that we are, in all respects of character
and temperament, wonderfully unsuited
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 at
tached woman servant (more friend to
both Of us than servant), who lived
with us sixteen years, and is now mar
red, and who was and still is in Mrs.
Dickens's confidence and mine, who had
the closest familiar experience of this
unhappincss 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
between us and separation but Mrs.
Dickens's sister, Georgine Hogarth.
From the age Of fifteen she has devoted
herself to our house and children. She
has been their playmate, nurse, instruc-
tress, friend, protectress, adviser, and
companion. In the manly considera-
lion toward Mrs. Dickens which l owe
to my wife, l will merely remark of her
that the popularity of her character has
thrown all the care of the children on
some one else. | do not know-I can
not 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 sacrificed the best part of her
youth aud life TO thonn.
She has demonstrated, reasoned, suf-
fered, and toiled, and como again, to
prevent separation between Mrs.
Dickens and me. Mrs. Dickens has Of
ten expressed TO her her sense of her af-
Ceotionate care and devotionin the house
never 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 go
away and live apart; that her always
increasing arrangement made a mental
disorder, under which she sometimes
labors, more, that she felt herself unfit
for the life she had to lead as my wife,
and that she 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 I feared
hey must bind us together Gin appear
ance."
At length, within these three weeks,
it was suggested to me by Foster that
even for their sakes it would surely be
better to reconstruct and re-arrange the
unhappy home. I empowered 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 pro-
posed to her. OF the pecuniary part Of
Them, I will only say that believe they
are as generous as if Mrs. Dickens were
a lady of distinction and / a man of for
tune. The remaining parts Of them are
easily desoribed--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 contin-
ned companionship of their aunt Geor-
cine, Tor whom they have all the tender-
est affections that have ever seen
among young people, and who has
hipheT clam [jTs nave oIten declared
for many years. upon my affection, re-
snect, and gratitude, than anybody in
this world.
I hone that no one who may become
ocouainted with what | write here can
possibly be so cruel and unjust as to
out any misconstruction on our separ-
alton, 50 far. My elder children all I'M
derstand it perfectly, and all accept it
as inevitable.
There is not shadow of doubt or
concealmont among us. My eldest son
and | are one as to it all.
Two wicked persons, who should have
spoken very different of me, In consld-
Grafton of earned respect and gratitude,
have las / am told, and, indeed, to my
personal knowledge,l coupled with this
separation the name of young lady for
whom have a great attachment and
regard. will not repeat the name--I
honor it too much. Upon my soul and
honor, there is not on this earth more
virtuous and spotless creature than that
Young lady. ] know her to be innocent
and 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
1. 80 b. n uahoan in INV