The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-05-10
WHAT HAS CONE BEFoRE

.
 Charles Dickens, . brilllent,
 enough impoverished youth,
 mtnde tremendous impression
 upon Maria Beadnell, the
 beautiful and youngest Of
 three daughters of Banker
 Bcndneil. Twelve months of
 ardent cOurtsiilp and niutunl
 love passed, then Mr. and Mrs.
 Flendncll, convinced that the
 romantic affair of Charles and
 Afmria was not altogether pln.
 tonic, barred Dickens from
 thcir home und sent Maria tO
 Paris, 0stensibIy to "llnisll her
 education" When Maria re.
 turned, tine love affair nnmed
 again, but Marin was now so
 sure of him that she trifled .
 bit, encouraging him, then dls-
 heartening him, Dickens dccid.
 cd to write her a farewell letter
 which was Q classic of its kind,
 told all tlie dcsOlatiOn and
 hcartacllc that only q biightcd
 first love can know. Mary
 Anne Leigh, q friend Of Ma.
 rln's, had designs on Charles
 Dickens. Mnrln turned to llcr
 best fricnd--Ainry Anne--fOr
 advice. Mary Anne, with two
 thoughts for herself and one
 for Maria, advises Maria tO rc.
 turn all his letters and cut the
 affair on.
 DICKENS FERvID EFFORT
 TO REWIN MARIA
 do feel, Miss Bcadncll, after my former note tU you that common ieilcncy and C proper feeling Oi alike require that should without R momcnt's delay nform you (ns I dld verbally yes- Ierday) that ! pcvcr, by word OF Iced, in the slightest manner, dl. rcctsy OF by implication, mndc iIl my way e cOnfldentc of Mary Annc Leigh, and never was ! more surprised, ncycd did l endure more heartfelt annoyance and vcxntiOEl han to hear yesterday by chance hat days, even weeks, ago she hnd made this ObscrvntiOn---nOt having lhc slightest idea that she Ind done 70 of course lt was out of my power to cOntiadict it before. Sit- intcd as we have been once, have --layIng out of consideration every dea of common honor, not to say common honesty - too often thought of our earlier correspond ,ncc, and too often looked bnck Go happy hopes, the loss 0f which nave made mc the miserable rcck. css wretch ! am, to breathe the lightest hint tO any creature living sver passcd between us--much less 0 her.
 Ills Confidence Violated In replying to your last note l icnicd Mary Anne Iyetgh's intcFfer. 'ncc and did sO hoping to spare 'Ou the pain of any recrimlnatl0n with her. Her duplicity and dis. yustfng falschO0d, however renders C quito ncccsisry to conceal the ,art she had acted and | therefore nave now n0 hesitation in saying hat she, quite unmnskch, vOlun. ccrcd the information that YOU lah made her e c0niidnnte of All hat had ever pnssed between us without reserve. In proof of which lscrtiOn she not only detailed ccr- Iain facts which I undoubtedly thought she could have heard from n0ne but yourself, but she als1 many things which certainly never occurred at alf calculated to excite some thing even more than Or1inary angry feelings.
 |. On hearing this yesterday lant no consideration on earth shall in' fiuce mo ever to forget or forgive F'anny's not telling me of it befOrc) my first impulse was to go tO Clap ton: any next, tO prevent misrepre to write immediately. thought on reflection however, thal the most c0nsidcrate and pr0pcl course would bc to state t0 you ex nctly what l wish to do. ! ask you consent previously for this reason - because it Is possible that yOl may think that my writing q yio lent note would have the effect Q exciting tII nature which had bcstcl iDc avoided. I candidly own that am most anxious t0 write. | car ms little for her malice as ! do fO