Year: 1869

The following letter is published by the
Folio, new Boston weekly, as being from
Charles Dickens himself, and as being pub
hshed by his permission


My DEAR -: Mrs. Dickens and [
have lived unhappily together for many
years Hardly anyone who has known us
intimately can fail to have known that we
are, in all respects of character and tenn
permanent, wonderfully unsuited to each
other suppose that no two persons, 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 ser
want (more friend to both of us than q
servant), who had lived with us sixteen
years, and Is now married, and who was
and still is, IN Mrs Dickens confidence and
mine, who had the closest familiar expert
ence of this unhappiness in London, in the
country, In France, i'll 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, instruetrese, friend,
protectress, adviser, and companion. In
the manly consideration towards Mrs
Dickens which [ owe to my wife, [ will
merely remark of her that the peculiarly
of her character has thrown all the care
of the children on some one
else I do not know-1 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 sacrificed
the best part of her youth and life to them


''She has demonstrated, reasoned, suffer
ed, and toiled, and come again to prevent
a separation between Mrs. Dickens and me.
Mrs Dickens has often expressed to her
her sense Of her affectionate care and de
yotion in 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 90 away
and live apart; that her always increasing
estrangement made mental disorder un-
der 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 re-
piled 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.


'tAt length, within three weeks, it was
suggested to me by Forster that even for
their sakes, it would surely be better to re-
construct and rearrange the unhappy
home l 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 Lamon
wrote to Forster that Mrs. Dick
ems gratefully and thankfully aC
cepted' the terms l proposed to her. OF
the pecuniary part of them l will only
say that / believe they are as generous as
if Mrs Dickens were a lady Of distinction
and a 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 chill
dren, but the eldest son, to live with me In
continued companionship of their Aunt
Georgine for whom they have all the tender
est affections that have ever seen among
Young people, and who has higher claim
cas | have often declared for many years.
upon my affection, respect, and gratitude
than anybody in this world.


II hope that no one who may become
acquitted with what write here, can pos
sibly be SO cruel and unjust as to put any
misconstruction on our separation, so far.
NV elder children all understand it per-
fectly, and all accept it is inevitable.


There is not shadow of doubt or con-
cealment among us. My eldest son and |
| are as one to it all.


'FTwo wicked persons, who should have
spoken very different of me, in considera-
tion5of earned respect and gratitude, have
(as | am told, and, indeed, to my personal
knowledge) coupled with this separation
the name of a young lady for whom / have
great attachment and regard. l 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 any of my own daughters.


| Further, | am quite sure that Mrs.
Dickens having received this assurance
] from me, must now believe it III the respect
I | know her to have for NE, and in the per-
! feet confidence [ know her, i'll her better
moments, to repose III my truthfulness.
''On this head, again, there is not shad-
/ ow of doubt or concealment between my
children and me. All is open and plain
among us, as though we We're brothers and
sisters. They are perfectly certain that |
would not deceive them, and the conf
dence among us is without fear.


&c. D"