Why Chas. Dickens was Separated from his Wife.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 18, 16 March 1870, Page 7

Why Chas. Dickens was Separated from his Wife.

The groat novelist prefaces his letter as follows : —" You havo not only my full permission to show this, but I beg you to show it to any one who has been misled into doing me wrong." " My dear *****— Mrs Dickens and I have lived unhappily 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 ununited to each other. I 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-servant (more friend to both of us than a servant), who lived with us sixteen years, and ia now married, and who was'; and still is, in Mrs Dickens's confidence and mine, who had the closest familiar experience of this unhappiness in London, in the country, in France, in Italy, wherever wo have been, year after year, month after month, week after week, day by day, will bear testimouy to this.

"Nothing has on many occasions stood between us, and a separation but Mrs Dickens's sister, Georgina Hogarth. From the age of fifteen she has devoted herself to : our house and children. She has been their playmate, nurse, instructress, friend, protectress, adviser, and companion. In the manly consideration of Mrs Dickon* which I owe to my wife, I merely remark of her that the peculiarity of her character has thrown all the care of the children on some one else. I do not know—l 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 remonstrated, reasoned, suffered, and toiled, and come again to prevent a separation between Mrs Dickens and me. Mrs Dickens has often expressed to her her deep sense of her affectionate care and devotion to the house—never more strongly than within the last twelvo months.

" For some years past, Mrs Dickens has been in the habit of representing to uk that, it would be better for her to go away and live apart; that her always increasing estrangement caused a mental disorder under which she sometimes labours ; moro, that she felt herself unfit for the life sha had to-.lead as my wife, and that she would be far better away. I have uniformly replied that she must bear our misfortunes,. and fight the fight out to the end—that the children were the first consideration, and that I feared they must bind us together ' in appearance/ "At length, within these three weeks, it was suggested to me by Foster, that, even for their sakes, it would be better to-re-construct and re-arrango the unhappy home. I empowered him. to treat with Mrs Dickens as the friend of both of ua 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 I proposed to her. Of the pecuniary part of them, I will only say that T believo they are as generous as if Mrs Dickens were a lady of distinction and I a lady of fortune. The remaining parts of them are easily described—my elder boy to live with Mrs Dickeus, and to take care of her ; my eldest girl to keep my house; both my girl* and all my children to live with me incontinued companionship of their aunt Georgina, for whom they have all the most tender affections that I have ever seen? among young; people,, and who has a higher claim (as I have often declared for many years) upon my affection, respect, and gratitude than anybody in this world. " I hope that no one who may becomeacquainted with what I write here can possibly be so cruel and unjust as to pat any misconstruction on our separation so far. My older children all understand imperfectly, and all accept it as inevitable.

"There is not a shadow of doubt of concealment amongst us. My eldest son and I are one as to all.

" Two wicked persons, who should havo spoken very differently of me, iii consideration of earned respect and gratitude, hare (as I am told, and, indeed to- my personalknowledge) coupled with this separation the name of a youwg lady for whom I havo great attachment and regard. I will not repeat the name—l honour it too much. Upon my soul and honour, there is not on this earth a more virtuous and spotless creature than that young lad v. I know her to be innocent and pure and as good as my own daughters. "Further, I am quite sure that Mrs Dickens, having received the assurance from mo, must now believe it, in. tho respect I know her to havo for mo, and. in tho perfect confidence 1 know Injr, in her better moments, to repose in my truthfulness.

" On this head, again, there is not a shadow of doubt or concealment batwenm my children and me. AIT is • plain amoug us, as though we \w and sisters. Tliny ar.i port'iw\ would not deceive thorn and ; ; ; •. among us i 3 without a few, . ''(." i.'\"