THACKERAY AS HUSBAND.

Shannon News, 13 May 1924, Page 4

THACKERAY AS HUSBAND.

"LOVE THE GROWS OF ALL

GOOD."

So little has been heard of-Thacker-ay's--married life that publication of a number of the letters in which the great Victorian novelist expresses the warmest devotion to his wife shows also "how great was the tragedy that deprived him and her children of hei companionship and help." It is these words that, Miss Hester Ritchie, the novelist's grand-daughter, introduces the -'Letters of Ann Thackeray Ritchie," tier mother which -ave just been published. They reveal Thackeray as the lender husband and father and loving, considerate son. Many of the letter,? Thackeray wrote to his little "Army".are adorned with lively little. i>en and ink sketches, as are those which Lady Ritchie in turn addressed to ber own children.. It is a delightful spontaneous and human book. ~ It was after an illness following upon the birth of a third daughter, Mmny, m 1840, that Mrs Thackeray's health failed. This made it necessary lor Thackeray to break up his home and send his children to Paris to be with the grand-parents. He lumso t remained with his wife but "eventual y it was found necessary that she should lead a life away from home."

BOZ DULL. In a letter writlOn in IS US to his friend W. F. Synge, Thackeray wrote: ••Though my marriage was a wreck, 1 would do it over again, for behold love is the crown and completion of all earthly good.' • * ~ To his mother, Mrs. CamucliaelSmyth, Thackeray writes:', "We Jiave led a tolerably sober and regular life, always up before nine, breakfasts over by ten, books, books, books, all day im£il night, when to my giva- consolation WzGeraid (of Omar Klmyy.-m) lias been here to smoke a bCj»ar':-nd keep me company ml one oso '

Allusions to Dickens aft.tew. "The now Boss- ('Master Humphry a Clock')" he says, "is dull but somehow gives one a very pleasant impression of the man: a noble, tender-hearted creature who sympathises with all the human race," . In the same letter—he is writing to Ms mother-he adds: "I fail by sneer ing too much." Nine years later he writes: "I am at tne Hop of the tree m my business and making a good income now, near £2OOO a year, let us savs." Already, two years beiore, had told "My dearest' Mammy. My prospects arc very much improved, and 'Vanity Fair' may make me. £32,000 IN 20 YEARS. Summing up his literary earnings as about £32,000 in twenty years, J hackoray, writing to his mother in lbuJ, ba ''The prollle of the lectures figure as the greatest of the receipts—£osoo . . Three vears more, please the l«atc», and the girls will then have the 8 or 10,000 apiece that I want for thorn. Lady Ritchie's own letters recall to memory a gracious circle of Victorian literary life. There is an entry concerning a luncheon party m 1573 at which the "John Morleys" were presCM And Browning said: "Everybody knows what they ought to do. It's all nonsense about, asking advice." On another occasion: "1 sat next Mr. Browning at dinner. He described a Greek poem, and suddenly seized my chair and twirled Jt right round, inspired by the thought of a blind father recognising his daughter's hand; he did it beautifully, but too much action."