The Charles Dickens Letters Project
To FREDERICK DICKENS,1 10 OCTOBER 1850
MS Private.
Broadstairs | Thursday Night Tenth October 1850.
My Dear Frederick.
You must not suppose that the item you extract from my sum of objection, though a great one, is the total.2 Many other objections of the strongest kind to the recurrence of such a responsibility would remain, if that were disposed of. [ ]3 I will not say that I have not the confidence I could desire, in you, as to money matters. It is enough for me to say, that I know enough of the world to have a horror of the very name— security. If I were security for you, and you were false to me, you never could pay me back the value of that broken trust, and never could set up my confidence again. I wish to ask this. If I am ready to be security for you to a Life office, on the Insurance of both our lives—to which, distinctly understand I do not commit or pledge myself in any way— could not the money be borrowed as a loan, to be repaid (principal and interest) at £50 a year.4 I believe that it could, and that instead of loading yourself with irons for life, you could wear them for an ascertained number of years, with the hope of throwing them off, while you [ ]5 had yet a term of active life before you.
Affectionately | CD
- 1. Frederick William Dickens (“Fred”; 1820-68), John Dickens’s second son and fourth child. CD was concerned with his education and secured him employment, principally a post in the Treasury, 1839. On good terms with CD and Catherine during their engagement and earlier married life; useful in various of CD’s affairs (e.g. the Knebworth theatricals, 1850-51). Problems arose over his marriage to Anne Weller (1848) and his increasing debts: see Pilgrim Letters 1, p. 47n, and later vols.
- 2. Fred had proposed that CD stand security for a loan to cover debts of about £600 (Pilgrim Letters 6, pp. 180n, 198). CD refused to be security, stressing particularly (presumably the “item” Fred referred to) his unease at the thought “of bequeathing such an obligation” to any of his (CD’s) children who might outlive him (To Fred, 26 Sep, Pilgrim Letters 6, p. 180).
- 3. Illegible word deleted.
- 4. On 25 Oct, CD wrote to W. B. Hodge, secretary and actuary of the General Reversionary and Investment Co., introducing Fred and asking whether the Company did such loans or, failing that, whether Hodge could advise Fred on such business (Pilgrim Letters 6, pp. 197-8). The matter had not been settled by 28 Nov (To Frederick Dickens, Pilgrim Letters 6, p. 220), while Fred confirmed CD’s doubts by ordering goods beyond the value CD had guaranteed (To Widger, 3 Jan 51, Pilgrim Letters 6, pp. 255-6).
- 5. Illegible word deleted.