. His wife, whom
he had married in 1837, became insane. He nursed her patiently with
the vain hope that she could recover; but he finally abandoned hope
and put her in the care of a conscientious attendant. His home was
consequently lonely, and the club was his only recourse. Here, his
broad shoulders and kindly face were always greeted with pleasure;
for his affable manners and his sparkling humor, which concealed an
aching heart, made him a charming companion.

[Illustration: CARICATURE OF THACKERAY BY HIMSELF.]

It is pleasant to know that the later years of his life were happier.
They were cheered by the presence of his daughters, and were free from
financial worries. He had the satisfaction of knowing that, through
the sales of his book; and the returns from his lectures, he had
recovered his lost fortune.

Novels.--_Vanity Fair_ (1847-1848) is Thackeray's masterpiece. For
the lifelikeness of its characters, it is one of the most remarkable
creations in fiction. Thackeray called this work "A Novel without a
Hero." He might have added "and without a heroine"; for neither clever
Becky Sharp nor beautiful Amelia Sedley satisfies the requirements for
a heroine. No perfect characters appear in the book, but it is
enlivened with an abundance of genuine human nature. Few people go
through life without meeting a George Osborne, a Mrs. Bute Crawley, or
a Mrs. Sedley. Even a penurious, ridiculous, old Sir Pitt Crawley is
sometimes seen. The greatest stroke of genius in the book, however, is
the masterly portrayal of the artful, scheming Becky Sharp, who
alternately commands respect for her shrewdness and repels by her
moral depravity.

In _Vanity Fair_ certain classes of society are satirized. Their
intrigues, frivolities, and caprices are mercilessly dealt with.
Thackeray probes almost every weakness, vanity, or ambition that leads
humanity to strive for a place in society, to long for a bow from a
lord, and to stint in private in order to shine in public. He uncovers
the great social farce of life, which is acted with such solemn
gravity by the snobs, the hypocrites, and the other superficial
_dramatis personae_. Amid these satirized frivolities there appear
occasional touches of true pathos and deep human tragedy, which are
strangely effective in their unsympathetic surroundings.

[Illustration: THACKERAY'S HOME WHERE VANITY FAIR WAS WRITTEN.]

Thackeray gives in _Henry Esmond_ (1852) an enduring picture of high