uet and the play at
Devonshire House, Charles Dickens underwent great family trouble and
sorrow. His father, whose health had been declining for some time,
became seriously ill, and Charles Dickens was summoned from Malvern to
attend upon him. Mr. John Dickens died on the 31st March. On the 14th
April, Charles Dickens had gone from Malvern to preside at the annual
dinner of the General Theatrical Fund, and found his children all well
at Devonshire Terrace. He was playing with his baby, Dora, before he
went to the dinner; soon after he left the house the child died suddenly
in her nurse's arms. The sad news was communicated to the father after
his duties at the dinner were over. The next day, Mr. Forster went to
Malvern to break the news to Mrs. Dickens, and she and her sister
returned with him to London, and the Malvern lodgings were given up. But
Mrs. Dickens being still out of health, and London being more than
usually full (this being the year of the Great Exhibition), Charles
Dickens decided to let the town house again for a few months, and
engaged the Fort House, Broadstairs, from the beginning of May until
November. This, which was his longest sojourn at Broadstairs, was also
the last, as the following summer he changed his seaside resort, and
never returned to that pretty little watering-place, although he always
retained an affectionate interest in it.

The lease of the Devonshire Terrace house was to expire this year. It was
now too small for his family, so he could not renew it, although he left
it with regret. From the beginning of the year, he had been in negotiation
for a house in Tavistock Square, in which his friend Mr. Frank Stone had
lived for some years. Many letters which follow are on the subject of this
house and the improvements Charles Dickens made in it. His brother-in-law,
Henry Austin--himself an architect--superintended the "works" at Tavistock
House, as he did afterwards those at Gad's Hill--and there are many
characteristic letters to Mr. Austin while these works were in progress.
In the autumn, as a letter written in August to Mr. Stone will show, an
exchange of houses was made--Mr. Stone removing with his family to
Devonshire Terrace until his own new house was ready--while the
alterations in Tavistock House went on, and Charles Dickens removed into
it from Broadstairs, in November.

His eldest son was now an Eton boy. He had been one of the party and
had played a small part in the play a