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Charles Dickens

Madeline House, Graham Storey, and Kathleen Mary Tillotson (eds), The British Academy/The Pilgrim Edition of the Letters of Charles Dickens, Vol. 3: 1842–1843

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To W. C. MACREADY, 4 DECEMBER 1842

MS Morgan Library.

Devonshire Terrace | Fourth December 1842

My Dear Macready

Here are three Income Tax notions.6 Two of them I mentioned to you, pg 389and one I didn't. If there be anything else I can do; you know how truly delighted I shall be to do it.

—— gather'd, stored, and grown

I think you made that alteration?1

It might be well to counsel Marston to burn his copy of the prologue, pro tem: in order that he may be enabled to say, if applied to by any of the papers, that he hasn't got it—If you think so, pour that wholesome medicine in his ear.2

And if you have a Private Box to spare on the night,3 remember the truly Inimitable; so shall he ever pray &c.

  •                                                        Faithfully Always
  • W. C. Macready Esquire                                             CD.

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Notes

Editor’s Note
6 On 27 July Macready had recorded in his diary: "Tried to understand the Income Tax paper, which perplexed and annoyed me." Although assessment forms were not distributed till Aug, tax was deducted in July from dividends on Govt Stocks. Macready recorded this deduction on n July, with the comment: "Bear on, ye free people, enslaved to the worst cant that ever stultified mankind." (Dianes, ii, 179, 181.)
Editor’s Note
1 This alteration, from "garner'd, reap'd, and grown" in the original draft, is roughly written in by Macready on the copy sent him on 25 Nov. But probably it was later withdrawn; for in the fair-copy, "garner'd, reap'd, and grown" still stands.
Editor’s Note
2 The Prologue was, in fact, printed in full in the Theatrical Journal, 17 Dec, besides the Sunday Times, 11 Dec. Macready may well have forgotten what CD asked; for on 5 Dec he was chiefly concerned with the question whether the play might not be better if Marston changed the ending to a happy one. Forster agreed that this was advisable, but later—perhaps having found CD strongly against it— came with him and Maclise to dissuade Macready from pursuing this (Diaries, ii, 188–9).
Editor’s Note
3 Sat 10 Dec, the first night of The Patrician's Daughter.
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