A Failed Marriage
The first time that Wells went to visit his aunt Mary he met his cousin Isabel
and was instantly taken by her. Wells became restless and hungered for love
so began to court Isabel. Wells left for sometime to be an assistant headmaster
in Wales but soon returned because of a shattered kidney. After he had recovered
from his injury, he found a job as a teacher at a private school near London
which once again brought him close to Isabel. As soon as he saw Isabel he
was once again infatuated with her and their relationship began to grow.
Wells asked Isabel to marry him all the time but she always refused because
she thought that Wells did not have enough money to make a good life for
them. Wells began to hunger for money and every pound brought him a step
closer to marrying Isabel. Finally, Isabel decided that H. G. Wells had enough
money for them to have a secure marriage and married him in October of 1891.
Much to the disapproval of H. G., he and Isabel were married in a church.
After they were married Wells rented a house in the suburbs of London for
them to live in.
After a few months of marriage, married life was not that good anymore. Wells
had longed for Isabel for so long but did not see their incompatibilities
because he was blinded by his physical attraction to her.
As H. G.'s contentment with Isabel dwindled, he met a woman by the name of
Amy Catherine Robbins. After meeting Catherine Wells began to long for her
to the point where he found life intolerable without her. In spite of Wells'
feelings toward Catherine he stayed with Isabel and continued to provide
for her. Wells was able to sell some short stories to the Pall Mall Gazette
and make some extra money that he used to by a house in Sutton.
After Wells and Isabel had a short stay with Catherine and her mother Isabel
realized the H. G. and Catherine shared something that she could never hope
to share with Wells. After Isabel came to this realization she and Wells
had a fight and he left to live in London. Catherine soon followed Wells
and began to live with him in London.
Years after H. G. and Isabel's divorce Wells went to visit her. Isabel now
ran a poultry farm and when Wells saw her again he began to long for her.
When it was time to leave, Wells was wild with despair but was able to tear
himself away from Isabel. Even after his visit with Isabel Wells was unaware
that she had remarried and when he found out he went into a fit of violence
and would do so every time someone brought it up.
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