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stood that he did not write this Bath part of his story from 
contemporary or authentic documents, but published, almost in 
its entirety, a long account sent from Mrs. Henry Lefanu, who 
was further Sheridan’s sister Elizabeth, written from attempted 
revived recollections over 50 years after the events, and by a 
lady nearly 70, who was but a girl of only 12 or 13 at the time. 
Recently although Sheridan has been long dead and long 
forgotten, another biography has boldly appeared wherein 
this Lefanu letter is again fully used and relied upon.* 
Moore using the narrative often almost word for word prints. 
without inverted commas, thus giving a greater appearance 
of originality to his book. The last work very properly uses 
these marks, thus enabling the reader to well distinguish the new 
and the old. Both these issues must now be glanced at. 
First a new form is given to the elopement as we are now 
told that Miss Linley, terrified at the attentions of Mathews, 
consulted the Misses Sheridan, and they, in turn consulted their 
brother, and that Miss Linley had conceived the idea of retiring 
to a convent in France until she came of age, meaning to 
indemnify her father with part of her compensation money. 
Sheridan chose to accept the idea and offered to be her conductor 
“as a friend without any desire to take advantage as a lover,” t thus 
appearing according to his sister’s estimate as a trusted “ advisor ” 
and “protector ” entirely without guile. It is difficult to realise 
this convent story as being supported by any adviser, an imagined 
retreat for four years in a place the young girl had never seen and 
of which she could know nothing, and further that the father 
would not be equally angry and spoil all equally here as at 
home, and then that the youth was taking this disinterested 
trouble simply to wait for four years somewhere outside when he 
could do that as well or better at home. But so it was. Having 
the idea the young girl was worked upon as if carrying out her 
* Rae. + Moore. 
