econciled and that her husband was trying to persuade
her to it--as the biographer has sought to make us believe, with his
Coliseum of conjectures built out of a waste-basket of poetry. For we
have "evidence" now--not poetry and conjecture. When Shelley had been
dining daily in the Skinner Street paradise fifteen days and continuing
the love-match which was already a fortnight old twenty-five days
earlier, he forgot to write Harriet; forgot it the next day and the
next. During four days Harriet got no letter from him. Then her fright
and anxiety rose to expression-heat, and she wrote a letter to Shelley's
publisher which seems to reveal to us that Shelley's letters to her
had been the customary affectionate letters of husband to wife, and had
carried no appeals for reconciliation and had not needed to:
"BATH (postmark July 7, 1814).

"MY DEAR SIR,--You will greatly oblige me by giving the
enclosed to Mr. Shelley. I would not trouble you, but it is
now four days since I have heard from him, which to me is an
age. Will you write by return of post and tell me what has
become of him? as I always fancy something dreadful has
happened if I do not hear from him. If you tell me that he is
well I shall not come to London, but if I do not hear from you
or him I shall certainly come, as I cannot endure this dreadful
state of suspense. You are his friend and you can feel for me.

"I remain yours truly,

"H. S."

Even without Peacock's testimony that "her whole aspect and demeanor
were manifest emanations of a pure and truthful nature," we should hold
this to be a truthful letter, a sincere letter, a loving letter; it
bears those marks; I think it is also the letter of a person accustomed
to receiving letters from her husband frequently, and that they have
been of a welcome and satisfactory sort, too, this long time back--ever
since the solemn remarriage and reconciliation at the altar most likely.

The biographer follows Harriet's letter with a conjecture. He
conjectures that she "would now gladly have retraced her steps." Which
means that it is proven that she had steps to retrace--proven by the
poem. Well, if the poem is better evidence than the letter, we must let
it stand at that.

Then the biographer attacks Harri