Shelley’s Arrival at Geneva--Byron and Polidori--At the Sécheron Hotel--Union of the two Parties--Tattle of the Coteries--The Genevese Scandal--Its Fruit in _Manfred_ and _Cain_--Its Fruit in _Laon and Cythna_--The Shelleys’ Return to England--Their Stay at Bath--Their Choice of a House at Great Marlow--Fanny Imlay’s Suicide--Her Pitiable Story--Harriett’s Suicide--Review of Shelley’s Treatment of her--His Responsibility for her Depravation and Ruin--Witnesses to Character and Conduct--Shelley’s Grief for Harriett--His wild Speech about her--His Marriage with Mary Godwin--Birth of Allegra. There is a conflict of evidences respecting the dates of the journey from England to Geneva. Whilst the _Edinburgh_ ‘Shelley and Mary’ Reviewer exhibits the travellers in Paris on 6th May, and at Geneva on the 13th of the same month, Mary Godwin’s letter (published in the supplementary matter of the _Six Weeks’ Tour_) assigns the arrival in Paris to the 8th, and the arrival at Geneva to 15th inst. I am disposed to think the _Edinburgh_ Reviewer right, because Shelley’s letter of the 15th inst. to Peacock implies that the writer had been long enough at Geneva to turn himself about. Anyhow, leaving England on an early day of May with Mary, her infant, the babe’s nurse and Claire, Shelley was in Paris on the 6th or 8th, and at Geneva on the 13th or 15th of May (something earlier than the time at which the tourists are represented by successive biographers as reaching their destination). Dating from the Hotel Sécheron, Geneva, Shelley wrote to Peacock on the 15th inst.:-- ‘We are now at Geneva, where, or in the neighbourhood, we shall remain probably until the autumn. I may return in a fortnight or three weeks, to attend to the last exertions which Longdill is to make for the settlement of my affairs.’ When these words were put on paper, ten days had still to elapse before Byron’s carriages drew up at the door of the hotel. Thus soon after his arrival, and thus long before Byron’s appearance at Geneva, is Shelley resolved on staying there till autumn,--the time fixed for the ending of Byron’s sojourn at the same place. Does Mr. Froude insist that Shelley, on the 15th, was still kept by Claire in ignorance, that Byron would soon be with them? If so, even Mr. Froude must admit it was a very strange coincidence that Shelley had determined to stay at Geneva just as long as Byron designed to linger there. If Mr. Froude concedes that Shelley knew all about Byron’s movements on the 15th, he might as well have said less of the younger poet’s ignorance of Claire’s pre-arrangement with her lover.