ABSTRACT
Elizabeth Inchbald arrived in London in 1780, after working for eight years as an actress in the provincial theatres. Garrick was gone. Richard Brinsley Sheridan had been managing Drury Lane since 1776, and Thomas Harris was in sole command of Covent Garden, since Colman's decision to manage the Haymarket summer seasons. 1 Mrs. Inchbald had a contract to perform some minor roles at Covent Garden as a member of Harris's company. Harris, however, was getting more than he had bargained for. Tucked into her luggage were two manuscripts: one a novel, and the other a play
