It seems to me that it has nothing to do with privacy since all are long dead with no living friends or family. But it does go a long way toward explaining the otherwise puzzling tensions, behaviors, and actions in the Clemens household, which I think is a valid line of research. The more we know, the better we understand the context (in those times) and the more human they all seem. Any modern moral judgments anyone cares to make about her sexuality seem to me to be piffle. When I read those letters, looked at the photos of Susy at the time (nearly always with a blank stare, a startling lack of facial aspect sometimes associated with eating disorders and/or depression), and then looked at how her family acted toward her, it's inexpressably sad. It's commonly thought Twain grieved her loss so keenly because she was his favorite, but perhaps it was because he was feeling some well-deserved (for a change) regrets and guilt over how she was treated in her final years, perhaps as a result of her parents' worries about her relationship with Louise (whether it was lesbian or merely an expression of a loneliness or depression whose sources were never explored or acknowledged). I dunno. Can any of us know? Kevin Mac Donnell Austin TX