Roman Fever
...harming and distinguished. She thinks Mrs. Ansley is old-fashioned. Mrs. Ansley thinks that Mrs. Slade is brilliant, but not as brilliant as she thinks. She thinks that Mrs. Slade has vividness and had been a dashing girl when they were younger. They both talk of each other in more of a negative manner than positive. Mrs. Ansley believes that Mrs. Slade has led a sad life full of failures and mistakes. She has felt sorry for her. Mrs. Slade secretly envies Mrs. Ansley, almost to the point of hating her. Both of the women are widows. They live in the same neighborhood near Park Avenue in New York City. Mrs. Slade’s husband had gained wealth on Wall Street. Mrs. Glover 2 Ansley and her husband were “old New York”; they had been born into wealthy families of New York. Their husbands died not many months apart. They sent each other wreaths and became more intimate during mourning. They hadn’t seen each other in a while and ran across each other in Rome. They were both mothers of young daughters. Barbara, often referred to as “Babs”, belongs to Mrs. Ansley, and Jenny is Mrs. Slade’s daughter. Mrs. Slade thinks that Babs is brilliant and it amazes her that she came from parents like the Ansleys. She thinks Jenny is a perfect daughter, but she wishes she was as brilliant as Babs. She thinks boys will notice Babs before her daughter. She envies Mrs. Ansley because she wants a brilliant daughter, not an angel like Jenny. Mrs. Ansley considers Babs an angel too. They are both lenient on looking after the girls while in Rome. When they had been young, their mothers guarded them carefully. They find it a bit dull not having to watch after their daughters. They both had loved the sa...