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by Edith Wharton is a story about two well-to-do American widows who escort their unmarried daughters on a grand vacation. Alida Slade and Grace Ansley are the primary characters in Wharton's tale that incorporates love, mother/daughter relationships and sexuali ....

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.... as they both accomplish some unfriendly activities within the story line. As one of Alida's encounters as antagonist, she attempts to harness her jealousy, guilt and vindictive gratification regarding the fact that Grace double-crossed her in love. It seems that Grace feigned an illness one evening in their youthful years, begging off any further activities following a late night sightseeing expedition. What really occurred, which did not escape Alida's knowledge, was the fact that Grace had a rendezvous with Alida's fiancé, Delphin Slade. Alida barely controlled her anger enough to compose a letter that she penned as though she were Delphin ....