How did the relationship between Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley change by the end of "Roman Fever"? And how did the last six Paragraphs of the story...

The relationship of the two women in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" changes drastically by the end of the story. While Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are distant and polite at the start, they both seem to be hiding something. As the story progresses, Mrs. Slade goes on the attack because she can't stand it any longer and must tell Mrs. Ansley that she knows what happened many years ago. Mrs. Slade feels she has the...

The relationship of the two women in Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" changes drastically by the end of the story. While Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade are distant and polite at the start, they both seem to be hiding something. As the story progresses, Mrs. Slade goes on the attack because she can't stand it any longer and must tell Mrs. Ansley that she knows what happened many years ago. Mrs. Slade feels she has the upper hand because she wrote the letter that was supposedly from her then fiancé all the while Mrs. Ansley thought it was from him and treasured that memory.

The last six paragraphs of the story, however, change the power dynamic when Mrs. Ansley reveals that she did in fact meet Mr. Slade in secret at the Colosseum in Rome. More than that, though, she had his daughter. The conversation, which has been like a game of chess, comes to a close with Mrs. Ansley the clear winner because her secrets far exceed the superior Mrs. Slade's.