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new confidante with whom to gabble, confide in, and
slander people. Of course they didn�t agree, and hated one
another. Mrs Gouverneur � who is as false as hell � played
tricks which Mrs Levisons hard selfishness resented �
in short Mrs L found she could make nothing out of her.
On one occasion Mrs G excused herself from accompanying
Mrs L to the opera by a plea of sickness � subsequently went
with a somebody she didn�t wish to introduce Mrs L to. I�ve
heard scores of stories of these dodges, but must put down
the anecdotes got this night from Mrs Levison. She called
on Mrs G during her dislocated arm confinement and spake
of her intention of going to Paris. Now Mrs G, as she told
me, thinks of doing the same � of course with her usual
loose-souledness she was all agog to join Mrs L and the lady
who she will accompany. It would be �so nice� to go together
� what would she have to pay � wouldn�t she delay her depar-
ture � she should come up and live with her (Mrs G) at Cold
Spring � till the time of their departure. (Mrs G invites every
body to her house in the loosest manner, resorting to the most
extraordinary lies and dodges to put them off, if there�s dan-
ger of their coming. When poor old Mrs Cooper went up to
dun her for money dur to Mrs Potter, Mrs G nearly starved
her. Everything in the household way is managed with incredible
stinginess.) Well, Mrs Levison referred her to the lady
whom she goes with, then posted up to her � the aforesaid lady �
to draw a picture of Mrs G, beforehand. The lady had
boarded in the same house with Mrs G once, which was quite
enough to make her detest her. So the proposal which she
made � �Gladdy and May to count as one��wasn�t acceded to.