<P> In the opening pages of the story , the two women compare their daughters and reflect on each other 's lives . Eventually , Alida reveals a secret about a letter written to Grace on a visit to Rome many years ago . The letter was purportedly from Alida 's fiancé , Delphin , inviting Grace to a rendezvous at the Colosseum . In fact , Alida forged the letter in an attempt to send Grace on a fruitless outing and expose her `` delicate throat '' to the `` deathly cold . '' Mrs. Ansley is upset at this revelation , but explains that she was not left alone at the Colosseum ; she responded to the letter , and Delphin arrived to meet her . Mrs. Ansley then says that she feels sorry for Mrs. Slade , repeating her earlier thoughts . Mrs. Slade states that , while she was `` beaten there , '' Mrs. Ansley ought not to feel sorry for her , because she `` had ( Delphin ) for twenty - five years '' while Mrs. Ansley had `` nothing but that one letter that he did n't write . '' Mrs. Ansley responds , in the last sentence of the story , `` I had Barbara , '' implying that Barbara is Delphin 's daughter . </P>
who wrote the letter that mrs. ansley believed was from mr. slade twenty years earlier
Alida