"Roman Fever", a story by Edith Wharton

[jserraglio]

Re-visiting this great short story. It first put me onto Wharton's genius for undercutting rigid moral values with unstated sexual passion.

The tale tells of two rivals in love who have a reunion in Rome many years after they have vied for the affections of the same man. Offhand, I can't think of another short story that has a more devastating concluding sentence (or a better title).