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There was a continual warfare, polite indeed, but active and

vigilant; a perpetual attention to avoid her solicitude, to close

up the avenues to her advice, to elude her enquiries, and to keep

her in as much ignorance as possible of their affairs. In her own

family, however, her zeal could display itself freely; all were

governed by her authority, and submissive to her, in every

respect, with the exception of Don Ferrante; with him things were

conducted in a peculiar manner.