| chapter | | page |
| I. | Early Long Island Days | [1] |
| II. | New York and Some New Yorkers | [21] |
| III. | School-days and Early Friends | [50] |
| IV. | Life and Experiences in the Metropolis | [69] |
| V. | Long Branch, Newport and Elsewhere | [96] |
| VI. | Some Distinguished Acquaintances | [118] |
| VII. | Fashion and Letters | [138] |
| VIII. | Washington in the Forties | [170] |
| IX. | Social Leaders in Washington Life | [194] |
| X. | Diplomatic Corps and Other Celebrities | [229] |
| XI. | Marriage and Continued Life in Washington | [256] |
| XII. | Sojourn in China and Return | [288] |
| XIII. | The Civil War and Life in Maryland | [312] |
| XIV. | Visit to the Far South and Return to Washington | [335] |
| XV. | To the Present Day | [365] |
| page |
| Mrs. Gouverneur | [Frontispiece] |
| Samuel L. Gouverneur, Junior | [116] |
| Mrs. John Still Winthrop, née Armistead, by Sully | [146] |
| Mrs. Charles Eames, née Campbell, by Gambadella | [178] |
| Brigadier General Winfield Scott, U.S.A., by Ingham | [202] |
| Mrs. James Munroe, née Kortright, by Benjamin West | [258] |
| Miniature of James Monroe, painted in Paris in 1794 by Semé | [284] |
| Mrs. Gouverneur's three daughters, Miss Gouverneur, Mrs. Roswell Randall Hoes, Mrs. William Crawford Johnson | [310] |