No real confidence ever existed between Jefferson and the Clintons. A few days after these letters were written, “Aristides” betrayed the secret that Governor Clinton, in the spring of 1800, declared Jefferson to be “an accommodating trimmer, who would change with times and bend to circumstances for the purposes of personal promotion.” This revelation by “Aristides,” supported by the names of persons who heard the remark, forced Governor Clinton into an awkward denial of the charge, and led to an exchange of letters[111] and to professions of confidence between him and Jefferson; but time showed that neither the Governor nor his nephew loved the Virginians more than they were loved by Burr. The threads of intrigue drew together, as they were apt to do before a general election. The last week in January came. Three days before Senator Pickering wrote his conspiracy letter to George Cabot, a letter which implied co-operation with Burr in making him governor of New York, Burr asked for a private interview with Jefferson, and formally offered him the choice between friendship or enmity. The President thought the conversation so curious that he made a note of it. “He began,” said Jefferson,[112] “by recapitulating summarily that he had come to New York a stranger, some years ago; that he found the country in possession of two rich families,--the Livingstons and Clintons; ... that since, those great families had become hostile to him and had excited the calumnies which I had seen published; that in this Hamilton had joined, and had even written some of the pieces against him.... He observed, he believed it would be for the interest of the Republican cause for him to retire,--that a disadvantageous schism would otherwise take place; but that were he to retire, it would be said he shrank from the public sentence, which he would never do; that his enemies were using my name to destroy him, and something was necessary from me to prevent and deprive them of that weapon,--some mark of favor from me which would declare to the world that he retired with my confidence.” Jefferson, with many words but with his usual courtesy, intimated that he could not appoint the Vice-President to an Executive office; and Burr then united his intrigues with those of Pickering and Griswold. Thenceforth his chance of retaining power depended on the New York election; and his success in this election depended on the Federalists. Before George Cabot had yet written his answer to Pickering’s questions, Pickering could no longer resist the temptation to act.