Page:Paul Clifford Vol 3.djvu/169

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PAUL CLIFFORD.
161

times, a vein of latent coquetry seemed to pervade the style—an indescribable air of coolness and reserve contrasted former passages in the correspondence, and was calculated to convey to the reader an impression, that the feelings of the lover were not altogether adequately returned. Frequently, the writer, as if Brandon had expressed himself sensible of this conviction, reproached him for unjust jealousy and unworthy suspicion: And the tone of the reproach varied in each letter: sometimes it was gay and satirizing; at others, soft and expostulatory; at others, gravely reasoning; and often haughtily indignant. Still, throughout the whole correspondence, on the part of the mistress, there was sufficient stamp of individuality to give a shrewd examiner some probable guess at the writer's character. He would have judged her, perhaps, capable of strong and ardent feeling, but ordinarily of a light and capricious turn, and seemingly prone to imagine and to resent offence. With these letters were mingled others in Brandon's writing—of how different, of how empassioned a description! All that a deep, proud, meditative, exacting character could dream of love