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66 A SHABBY GENTEEL STORY
girl's disposition might be learned from the character of this
museum of hers—and found here several sketches by Mr. Fitch, for
which, before that gentleman had declared his passion for her,
Caroline had begged. These sketches the sentimental painter had
illustrated with poetry, which, I must confess, Caroline thought
charming, until now, when Mr. Brandon took occasion to point
out how wretchedly poor the verses were (as indeed was the fact),
and to parody them all. He was not unskilful at this kind of
exercise, and at the drawing of caricatures, and had soon made a
dozen of both parodies and drawings, which reflected cruelly upon
the person and the talents of the painter.
What now did this wicked Mr. Brandon do ? He, in the first
place, drew a caricature of Fitch ; and, secondly, having gone to a
gardener's near the town, and purchased there a bunch of violets,
he presented them to Miss Caroline, and wrote Mr. Fitch's own
verses before given into her album. He signed them with his
own initials, and thus declared open war with the painter.