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Scott, Walter, Sir, 1771-1832

"Waverley"

Yet with tastes so opposite, they contributed greatly to each
other's amusement. Mr. Bradwardine's minute narratives and powerful
memory supplied to Waverley fresh subjects of the kind upon which his
fancy loved to labour, and opened to him a new mine of incident and of
character. And he repaid the pleasure thus communicated by an earnest
attention, valuable to all story-tellers, more especially to the Baron,
who felt his habits of self-respect flattered by it; and sometimes also
by reciprocal communications, which interested Mr. Bradwardine, as
confirming or illustrating his own favourite anecdotes. Besides, Mr.
Bradwardine loved to talk of the scenes of his youth, which had been
spent in camps and foreign lands, and had many interesting particulars to
tell of the generals under whom he had served and the actions he had
witnessed.
Both parties returned to Tully-Veolan in great good-humour with each
other; Waverley desirous of studying more attentively what he considered
as a singular and interesting character, gifted with a memory containing
a curious register of ancient and modern anecdotes; and Bradwardine
disposed to regard Edward as puer (or rather juvenis) bonae spei et
magnae indolis, a youth devoid of that petulant volatility which is
impatient of, or vilipends, the conversation and advice of his seniors,
from which he predicted great things of his future success and deportment
in life.


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