She made no answer, and a few moments later in a gentler tone he asked, "Can't you understand, Jane?"
"Jane Oglander"
Marie Belloc Lowndes
There were occasional passages in the music so fierce and wild that he knew the girl was struggling with desperate thoughts; nor could she easily get rid of them, for the reckless tones seemed to be fighting for mastery over the gentler ones.
"The Mystery of the Locks"
Edgar Watson Howe
I hope, Madam," he continued, in a gentler tone, "that you do not expect a miracle from me.
"The Dead Lake and Other Tales"
Paul Heyse