'No doubt you have a previous engagement,' he said, in the politest voice you ever heard--just that, not a word of abuse.

A previous engagement on the battlefield! For the life of me, I could hardly help laughing.

But it was a tragic business for Wilmington.

He was broken, of course, and slunk back to London.

Every house was closed to him; he dropped out of his circle like a lead bullet you let slip out of your hand into the sea.