A little delay on his side might be very
excusable. In fact, Anne could never see the crape round his hat, without fearing that she was the inexcusable one, in attributing to him such imaginations; for though his marriage had not been very happy, still it had existed so many years that she could not comprehend a very rapid recovery from the awful impression of its being dissolved.
Kutuzov was a traitor, and Prince Vasili during the visits of condolence paid to him on the occasion of his daughter's death said of Kutuzov, whom he had formerly praised (it was
excusable for him in his grief to forget what he had said), that it was impossible to expect anything else from a blind and depraved old man.
There were now clearly so many of these for my poor colleague that she was
excusable for being vague.
We are
excusable for getting a little tangled as to time.
Perjury, oppression, subornation, fraud, pandarism, and the like infirmities, were among the most
excusable arts they had to mention; and for these I gave, as it was reasonable, great allowance.
Sigurd was greatly surprised to hear his Queen scold him so much, for she had never said an angry word to him before; but he thought it was quite
excusable in this case, and tried to quiet the child along with her, but it was no use.
And on the strength of peccadillos, reprehensible in an author, but
excusable in a son, the Anglo-Saxon race is accused of prudishness, humbug, pretentiousness, deceit, cunning, and bad cooking.
"I hope, sir," said he to Jones, "you will not from this accident conclude, that I make a custom of striking my servants, for I assure you this is the first time I have been guilty of it in my remembrance, and I have passed by many provoking faults in this very fellow, before he could provoke me to it; but when you hear what hath happened this evening, you will, I believe, think me
excusable. I happened to come home several hours before my usual time, when I found four gentlemen of the cloth at whist by my fire;--and my Hoyle, sir--my best Hoyle, which cost me a guinea, lying open on the table, with a quantity of porter spilt on one of the most material leaves of the whole book.
'Don't be flurried, my dear,' replied Mrs Nickleby, looking towards the garden-wall, 'for you see I'm not, and if it would be
excusable in anybody to be flurried, it certainly would--under all the circumstances--be
excusable in me, but I am not, Kate--not at all.'
"By my faith, 'twould be
excusable in him to tremble," replied Aramis, "for even I feel a shudder at the recollection; hold, just above that tree is the little spot where I thought I was killed."
We misunderstood each other: he believed me more to blame than I really was; I considered his interference less
excusable than I now find it.
But we were alone, and I thought that the circumstances might make it
excusable."