lf as he has during these five years--denied
himself everything that he might make up every cent that was lost,
though he was in no wise responsible for the loss--could by any
possibility have been guilty of the charges on which he was tried. From
this he will not abate one jot or tittle; and he refuses now to restore
to his friendship the men who repudiated him in his years of trouble,
except on their profession of faith in his entire innocence." Now, this
was something the cavalry could not do without some impeachment of the
evidence which was heaped up against the poor fellow at the time of the
trial; and it was something the infantry would not do, because thereby
they would virtually pronounce one at least of their own officers to
have repeatedly and persistently given false testimony. In the case of
Waldron and the cavalry, however, it was possible for Hayne to return
their calls of courtesy, because they, having never "sent him to
Coventry," received him precisely as they would receive any other
officer. With the Riflers it was different: having once "cut" him as
though by unanimous accord, and having taught the young officers joining
year after year to regard him as a criminal, _they_ could be restored to
Mr. Hayne's friendship, as has been said before, only "on confession of
error." Buxton and two or three of his stamp called or left their cards
on Mr. Hayne because their colonel had so done; but precisely as the
ceremony was performed, just so was it returned. Buxton was red with
wrath over what he termed Hayne's conceited and supercilious manner when
returning his call: "I called upon him like a gentleman, by thunder,
just to let him understand I wanted to help him out of the mire, and
told him if there was anything I could do for him that a gentleman
_could_ do, not to hesitate about letting me know; and when he came to
my house to-day, damned if he didn't patronize _me_!--talked to me about
the Plevna siege, and wanted to discuss Gourko and the Balkans or some
other fool thing: what in thunder have I to do with campaigns in
Turkey?--and I thought he meant those nigger soldiers the British have
in India,--Goorkhas, I know now,--and I _did_ tell him it was an awful
blunder, that only a Russian would make, to take those Sepoy fellows and
put 'em into a winter campaign. Of course I hadn't been booking up the
subject, and he had, and sprung it on me; and then, by gad, as he was
going, he said he had books and maps