, his fingers breaking the seal.
"God! you don't tell me--"

"Lord Nelson is dead, sir."

"Dead--dead? . . . Here, Tylney--you read what it says. Dead? . . .
No, damme, let the captain tell his tale. Briefly, sir."

"Briefly, sir--Lord Nelson had word of Admiral Villeneuve coming out
of the Straits, and engaged the combined fleets off Cape Trafalgaro.
They were in single line, roughly; and he bore down in two columns,
and cut off their van under Dumanoir. This was at dawn or
thereabouts, and by five o'clock the enemy was destroyed."

"How many prizes?"

"I cannot say precisely, my lord. The word went, when I was
signalled aboard the Vice-Admiral's flagship, that either fifteen or
sixteen had struck. My own men were engaged, at the time, in
rescuing the crew of a French seventy-four that had blown up; and I
was too busy to count, had counting been possible. One or two of my
officers maintain to me that our gains were higher. But the dispatch
will tell, doubtless."

"Aye, to be sure. . . . Read, Tylney. Don't sit there clearing your
throat, but read, man alive!" And yet it appeared that while the
Secretary was willing enough to read, the First Lord had no capacity,
as yet, to listen. Into the very first sentence he broke with--

"No, wait a minute. 'Dead,' d'ye say? . . . My God! . . .
Lieutenant, pour yourself a glass of wine and tell us first how it
happened."

Lieutenant Lapenotiere could not tell very clearly. He had twice
been summoned to board the _Royal Sovereign_--he first time to
receive the command to hold himself ready. It was then that, coming
alongside the great ship, he had read in all the officers' faces an
anxiety hard to reconcile with the evident tokens of victory around
them. At once it had occurred to him that the Admiral had fallen,
and he put the question to one of the lieutenants--to be told that
Lord Nelson had indeed been mortally wounded and could not live long;
but that he must be alive yet, and conscious, since the _Victory_ was
still signalling orders to the Fleet.

"I think, my lord," said he, "that Admiral Collingwood must have been
doubtful, just then, what responsibility had fallen upon him, or how
soon it might fall. He had sent for me to 'stand by' so to speak.
He was good enough to tell me the news as it had reached him--"

Here Lieutenant Lapenotiere, obeying the order to fill his glass, let
spill some of the wine on the table. The sight of the dark trickle