Which of course disarms criticism, other than what may be expressed in a question whether a book less exclusively preoccupied by the War might not more surely have attained this end.

" Agnes took her seat with her usual air of thoughtful gravity, her mind seeming to be intensely preoccupied, and her grandmother, though secretly exulting in the supposed cause, resolved not to open the subject with her till they were at home or alone at night.

He was obviously preoccupied with some other topic.

During supper she was extraordinarily preoccupied, and it was not until an hour or more afterward that she came into my room.

Now she was too heavily preoccupied by her guilty conscience.

His mind is irresistibly preoccupied by the idea of a Power, lost in the immensity of time and space, which, from the depths of some dark mystery, governs the world.

As for Lady Maud, Margaret saw much less of her than she had expected; the hostess was manifestly preoccupied, and was, moreover, obliged to give more of her time to her guests than would have been necessary if they had been of the younger generation or if the season had been winter.

Gloria usually had so many bright, gushing things to say after a day of pleasure, but to-night she appeared oddly preoccupied.

" When both were hidden from the kitchen window through which Fru Gustafsson used to keep a religiously preoccupied eye on the doings of her son, Johan pulled a cigarette from within his coat sleeve and a match from his pocket.

And there during the remainder of Dot's visit he stayed, scarcely speaking, and so sternly preoccupied that Dot's embarrassment returned upon her overwhelmingly, and she very soon rose to go.

She was tenderly preoccupied with Paul's welfare, and, to prepare for his translation to his grandparents' she gave the household in Washington Square more of her time than she had accorded it since her marriage.

He had not sufficient vision to penetrate through the objectionable and tasteless externalities of the liberal movementwith which he was unfairly preoccupied even at the time of Die Epigonen, a score of years laterto the greater and enduring core of the aspirations of the modern age.

He looked pale and harassed, and he carried his head bent forward like a man whose mind was unpleasantly preoccupied.

But he does not "come off", if only for the reason that she is consciously preoccupied with him.

He stopped in front of me in the sunlight, utterly preoccupied with himself and his labours.

XXI The class was discreetly preoccupied when Keith showed up as usual next morning.

At present, with three of these four great powers enormously preoccupied with actual warfare, there is an opportunity for guiding expression on the part of America, for a real world leadership, such as may never occur again....