"Still, señora, I would be occupying a position in which I would be entirely inexperienced."
"But think, Captain; consider. With time comes the experience."
"Again I thank you, señora. But, when I feel free to do so I shall leave California and seek a career elsewhere."
"California needs you. Castilian ideals and Castilian faith need you."
"I shall fail no duty, señora."
"But the governorship?" persistently.
"Señora, my friend, may I ask you to believe me when I say I could not accept it."
"Well, Captain, the formal offer, nevertheless, will come to you in a short time."
She touched a bell. Her maid entered.
"Atila, please bring us coffee and some of those dulces for which Alfonsa, the cook, is so famous."