"Señora, I'm in the dark."
"Well, well, Captain, in any case, it is a closed book to us now. Administrator Mendoza has gained advantage in the first throw. We'll leave England's cause in the hands of those whom the Home Office will send out. Who wins the game only the future will disclose."
"Many will miss you here, my lady."
"Crisostimo and my sister go with me, at least, as far as Spain. Our ship will round the Cape of Good Hope, not Cape Horn, as does yours. My brother-in-law, having sent in his resignation as official here to the government in Mexico, has sold his holdings in California to a company of which Señor Mendoza is president."
"Señora, I referred to the province at large. You have a cherished place in the hearts of many."
"It is a delight to be held in good estimation. I appreciate all the kind thoughts."
"As to the province in particular. On my way here I met Abelardo Peralta, in company with young Ysidro de la Barra and the half-'Boston,' Sam Watson. Don Abelardo was saying he had laid the Rancho San Antonio at your feet for the fifth time, and for the fifth time had found himself closing your door from the outside, a rejected suitor."
She smiled. "Abelardo is a dear boy, but very, very young."
"De la Barra and Watson each declared Morando stands between them and their happiness. They would challenge the Captain to a duel, and, dying spit by his rapier, they would leave their haciendas to you, in touching remembrance of their devotion. Peralta, on the contrary, rather scoffed, and said he would live, and see the soldier Captain leave your house biting his fingers in disappointment, as he himself had done."
The señora's pale face flushed. The toe of her slipper tapped the floor.