“I? Not by a jugful! What in blazes should I go to see him for?”
“Well—well, he wants you to, you know. He wants to talk with you about the—the boy.”
“Humph!”
“It's her boy, Zelotes.”
“Humph! Young Portygee!”
“Don't, Zelotes! Please! . . . I know you can't forgive that—that man. We can't either of us forgive him; but—”
The captain stopped in his stride. “Forgive him!” he repeated. “Mother, don't talk like a fool. Didn't he take away the one thing that I was workin' for, that I was plannin' for, that I was LIVIN' for? I—”
She interrupted, putting a hand on his sleeve.
“Not the only thing, dear,” she said. “You had me, you know.”
His expression changed. He looked down at her and smiled.