You know how much he wanted money: worse than myself. He had a wife.
Excellent fellow. I shall never forget his happiness. He felt it all,
so much for her sake. I wished for him again the next summer,
when I had still the same luck in the Mediterranean."

"And I am sure, Sir." said Mrs Musgrove, "it was a lucky day for us,
when you were put captain into that ship. We shall never forget
what you did."

Her feelings made her speak low; and Captain Wentworth,
hearing only in part, and probably not having Dick Musgrove at all
near his thoughts, looked rather in suspense, and as if waiting for more.

"My brother," whispered one of the girls; "mamma is thinking
of poor Richard."

"Poor dear fellow!" continued Mrs Musgrove; "he was grown so steady,
and such an excellent correspondent, while he was under your care!
Ah! it would have been a happy thing, if he had never left you.
I assure you, Captain Wentworth, we are very sorry he ever left you."

There was a momentary expression in Captain Wentworth's face at this speech,
a certain glance of his bright eye, and curl of his handsome mouth,
which convinced Anne, that instead of sharing in Mrs Musgrove's kind wishes,
as to her son, he had probably been at some pains to get rid of him;
but it was too transient an indulgence of self-amusement to be detected
by any who understood him less than herself; in another moment
he was perfectly collected and serious, and almost instantly afterwards
coming up to the sofa, on which she and Mrs Musgrove were sitting,
took a place by the latter, and entered into conversation with her,