Quotation from: Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Written by: Joseph Conrad

"I begged him not to think any more about the silver, and he smiled. A
smile that went to my heart, sir. 'It was no mistake,' I told him. 'It
was a fatality. A thing that could not be helped.' 'Si, si!" he said,
and turned away. I thought it best to leave him alone for a bit to get
over it. Sir, it took him years really, to get over it. I was present
at his interview with Don Carlos. I must say that Gould is rather a cold
man. He had to keep a tight hand on his feelings, dealing with thieves
and rascals, in constant danger of ruin for himself and wife for so many
years, that it had become a second nature. They looked at each other for
a long time. Don Carlos asked what he could do for him, in his quiet,
reserved way.