Ben looked at him, defeated. He put his pipe away, bent over and put his head in his hand, taking in a deep breath. Then he sat back up, and nodded quietly.
"I... want to protect them..." he said. "Our lot, we don't get second chances, Elijah. You know where I come from. I want them to be good people, with dignified lives. I don't want them to turn out like t' Longbottoms, or like me old father." He took a deep breath. "But I'm getting it all wrong. I got it wrong with Simon, and Alice... How did I not see that she was pregnant?"