North and South Volume 1, Chapter 14 Summary

The Mutiny

  • In her increasing sickness, Margaret's mother acts more tenderly toward Margaret than she has in years.
  • During these days, Mrs. Hale also talks a lot about her son Frederick, worrying about how his life is going.
  • Margaret takes this opportunity to ask why Frederick can't come back to England. It turns out Frederick was in the English navy and he helped start a mutiny against a ship's captain who was cruel to his men. Many of the people who mutinied with Frederick ended up getting hanged, and he'd no doubt suffer the same fate if he ever showed his face in England again.
  • Mrs. Hale shows Margaret a bunch of the letters Frederick has written home during his travels around the globe.
  • Mrs. Hale wishes that she could see her darling son one more time before she dies.
  • Margaret wonders whether there might be some chance to have Frederick's sentence appealed in court. But Mrs. Hale says there's no way.