It now remains that I should salute these gentlemen whom we have wearied with
our family affairs.«
    And he bowed to each in succession, settled his walking-sword, and took
himself off, leaving every one amazed at his behaviour, and me not less so at my
lord's.
 
We were now to enter on a changed phase of this family division. The Master was
by no manner of means so helpless as my lord supposed, having at his hand, and
entirely devoted to his service, an excellent artist in all sorts of goldsmith
work. With my lord's allowance, which was not so scanty as he had described it,
the pair could support life; and all the earnings of Secundra Dass might be laid
upon one side for any future purpose. That this was done, I have no doubt. It
was in all likelihood the Master's design to gather a sufficiency, and then
proceed in quest of that treasure which he had buried long before among the
mountains; to which, if he had confined himself, he would have been more happily
inspired. But unfortunately for himself and all of us, he took counsel of his
anger. The public disgrace of his arrival - which I sometimes wonder he could
manage to survive - rankled in his bones; he was in that humour when a man - in
the words of the old adage - will cut off his nose to spite his face; and he
must make himself a public spectacle in the hopes that some of the disgrace
might spatter on my lord.
    He chose, in a poor quarter of the town, a lonely, small house of boards,
overhung with some acacias. It was furnished in front with a sort of hutch
opening, like that of a dog's kennel, but about as high as a table from the
ground, in which the poor man that built it had formerly displayed some wares;
and it was this which took the Master's fancy, and possibly suggested his
proceedings. It appears, on board the pirate ship he had acquired some quickness
with the needle - enough, at least, to play the part of tailor in the public
eye, which was all that was required by the nature of his vengeance. A placard
was hung above the hutch, bearing these words in something of the following
disposition:
 
                                  JAMES DURIE,
                         FORMERLY MASTER OF BALLANTRAE.
                            CLOTHES NEATLY CLOUTED.
 
                                     -----
 
                                 SECUNDRA DASS,
                          DECAYED GENTLEMAN OF INDIA.
                              FINE GOLDSMITH WORK.
 
Underneath this, when he had a job, my gentleman sat withinside tailor-wise and
busily stitching. I say