THE VISIT OF A SILVERSMITH, AND 
ITS RESULTS. 
settled before they went away ; very likely there would 
be more work required to be performed, and as she had 
the charge of collecting the debts, that two rupees she 
was determined to have, and would not go away with- 
out it, so she sat down at the verandah post, took 
out a silver box, from which she extracted a quantity 
of betel leaf, which she put into her mouth, and 
then commenced to spit all over the verandah. 
A bold and determined woman was the tattan’s, 
wife. Just then, master’s eye caught sight of a white 
hat ; bobbing up and down amongst the black logs, 
and well did he know the peculiar shape and form of 
that hat, he could tell the owner of it, miles off. He 
was the periya durai (big master) coming to visit 
him, and would be sure to come direct to the bun- 
galow, in order to get a drink of cold water, after 
his long walk. What would he think, what would he 
say, when he saw this obstinate, troublesome wretch, 
sitting there ? So master makes a bolt into the bun- 
galow, brings out two rupees, which he places in the 
hand of the tattan’s wife, just as the periya durai 
entered the verandah, and saw the action. But the 
sight was unnecessary, for that troublesome woman 
kept looking at the coins, changing them from one 
hand to the other, and then rung them on one of the 
drain stones, to see if they were good ones. The 
periya durai looked stern and severe, and said, “You 
seem flush of money, making presents to the tattan’s 
wife. I had some thoughts of raising your pay to . eight 
pound six and eightpence per month, but if this is the 
way you spend your pay, instead of increasing it, I 
must reduce it ! I must look after you, young man.” 
The young man stammered and protested, said that he 
was merely paying for repairing a tea-pot, in proof of 
which, he brought it out, showing the repair, but the 
“periya durai” only said, “None of your tricks on an old 
sailor ; the idea of paying two rupees for doing that, 
why, it would be dear at sixpence.” “But,” says the 
youngster, “this is not all, there was the candlestick. 
“Fiddlestick, flddle-de-dee, ” says the periya durai, 
what do you want with candlesticks. Stick to the 
cracked tumbler lamp, and if it gets smashed alto- 
gether, it will be much cheaper to buy a new tumbler 
at once, than to employ silversmiths and their wives 
to repair candlesticks — candlesticks indeed !” Here, his 
stern and severe countenance, purposely assumed for the 
occasion, gave way, and he burst out into a hearty 
laugh. On hearing this, the silversmith’s wife, who was 
standing leaning against the verandah post, gazing 
intently at the black logs, turned sharply round, and 
asked if he had any tea-pots, candlesticks, or plate of 
