And sure enough, when I returned, it was done. And I returned to His Lordship, and told him I had a dress which I thought would fit him better. When he saw the dress, he stared at the material and ran his hand over the silk, and said I had chosen very well. The fit was perfect. I hemmed it then and there myself, and His Lordship was delighted.

“It cost a bit, My Lord,” I told him, and named a figure that was less than any of the dressmakers in the town would have charged. He gave me the money on the spot. The next day, I paid Rose for her work—a small amount, but enough to please her. And then I waited.

As it happened, Her Ladyship seemed to get better at this time. His Lordship and she resumed their normal life. Several times he wore that dress at supper, and remained entirely satisfied. But after a while, as I had expected, he asked me if I couldn’t get him another. I said I reckoned I could. But the next day I came in with a long face.

“There’s a difficulty, Your Lordship,” I told him. I explained that the dressmaker where I’d got the dress was getting suspicious. Wasn’t I the governor’s slave, she had asked, and told me that if Her Ladyship wanted a dress, they would not give her credit. His Lordship groaned when I said that. “But they were wanting to know who the dress would be for,” I told him, “and I did not like the look in the dressmaker’s eye, so I said I would have to consult Her Ladyship,” I said.

Now although I had invented this tale, His Lordship knew that he was becoming more and more unpopular among the Dutch and the Presbyterians, and many others. He had enemies. So did Her Ladyship, on account of the unpaid bills. And there had also been a few rumors about His Lordship’s strange dressing, enough to make even a proud man like His Lordship cautious.

“You did right,” he said to me. “I suppose we’d better leave this for a while.” I could see he was disappointed, though.

So I waited another few days. Then, one evening when he was looking a little sad, I made my move.

“I’ve been thinking, Your Lordship,” I said. “There might be an answer to our problem.”

“Oh?” he said.