About a quarter of an hour after, the slave returned to my brother with a piece of satin.  My mistress, said she, is very well pleased with her suit; nothing in the world can fit her better:  and as it is very fine, she would not wear it without a new petticoat; and she prays you to make her one, as soon as you can, of this piece of satin.  It is enough, said Bacbouc; I will do it before I leave my shop; you shall have it in the evening.  The miller’s wife showed herself often at her window; was very prodigal of her charms; and, to encourage my brother, she feigned to take pleasure in seeing him work.  The petticoat was soon made; and the slave came for it, but brought the tailor no money, neither for the trimming he had bought for the suit, nor for his labour.  In the mean time, this unfortunate lover, whom they only amused, though he could not perceive it, had eat nothing all that day, and was under the necessity of borrowing money to purchase himself a supper.  Next morning, as soon as it was day, the young slave came to tell him that the miller wanted to speak with him.  My mistress, said she, has told him so much good of you, when she showed him your work, that he has a mind you should work also for him; she does it on purpose, that the friendship she designs to form betwixt you and him may make you succeed in what you both equally desire.  My brother was easily persuaded, and went to the mill with the slave.  The miller received him very kindly, and showed him a piece of cloth, told him he wanted shirts, bid him make twenty of that cloth, and return to him what he should not make use of.

My brother, said the barber, had work enough for five or six days to make twenty shirts for the miller; who afterwards gave him another piece of cloth to make him as many pair of drawers.  When, they were finished, Bacbouc carried them to the miller, who asked him what he must have for his pains.  My brother answered, that he would be content with twenty drams of silver.  The miller immediately called the young slave, and bid her bring him his weights, that he might see if his money was right.  The slave who had her lesson, looked upon my brother with an angry countenance, to signify to him that their project would be frustrated if he took any money.  He knew her meaning, and refused to take any, though he wanted it so much that he was forced to borrow money to buy the thread with which he sewed the shirts and drawers.  When he left the miller, he came to me to borrow money to live on, and told me they did not pay him.  I gave him some copper-money that I had in my pocket, on which he subsisted for some days.  It is true, indeed, he lived upon nothing but broth; nor had he a sufficiency of that.