Chapters 13 and 14, 'The Master Puppeteer' and 'The Smashings' Summary

Jiro sneaks back into the storehouse to retrieve the samurai sword but finds that it has gone. As he is trying to decide what to do next, he sees a person coming up the stairs wearing a puppeteer's hood and carrying a puppet. The man manipulates the puppet so that it looks like it is searching for someone. The puppet seems to spot Jiro and turns towards him. The puppeteer speaks to Jiro and tells him that curiosity can be very dangerous. He tells Jiro a story about a girl who was being courted by a handsome, high-born suitor. She was not content, and wanted to know exactly who he was and where his ancestral home was. She stuck a needle into his clothes and followed the thread. It...