An Offer of Employment
After hearing the narrator’s account of leaving Potion’s service, Crab expressed his malice toward his rival, calling him a “sneaking dog” and “canting scoundrel.” The other companions confirmed their low opinion of Potion, who was never known to be drunk except once at a godly meeting where he delivered an hour-long extempore prayer. Crab then offered the narrator employment, claiming to have heard a good character of him. When the narrator inquired about terms, Crab became indignant at the suggestion of maintaining him as a gentleman, but the narrator offered to work in Crab’s shop to offset the cost of a journeyman or porter, as he had some knowledge of pharmacy and surgery from his time with Potion. Despite questioning the narrator’s learning and declaring he expected little good of him, Crab agreed to take him in “for the sake of charity.”
Crab’s True Motives
The narrator soon discovered Crab’s real motives for receiving him. Beyond the gratification of revenge against Potion and the affectation of generosity, Crab needed a young man who understood the profession to replace his eldest apprentice, recently dead under violent suspicion of foul play from the master’s brutality. This knowledge, combined with daily observations of Crab’s treatment of his wife and the young apprentice, did nothing to ease the narrator’s situation.
A Peculiar Temper
The narrator resolved to study Crab’s temper with all possible application and address. He discovered a strange peculiarity governing Crab’s behavior toward all dependents: when pleased, Crab was such a niggard of his satisfaction that any sign of participation by wife or servants offended him to an insupportable degree, bringing on fury whose effects they invariably felt. Conversely, when his indignation was roused, submission and soothing always exasperated it beyond reason.
Standing Up to Crab
When Crab insulted the narrator as an “ignorant whelp” and “lazy ragamuffin,” the narrator boldly replied that he was neither ignorant nor lazy, since he understood and performed his business as well as Crab could, and that he was descended from a better family than any Crab could claim alliance with. Crab appeared amazed, shaking his cane over the narrator’s head with a diabolical countenance. The narrator, convinced he had gone too far to retract and that this was the critical moment deciding his future lot, snatched up a pestle and declared he would defend himself if struck without cause. Crab remained silent, then declared the narrator would pay for this audacity and retired, leaving the narrator under dreadful apprehensions.
Gaining the Ascendancy
These apprehensions vanished at their next meeting, when Crab behaved with unusual complacency and treated the narrator to a glass of punch. By this conduct, the narrator gained the ascendancy over Crab in a short time and became necessary to him for managing his business while Crab was engaged at the bottle. The narrator maintained good terms with Crab’s wife, cultivating her esteem by ridiculing Mrs. Potion and rendering her Christian offices when she sought consolation from her barbarous husband in the dram bottle.
Two Years of Service
The narrator lived in this manner for two years without hearing from his uncle. He kept little company, having neither the humor to relish nor the capacity to maintain acquaintances. Master Crab allowed no wages, and the small perquisites of his station barely supplied necessaries. The narrator was no longer a pert, giddy coxcomb elevated with the extravagance of hope; misfortune had taught him how little the world’s caresses during prosperity are worth. His appearance became austere and slovenly, and he made no attempt to seek satisfaction from Gawky, whose resentment had cooled considerably.
The Maid’s Pregnancy
When the narrator deemed himself sufficiently master of his business and began seeking opportunity to launch into the world, a small accident occurred: Crab’s maidservant revealed to the narrator that she was pregnant and claimed he was the father. Though the narrator had no reason to question this imputation, he was aware of familiarities between the maid and her master, and he saw an opportunity to shift the burden elsewhere.
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