That winter*, after arranging time away from work, he returned to Sainte Marie Kerque. Madame Niel welcomed him to her house, insisting that Adam stay as their guest. To Adam’s relief, she acted appropriately. Monsieur Niel welcomed him to his realm, the shoemaker’s shop, where they had several comfortable talks about the craft of making shoes. Adam felt that he had earned the shoemaker’s respect. Clemence, at first, seemed pleased by the visit of her ‘knight errant”, taking him on the rounds and engaging him in clever repartee. Then she veered into high-handedness, making him wait or ordering him to undertake foolish or menial tasks. She tormented him by giving and withholding her favor. The more she scorned him, the more he loved her. After several days, he returned to Calais more committed to her than ever.
* February 1596
See source note 4 for more information on period shoemaking and village life
Shoemakers Shop (c 1660) by Dutch artist Quiringh Gerritsz van Brekelenkam (1622-1668). The painting is on exhibit at Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Ca. Image courtesy of : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shoemaker%27s_Shop_by_Quiringh_Gerritsz._van_Brekelenkam.jpg
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