That was the most natural supposition.
"I have brought a letter for you, Mr.Bailiff," said Martin, nonchalantly; and, to the great disgust of the steward, he did not even doff his cap before Abellino, who was standing on the balcony.
"Look to your cap, you bumpkin! Why don't you doff it, sirrah?
Who sent this letter ?" At the first question Martin only shrugged his shoulders; in answer to the second he replied that the steward of the estate had given it to him.
The bailiff broke open the letter, and green wheels danced before his eyes as he peered into it.

The letter, which was in old John Karpathy's own handwriting, begged to inform the bailiffs, heydukes, and domestics assembled round Abellino that he had so far recovered as to be able to rise from his bed and write them a letter, and that he was very glad to hear that they had found so much better a master than himself, for which reason he advised them to remain where they were, for on no account were they to think of coming back to him.
The bailiff pulled the sort of face a man would naturally have who was compelled to make merry on a diet of crab-apples, and as he had no desire to keep the joyful intelligence all to himself, he passed the letter on from hand to hand amongst his colleagues, the other bailiffs, factors, doorkeepers, shepherds, scribes, and heydukes, till it had gone the round of them all.

Under similar circumstances men often find a great consolation in twirling their moustaches; but now, alas! there was not a single moustache to twirl among the lot of them.

They had neither places nor moustaches left.

Some of them scratched their heads, some burst into tears, others cursed and swore.