Tonight I came face to face with the man inside my master. I had been to tend to the fire in the doctor's cabinet, a job which he would no longer allow any other member of the household to undertake when I heard voices in the street. The door leading directly to the theatre from the back street opened and he entered. He stopped for a moment, grinning at me, and I felt my skin tighten over my face and skull as my hairs tried to lift themselves. I did my best to conceal the queasy feeling his gaze caused in my stomach, but I could tell from the widening of his grin that I had been unsuccessful. He took a step towards me and I used all my steel to stand my ground. However, when he thrust his hand towards me, I could not help but flinch. He held it out for a moment until I realised that he expected me to shake hands with him. Involuntarily I felt my head shake from side to side and his smile faltered for a moment. Then he shrugged, letting his arm drop. I followed the motion with my gaze and once again discovered before me a pair of blood-stained trousers.