“Amadeo rated him the kind of lout too good-natured to be a cutthroat or robber, but frequently seen hovering in their vicinity.”

If asked, islanders would say Mathieu Duday is a good-natured fellow, adept at making repairs and handling belligerent drunks at the Death to Spotswood Tavern where he works. Then they would, add, smiling, that it’s Madame Duday who has the brains and rules the home.

They underestimate him.