oldness and foresight to
rid myself of troubles which chance might bring to pass or which I could
foresee. The situation of a man who had to act as I had, is an unhappy
one, but in risking all for all half its bitterness vanishes.

The long nights of winter distressed me, for I had to pass nineteen
mortal hours in darkness; and on the cloudy days, which are common enough
at Venice, the light I had was not sufficient for me to be able to read.
Without any distractions I fell back on the idea of my escape, and a man
who always thinks on one subject is in danger of becoming a monomaniac. A
wretched kitchen-lamp would have made me happy, but how am I to get such
a thing? O blessed prerogative of thought! how happy was I when I thought
I had found a way to possess myself of such a treasure! To make such a
lamp I required a vase, wicks, oil, a flint and steel, tinder, and
matches. A porringer would do for the vase, and I had one which was used
for cooking eggs in butter. Pretending that the common oil did not agree
with me, I got them to buy me Lucca oil for my salad, and my cotton
counterpane would furnish me with wicks. I then said I had the toothache,
and asked Lawrence to get me a pumice-stone, but as he did not know what
I meant I told him that a musket-flint would do as well if it were soaked
in vinegar for a day, and, then being applied to the tooth the pain would
be eased. Lawrence told me that the vinegar I had was excellent, and that
I could soak the stone myself, and he gave me three or four flints he had
in his pocket. All I had to do was to get some sulphur and tinder, and
the procuring of these two articles set all my wits to work. At last
fortune came to my assistance.

I had suffered from a kind of rash, which as it came off had left some
red spots on my arms, and occasionally caused me some irritation. I told
Lawrence to ask the doctor for a cure, and the next day he brought me a
piece of paper which the secretary had seen, and on which the doctor had
written, "Regulate the food for a day, and the skin will be cured by four
ounces of oil of sweet almonds or an ointment of flour of sulphur, but
this local application is hazardous."

"Never mind the danger," said I to Lawrence; "buy me the ointment, or
rather get me the sulphur, as I have some butter by me, and I can make it
up myself. Have you any matches? Give me a few."

He found some in his pockets, and he gave me them.

What a small thing brings comfor