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 comfort in distress!  But in my place these matches were no small thing, but rather a great treasure.

I had puzzled my head for several hours as to what substitute I could find for tinder—­the only thing I still lacked, and which I could not ask for under any pretense whatsoever—­when I remembered that I had told the tailor to put some under the armpits of my coat to prevent the perspiration spoiling the stuff.  The coat, quite new, was before me, and my heart began to beat, but supposing the tailor had not put it in!  Thus I hung between hope and fear.  I had only to take a step to know all; but such a step would have been decisive, and I dared not take it.  At last I drew nigh, and feeling myself unworthy of such mercies I fell on my knees and fervently prayed of God that the tailor might not have forgotten the tinder.  After this heartfelt prayer I took my coat, unsewed it, and found-the tinder!  My joy knew no bounds.  I naturally gave thanks to God, since it was with confidence in Him that I took courage and searched my coat, and I returned thanks to Him with all my heart.