Volume II Part 67 (1/2)
The long nights of winter distressed me, for I had to pass nineteen mortal hours in darkness; and on the cloudy days, which are coht 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 aa monomaniac A wretched kitchen-la? 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 er would do for the vase, and I had one which was used for cooking eggs in butter Pretending that the coot them to buy me Lucca oil for my salad, and my cotton counterpane would furnish me icks I then said I had the toothache, and asked Lawrence to get me a pumice-stone, but as he did not knohat I meant I told him that a ar for a day, and, then being applied to the tooth the pain would be eased Lawrence told ar I had was excellent, and that I could soak the stone ave me three or four flints he had in his pocket All I had to do was to get so 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 er,” said I to Lawrence; ”buy et me the sulphur, as I have some butter by me, and I can make it up myself Have you any matches? Give ave s comfort in distress! But in reat 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 ar the stuff The coat, quite neas beforethe 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 ht 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 ith confidence in Hie and searched my coat, and I returned thanks to Him with all my heart
I now had all the necessary materials, and I soon ine ht in the ainst the orders of ht for h I was very fond of it the need of keeping the oil to give light caused s I fixed upon the first Monday in Lent to begin the difficult work of breaking through the floor, for I suspected that in the tuht have soht
At noon, on Quinquagesima Sunday, I heard the noise of the bolts, and presently Lawrence entered, followed by a thick-set nized as the Jew, Gabriel Schalon, known for lending ed coreeable tothe pleasure of his society; and by way of answer I offered hi he would only take a little soup, and would keep his appetite for a better supper at his own house
”When?”
”This evening You heard when I asked for my bed he told me that ould talk about that to-morrow That means plainly that I shall have no need of it And do you think it likely that ato eat?”
”That was my experience”
”Possibly, but between ourselves our cases are so any farther into that question, the Inquisitors haveme, and they will be in so so”
”They will possibly give you a pension A man of your importance has to be conciliated”
”True, there's not a broker on the exchange es have often profited by the advice I have given them My detention is a curious incident, which, perchance, will be of service to you”
”Indeed How, et you out of here in a month's time I knohom to speak and ay to do it:”
”I reckon on you, then”
”You ether believed himself to be so said of me in the town, but as he only related the idle tales of norant as hi to him I took up a book The fellow had the i, but henceforth he talked only to hiht ht drew on he decided on accepting soed to do as best he could with my mattress, which was now the co he had a bed and some food from his own house I was burdened with this wretched fellow for twohim to the Fours the secretary had several intervieith hie hireeht of M
Do to the buyer till after the father of the seller was dead ”It's true,” said he, ”that he agreed to give me fifty per cent, but you must consider that if he died before his father I should lose all” At last, seeing that ain after having made him promise to observe secrecy He only kept his promise while he ith me, as Lawrence knew all about it, but luckily he attached no iuest was a true burden tofor norant, superstitious, a braggart, cowardly, and sometimes like a madman He would have had ain that this imprisonment would ruin his reputation On this count I reassured him with a sarcasm he did not understand I told hi from this little misfortune, and he took that for a co a ive him a hundred sequins for every day of his iladly pass the rest of his life under the Leads
He was a Talmudist, like all modern Jews, and he tried to make me believe that he was very devout; but I once extracted a s him that he would forswear Moses if the Pope would make him a cardinal As the son of a rabbi he was learned in all the cereion, but like ion to lie in its discipline and outward forms
This Jeas extremely fat, passed three-quarters of his life in bed; and though he often dozed in the daytiht--all the more as he saw that I slept excellently He once took it into his head to wakeme up with a start like this”
”My dear fellow, I can't sleep a wink Have compassion on me and let us have a little talk”
”You scoundrel! You act thus and you dare to call yourself my friend! I know your lack of sleep tor I enjoy I will arise and strangle you”