1843-44. CONTENTMENT. 313 



depressed in spirit, but I look hopefully to his stay with us as 

 likely to be of good service to him. 



" I am on the whole well, and having at last got my shoe, am 

 limping about with a couple of sticks. I hobble painfully along 

 in an awkward way, the shoe being far from comfortable ; but as 

 I never indulged extravagant expectations of its gracefulness, I 

 am quite content when I compare my present condition with 

 that of my previous one, mounted on the uncomfortable crutches. 

 In truth, my dear Jessie, if we could learn contentment, w& 

 should find it a greater acquisition than happiness, or beauty, or 

 wisdom, or wealth 



" God bless you, my dear sister, and watch over you. A sense 

 of His infinite willingness and ability to succour us, and a firm 

 realization of the great truth that His ear is ever open to our 

 prayers, is a precious attainment. For you and for me Jesus Christ 

 died ; to know that, and to make it a wellspring of devout gra- 

 titude and obedience, is at once a high duty and a great joy." 



The following note, though without date, is evidently written 

 about this time : 



" DEAR JESSIE, Great occupation and unwellness (not illness) 

 kept me from writing last week, although I had a famous sub- 

 ject in the burning of the Grey friars [Church] into the Black or 

 White Friars, I do not very well know which. I sat gazing at 

 the combustion from my window, without being able to extract 

 a single moral reflection out of the sight. It wore only a chemical 

 aspect for me, and I had, I am ashamed to say, almost a fear 

 that the fire would be got too soon under, and that I should be 

 cheated out of the sight of the blaze. The flames pointed our 

 way, and the heat was unpleasantly great on our faces, when 

 standing opposite the window. Mary indeed held herself in 

 readiness to rush off with the phosphorus bottle if the tempera- 

 ture rose so much as another half degree. The Lord Provost, 

 however, and various other good folks, of whom better might 

 have been expected, were so delighted with playing at firemen, 

 instead of going to church, 1 that the half degree was never 



1 The fire occurred as the congregation was assembling for morning service. 



