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In Paris [[strikethrough]] I was [[/strikethrough]] a certain Colourman supplied me with good dryin oil to make myself; but uniforly [[uniformly]] after a time it ceased to answer, & I was obliged to buy more which the Colourman kept on a high shelf. One day that I was in haste for the article, a girl [[strikethrough}] came [[/strikethrough]] coming into the shop, the Colourman mounted on his ladder scolded her, flourishing & shaking the bottle in apparent anger [[strikethrough]] at her [[/strikethrough]], much to my regret, as it rendered my oil cloudy - but it answered for a time as usual. Nine years after this I spent much time & wasted much oil & varnish, endeavouring to ascertain the causes of our failure or success for [[strikethrough]] there are [[/strikethrough]] complaint was universal among artists that they never could depend on their drying oil. My shelf was full of Phials that answered when newly prepared, but now were useless. At this moment I would have given a large fee to any one who could explain the mystery. Falling down in despair, my mind reverted to the scene of the Colourmans shop in Paris - I saw the poor unoffending girl enter - I remembered the shaking of the Bottle, & instantly thought it was a device of the Colour to deceive me. I rose & shook up the whitish matter in my discarded Bottles, &  every one of them immediately answered in making Megilp. This information I communicated to other artists as [[strikethrough]] Narrate [[/strikethrough]] This Anecdote is narrated not so much to notice how long an apparently trivial circumstance may remain to be revived in the mind, as to show the [[strikethrough]] importance [[/strikethrough]] necessity of attention to the most minute circumstances that may effect [[strikethough]] imp [[/strikethrough]] an important operation.

Transcription Notes:
Megilp is composed of drying oil and mastic varnish.