My uncle Toby filled his fecond pipe; and had it not been, that he now and then wandered from the point, with confidering whether it was not full as well to have the curtain of the tennaile a straight line, as a crooked one, — he might be faid to have thought of nothing else but poor Le Fever and his boy the whole time he smoaked it.

Ir was not till my uncle Toby had knocked the ashes out of his third pipe, that corporal Trim returned from the inn, and gave him the following account.

the

I DESPAIRED at first, said the corporal, of being able to bring back your honour any kind of intelligence concerning poor fick lieutenant-Is he in the army then? faid my uncle Toby-He is; faid the corporal- And in what regiment? faid my uncle Toby--I'll tell your honour, replied the corporal, every thing ftraight forwards, as I learnt it. Then Trim, I'll fill another pipe, faid my uncle Toby, and not interrupt thee till thou haft done; fo fit down at thy cafe, Trim, in the window feat, and begin thy ftory again. The corporal made his old bow, which generally fpoke as plain as a bow could fpeak it-Your honour is good:- And having done that, he fat down, as he was ordered, and begun the ftory to my uncle Toby over again in pretty near the fame words.

2

I DESPAIRED at firft, faid the corporal, of being able to bring back any intelligence to your honour about the lieutenant and his fon; for when I asked where his fervant was, from whom I made myself fure of knowing every thing which was proper to be afked,-That's a right distinction, Trim, faid my uncle Toby-I was anfwered, an' please your honour, that he had no servant with him;—that he had come to the inn with hired horses, which, upon finding himfelf unable to proceed, (to foin, I fuppofe, the regiment)

.If I

ment) he had difmiffed the morning after he came.get better, my dear, faid he, as he gave his purse to his fon to pay the man, we can hire horfes from hence. But alas! the poor gentleman will never get from hence, faid the landlady to me, for I heard the death-watch all night long; and when he dies, the youth, his fon, will certainly die with him; for he is broken-hearted already.

Pray let me fave you

I was hearing this account, continued the corporal, when the youth came into the kitchen, to order the thin toaft the landlord fpoke of;but I will do it for my father myfelf, faid the youth. the trouble, young gentleman, faid I, taking up a fork for the purpose, and offering him my chair to fit down upon by the fire, whilft I did it. I believe, Sir, faid he, very modeftly, I can please him beft myself.I am fure, faid I, his honour will not like the toast the worfe for being toafted by an old foldier. The youth took hold of my hand, and inftantly burst into tears. Poor youth! faid

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my uncle Toby, he has been bred up from an infant in the army, and the name of a foldier, Trim, founded in his ears like the name of a friend ; —I wish I had him here. I NEVER, in the longest march, faid the corporal, had so great a mind to my dinner, as I had to cry with him for company:— What could be the matter with me, an' please your honour? Nothing in the world, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, blowing his nofe, but that thou art a good-natured fellow.

WHEN I gave him the toaft, continued the corporal, I thought it was proper to tell him I was captain Shandy's fervant, and that your honour (though a stranger) was ex, tremely concerned for his father;-And that if there was any thing in your houfe or cellar-(and thou might'ft have

added my purfe too, faid my uncle Toby) he was heartily welcome to it :- He made a very low bow, (which was meant to your honour) but no anfwer, for his heart was full-fo he went up ftairs with the teaft ;-I warrant you, my dear, faid I, as I opened the kitchen-door, your father will be well again.- Mr. Yorick's curate was moaking a pipe by the kitchen fire, but faid not a word good or bad to comfort the youth. I thought it was wrong; added the corporal I think fo too, faid my uncle Toby.

WHEN the lieutenant had taken his glafs of fack and toaft, he felt himself a little revived, and fent down into the kitchen, to let me know, that in about ten minutes he should be glad if I would step up ftairs.. -I believe,

for

faid the landlord, he is going to fay his prayers, there was a book laid upon the chair by his bedfide, and as I fhut the door, I faw his fon take up a cufhion..

I THOUGHT, faid the curate, that you gentlemen of the army, Mr. Trim, never faid your prayers at all.-I heard the poor gentleman fay his prayers laft night, faid the landlady, very devoutly, and with my own ears, or I could not have believed it. Are you fare of it? replied the curate. A foldier, an' pleafe your reverence, faid 1, prays as often (of his own accord) as a parfon; and when he is fighting for his king, and for his own life, and for his honour too, he has the of any one in the whole world.Trim, faid my uncle Toby. But when a foldier, faid I, an' pleafe your reverence, has been ftanding for twelve hours together in the trenches, up to his knees in cold water,—or engaged, faid I, for months together in long and dangerous marches;-harraffed, perhaps, in his rear to-day;-harrafing others to-morrow; detached here ;-countermanded there;

most reafon to pray to God

-'Twas well faid of thee,

-refting

refting this night out upon his arms;-beat up in his thirt the next;-benumbed in his joints;-perhaps without ftraw in his tent to kneel on ;-muft fay his prayers how and when he can.-I. believe, faid 1,-for I was piqu'd, quoth the corporal, for the reputation of the army,-I believe, an't pleafe your reverence, faid I, that when a foldier gets time to pray, he prays as heartily as a parfon--though not with all his fufs and hypocrify.—Thou should'st not have faid that, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, for God only knows who is a hypocrite, and who is not: At the great and general review of us all, corporal, at the day of judgment, (and not till then)-it will be feen who has done their duties in this world, and who has not; and we shall be advanced, Trim, accordingly.—I hope we fhall, faid Trim-It is in the Scripture, faid my uncle Toby; and I will fhew it thee to-morrow: In the

mean time we may depend upon it, Trim, for our comfort, faid my uncle Toby, that God Almighty is fo good and just a governor of the world, that if we have but done our duties in it, it will never be enquired into, whether we have done them in a red coat or a black one: I hope not; faid the corporal-But go on, Trim, faid my uncle Toby, with thy ftory.

WHEN I went up, continued the corporal, into the lieutenant's room, which I did not do till the expiration of the ten minutes--he was lying in his bed with his head raifed upon his hand, with his elbow upon the pillew, and a clean white cambric handkerchief befide it :-The youth was just stooping down to take up the cushion, upon which 1 fuppofed he had been kneeling-the book was laid upon the bed, -and as he rose, in taking up the cushion with one hand, he reached out his other to take it away at the

fame

fame time.- -Let it remain there, my dear, faid the lieu

tenant.

He did not offer to fpeak to me, till I had walked up close to his bed-fide:-If you are Captain Shandy's fervant, faid he, you must prefent my thanks to your mafter, with my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtesy to -if he was of Leven's faid the Lieutenant.

me;

told him your honour was- Then faid he, I served three campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember him but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any acquaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me. -You will tell him, however, that the perfon his good-nature has laid under obligations to him, is one Le Fever, a lieutenant in Angus'sbut he knows me not, -faid he, a fecond time, mufing;pofiibly he may my ftory-added hepray tell the captain, I was the enfign at Breda, whose wife was most unfortunately killed with a musket shot, as she lay in my arms in my tent. I remember the story, an't please your honour, faid I, very well,

-Do⋅ you fo? faid he,

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wiping his eyes with his handkerchief, then well may. I. — In faying this, he drew a little ring out of his bofom, which feemed tied with a black ribband about his neck, and kissed it twice- Here, Billy, faid he,-the boy flew across the room to the bed-fide,- and falling down upon his knee, took the ring in his hand, and kiffed it too,then kiffed his father, and fat down upon the bed and wept.

I WISH, faid my uncle Toby with a deep figh,-I wish, Trim, I was asleep.

YOUR honour, replied the corporal, is too much concerned ;-hall I pour your honour out a glass of sack to your pipe-Do, Trim, faid my uncle Toby.

I REMEMBER, faid my uncle Toby, fighing again, the ftory of the enfign and his wife, with a circumftance his

modefty