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eye in the village but Le Fevre's and his afflicted son's; the hand of death pressed heavy upon his eyelids; and hardly could the wheel at the cistern turn round its circle-when my uncle Toby, who had risen up an hour before his wonted time, entered the Lieutenant's room, and without preface or apology sat himself down upon the chair by the bed-side, and independently of all modes and customs, opened the curtain in the manner an old friend and brother-officer would have done it; and asked him how he did,— how he had rested in the night,-what was his complaint, where was his pain,-and what he could do to help him; and without giving him time to answer any one of these inquiries, went on, and told him of the little plan which he had been concerting with the Corporal the night before for him.

"You shall go home directly, Le Fevre," said my uncle Toby, "to my house, and we'll send for a doctor to see what's the matter:-and we'll have an apothecary; and the Corporal shall be your nurse; —and I'll be your servant Le Fevre.”

There was a frankness in my uncle Toby, not the effect of familiarity,-but the cause of it,-which let you at once into his soul, and shewed you the goodness of his nature. To this, there was something in his looks, and voice, and manner, superadded, which eternally beckoned to the unfortunate to come and take shelter under him; so that, before my uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers he was making to his father, had the son insensibly pressed up close to his knees, and had taken hold of the breast of his coat, and was pulling it towards him.-The blood and spirits of Le Fevre, which was waxing cold and slow within him, and were retiring to their last citadel, the heart,-rallied back,-the film forsook his eyes

for a moment; he looked up wistfully in my uncle Toby's face; then cast a look upon his boy,-and that ligament, fine as it was-was never broken!

Nature instantly ebb'd again; the film returned to its place;-the pulse fluttered;-stopped ;-went on,-throbbed,-stopped again;-moved, stopped.Shall I go on?-No.

L. STERNE.

HOME OR CLASS WORK.

Learn the spellings and meanings at the top of the page; and write sentences containing these words.

[graphic]

THE QUARREL OF BRUTUS AND CASSIUS.

Sardians--people of Sardis | mart-exchange itching-covetous; greedy corruption-bribery

offices-benefits; favours

[blocks in formation]

make condition-lay down

terms

testy-illnatured
vaunting-boasting
drachmas-coins

legion-Roman regiment
Mt. Olympus-the fabled
abode of the Gods
Octavius-Augustus
Plutus-God of wealth

have wronged me, doth appear in

You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letter, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, was slighted of.

BRU. You wronged yourself to write in such a cause.
CAS. In such a time as this it is not meet
That every nice offence should bear his comment.
BRU. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm;—
To sell and mart your offices for gold

To underservers.

CAS. I an itching palm?

You know that you are Brutus that speak this;
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.

BRU. The name of Cassius honours this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide its head.
CAS. Chastisement !-

BRU. Remember March, the Ides of March re

member!

Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world,
But for supporting robbers; shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus ?-
I had rather be a dog and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

CAS. Brutus, bait not me,

I'll not endure it; you forget yourself,
To hedge me in: I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.

BRU. Go to: you are not, Cassius.
CAS. I am.

BRU. I say, you are not.

CAS. Urge me no more, I shall forget myselfHave mind upon your health-tempt me no farther.

BRU. Away, slight man!

CAS. Is't possible?

BRU. Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?

Shall I be frighted, when a madman stares?

CAS. O Gods! ye Gods! must I endure all this? BRU. All this! ay, more.

heart break;

Fret till your proud

Go, show your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge? Must I observe you? must I stand and crouch

Under your testy humour? by the Gods,

You shall digest the venom of your spleen,

Though it do split you: for, from this day forth,
I'll use it for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

CAS. Is it come to this?

BRU. You say you are a better soldier: Let it appear so; make

your vaunting true,

For mine own part,

And it shall please me well.

I shall be glad to learn of noble men.

CAS. You wrong me every way you wrong me, Brutus ;

I said, an elder soldier; not a better.

Did I say, better ?

BRU. If you did, I care not.

CAS. When Cæsar lived, he durst not thus have moved me.

BRU. Peace, peace; you durst not so have tempted

him.

CAS. I durst not!

BRU. No.

CAS. What? durst not tempt him?

BRU. For your life you durst not.

should be

sorry for.

CAS. Do not presume too much upon my love;
I may
do that I shall be sorry for.
BRU. You have done that you
There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;
For I am armed so strong in honesty,
That they pass by me as the idle wind
Which I respect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied
For I can raise no money by vile means.
By Heaven, I had rather coin my heart,
And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring
From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash,
By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

me,

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