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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 Fevre and his boy the whole time he smoked it.

It 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.

I DESPAIRED at first, said the corporal, of being able to bring back your honour any kind of intelligence concerning the 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 straight 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 ease, Trim, in the window-feat, and begin thy ftory again. The corporal, made his old bow, which generally spoke as plain as a bow could speak it"Your honour is good:"

down, as he was ordered,

-And having done that, he fat

-and begun the story to my

uncle Toby over again in pretty near the fame words.

I DESPAIRED at first, said 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 sure of knowing every thing which was proper to be asked-That's a right diftinction, Trim, faid my uncle Toby I was answered, an' please your honour, that he had no fervant with him ;— -that he had come to the inn with hired horses, which, upon finding himself unable to proceed, (to join, I fuppofe, the regi

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ment) he had dismissed the morning after he came.—If I get better, my dear, faid he, as he gave his purse to his fon to pay the man,-we can hire horses 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.

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.- -Pray let me fave you the trouble, young gentleman, said I, taking up a fork for the purpofe, 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 worse for being toasted by an old foldier.The youth took hold of my hand, and instantly burst into tears.- -Poor youth! faid 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 fo great a mind for 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 toast, 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 extremely concerned for his father :- -And that if there was any thing in your houfe or cellar-(And thou might'ft have added,

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added, my purfe too, faid my uncle Toby) he was heartily welcome to it He made a very low meant to your honour) but no answer full-fo he went up stairs with the toast;

bow,. (which was for his heart was -I warrant you,

my dear, said I, as I opened the kitchen-door, your father will be well again.- —Mr. Yorick's curate was smoking a pipe by the kitchen fire,but said not a word good or bad to comfort the youth-I thought it was wrong, added the corporal-I think so too, said my uncle Toby.

WHEN the lieutenant had taken his glass of fack and toast, 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, faid the landlord, he is going to fay his prayers,for there was a book laid upon the chair by his bedfide, and as I fhut the door, I faw his fon take up a cushion.

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 last night, said the landlady, very devoutly, and with my own ears, or I could not have believed it. Are you fure of it ? replied the curate.A foldier, an' please your reverence, faid I, 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 he has the most reason to pray to God of any one 'Twas well faid of thee, Trim, faid -But when a foldier, faid I, an' please your reverence, has been standing 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;-haraffed perhaps in his rear to-day;-haraffing others to-morrow ;-detached here; countermanded there;

honour too,
in the whole world.

my uncle Toby.

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-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;-must say his prayers how and when he can. I believe, faid I,-for I was piqu'd, quoth the corporal, for the reputation of the army,-I believe, an' please your rev'rence, said I, that when a foldier gets time to pray, -he prays as heartily as a parson-though not with all his fufs and hypocrify.Thou should'ft 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 haas not; and we shall be advanced, Trim, accordingly.-I hope we fhall, faid Trim.-It is in the Scripture, said 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 inquired into, whether we have done them in a red coat or a black one:- -I hope not, faid the corporal.-But go

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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 raised upon his hand, with his elbow upon the pillow, and a clean white cambric handkerchief befide it:- -The youth was juft ftooping down to take up the cushion, upon which I 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

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fame time.-
tenant.

-Let it remain there, my dear, faid the lieu

He did not offer to speak to me, till I had walked up clofe to his bedfide:-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 me; if he was of Leven's-faid the lieutenant

-I

told him your honour was -Then, faid he, I ferved three
campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember him ;-
but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of any ac-
quaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me.-
You will tell him, however, that the perfon his good na-
ture has laid under obligations to him, is one Le Fevre, a
lieutenant in Angus's- -but he knows me not,-faid he,
a fecond time, mufing;poffibly he may my ftory-
added he-Pray tell the captain, I was the enfign at Breda,
whofe wife was most unfortunately killed with a musket-
fhot, as fhe lay in my arms in my tent.-I remember the
ftory, an' please your honour, faid I, very well.-

Do you fo? faid he, 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 riband
about his neck, and kiffed 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: -fhall I pour your honour out a glass of fack to your pipe -Do, Trim, faid my uncle Toby.

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