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 ftraight line, as a crooked one,-he might be faid to have thought of nothing elfe but poor Le Fevre and his boy the whole time he smoaked 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? said 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 cafe, 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:--And having done that, he fat down, as he was ordered, and begun the story to my uncle Toby over again in pretty near the fame words. I DESPAIRED at first, 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 asked,―That's a right distinction, Trim, faid my uncle Toby-I was answered, an' pleafe 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 ment) ment) he had difmiffed 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 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. I was hearing this account, continued the corporal, when the youth came into the kitchen, to order the thin toast the landlord fpoke of;--but I will do it for my father myself, faid the youth.Pray let me fave you 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, whilst I did it.—I believe, Sir, faid he, very modeftly, I can please him beft myfelf.I am fure, faid I, his honour will not like the toaft 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 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 goodnatured 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't have Q3 added added my purfe too, faid my uncle Toby)-he was heartily welcome to it :--He male a very low bow, (which was meant to your honour) but no anfwer-for his heart was fall-fo he went up ftairs with the toaft;--I warrant you, my dear, faid I, as I opened the kitchen door, your father will be well again.—Mr. Yorick's carate was froaking a - pipe by the kitchen-iire,--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 glass of fack and toaf, 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 ftep up ftairs.I believe, faid the landlord, he is going to fay his prayers,—for th re was a book laid upon the chair by his bed-fide, and as I fhut the door, I faw his fon take up a cushion.-- rate.- 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 fure of it? replied the cu-A foldier, an' please your reverence, faid I, prays as often (of his own accord) as a parson ;——————————and when he is fighting for his king, and for his own life, and for his honour too, he has the most reafon to pray to God of any one in the whole world.———’Twas well said of thee, Trim, faid my uncle Toby.-But when a foldier, faid I, an' please 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;-harraffing others to-morrow ;--detached here; countermanded there; -refing refting this night out upon his arms;-beat up in his fhirt the next;-b numbed in his joints;-perhaps without ftraw in his tent to kneel on;-he muft fay 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'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.-Thoù fhould't 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 thenj-it will be feen who has done their duties in this world,-aud who has not; and we fhall be advanced, Trim, accordingly.-I hope we fhall, faid Trim--It is in the Scripture, faid my uncle Toby; and I will fhow 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 raised upon his hand, with his elbow upon the pillow, and a clean white cambric handkerchief befide it :-' -The youth was just stooping down to take up the cushion, upon which I fuppofe he had been kneeling-the book was laid upon the bed, and as he rofe, in taking up the cushion with one hand, he reached out his other to take it away at the fame time. -Let it remain there, my dear, faid the lieutenant. He did not offer to speak to me, till I had walked up elofe 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 courtefy 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 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 Fevre, a lieutenant in Angus's but he knows me not,-faid he, a fecond time, muting;poffibly he may my ftory-added he, pray tell the captain, I was the enfign at Breda, whose wife was most unfortunately killed with a mufket fhot, as fhe 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, 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 knce, 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 afleep. YOUR honour, replied the corporal, is too much concerned ;-fhall 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 omitted ;—and particularly well that he, as well as fhe, |