be feen who have done their duties in this world, and who have not; and we thall 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 inquired into, whether we have done them in a red coat or a black one. I hope hot, 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 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 arofe, 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 clofe to his bed-fide.- -If you are Captain Shandy's fervant, faid he, you muft 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

VOL. II.

C

him

any ac

him in Flanders, and remember him;-but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honour of quaintance 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's;—but he knows me not,-faid he, a fecond time, muling; poffibly he may my story, added he.-Pray tell the Captain, I was the Enfign at Breda, whofe wife was most unfortunately killed with a mufket-fhot, as fhe lay in my arms in my tent. -I remember the ftory, an't please your Honour, faid I, very well.- Do you fo? faid he, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief,-then well may I.I.—In faying this, he drew a little ring out of his bofom, which feemed tied with a black ribband about his neck, and kifs'd 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 with, faid my uncle Toby, with a deep figh, -I wish, Trim, I was atleep.

Your Honour, replied the Corporal, is too much concerned.-Shall I

pour your Honour out a glass of fack to your pipe?

faid my uncle Toby.

-Do, Trim,

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 the, upon fome account or other (I forget what) was univerfally pitied by the whole regiment;-but finish the

ftory

ftory thou art upon.Tis finished already, faid the Corporal, for I could ftay no longer; -fo wifhed his Honour a good night.-Young Le Fever rofe from off the bed, and faw me to the bottom of the ftairs; and as we went down together, told me they had come from Ireland, and were on their route to join the regiment in Flanders.-But alas! faid the Corporal,-the Lieutenant's last day's march is over!Then what is to become of his poor boy? cried my uncle Toby.

CHAP. VIII.

THE STORY OF LE FEVER CONTINUED.

IT was to my uncle Toby's eternal honour, -though I tell it only for the fake of thofe who, when coop'd in betwixt a natural and a pofitive law, know not, for their fouls, which way in the world to turn themfelves.-That, notwithstanding my uncle Toby was warmly engaged at that time in carrying on the fiege of Dendermond, parallel with the allies, who preffed theirs on fo vigorously, that they fcarce allowed him time to get his dinner-that nevertheless he gave up Dendermond, though he had already made a lodgment upon the counterfcrap;-and bent his whole thoughts towards the private diftreffes at the inn; and except that he ordered the gardengate to be bolted up, by which he might be faid to have turned the fiege of Dendermond into a blockade, he left Dendermond to itfelf,-to be relieved or not by the French king, as the French

French king thought good; and only confidered how he himself thould relieve the poor Lieutenant and his fon.

-That kind Being, who is a friend to the friendlefs, fhall recompenfe thee for this.

Thou haft left this matter thort, faid my uncle Toby to the Corporal, as he was putting him to bed, and I will tell thee in what, Trim,-In the first place, when thou madest an offer of my fervices to Le Fever, as ficknefs and travelling are both expenfive; and thou knoweft he was but a poor Lieutenant, with fon to fubfift as well as himself out of his pay, that thou didst not make an offer to him of my purfe; because, had he stood in need, thou knoweft, Trim, he had been as welcome to it as myfelf.

Your

Honour knows, faid the Corporal, I had no orders.True, quoth my uncle Toby,-thou didft very right, Trim, as a foldier,-but certainly very wrong as a man.

In the fecond place, for which, indeed, thou haft the fame excufe, continued my uncle Toby, -when thou offeredft him whatever was in my houfe,-thou fhouldft have offered him my house too. A fick brother-officer fhould have the best quarters, Trim; and if we had him with us,-we could tend and look to him.-Thou art an excellent nurse thyfelf, Trim;—and what with thy care of him, and the old woman's, and his boy's, and mine together, we might recruit him again at once, and fet him upon his legs.

In a fortnight or three weeks, added my uncle Toby, finiling,--he might march.He will never march, an' please your Honour, in

this world, faid the Corporal.He will march, faid my uncle Toby, rifing up from the fide of the bed, with one shoe off.-- -An' please your Honour, faid the Corporal, he will never march but to his grave. He shall march, cried my uncle Toby, marching the foot which had a fhoe on, though without advancing an inch, he shall march to his regiment. -He cannot ftand it, faid the Corporal. He fhall be fupported, faid my uncle Toby. He'll drop at last, said the Corporal, and what will become of his boy?

He hall not drop, faid my uncle Toby, firmly. A well-a-day!-do what we can for him, faid Trim, maintaining his point,—the poor foul will die.—He shall not die, by G-, cried my uncle Toby.

The accufing Spirit, which flew up to Heaven's chancery with the oath, blush'd as he gave it in;—and the recording angel, as he wrote it down, dropp'd a tear upon the word, and blotted it out for ever.

CHAP. IX.

-MY uncle Toby went to his bureau, -put his purfe into his breeches-pocket, and, having ordered the Corporal to go early in the morning for a phyfician, he went to bed, and fell asleep.