by or that I had known more of it -How shall we manage it? Leave it, an't please your honor, to me, quoth the corporal ;-I'll take my hat and stick, and go to the house, and reconnoitre, and act accordingly; and I will bring your honor a full account in an hour. Thou shalt go, Trim, said my uncle Toby, and here's a shitling for thee to drink with his servant. I shall get it all out of him, said the corporal, shutting the door.

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 honor any kind of intelligence concerning the poor sick lieutenant—Is he of the army, then said my uncle Toby.—He is, said the corporal And in what regiment? said my uncle Toby-I'll tell your honor, replied the corporal, every thing straight forward, as I learnt it. Then, Trim, I'll fill another pipe, said my uncle Toby, and not interrupt thee;—so sit down at thy ease, Trim, in the window seat, and begin thy story again. The corporal made his old bow, which generally spoke as plain as a bow could speak it, "Your honor is good;" and having done that, he st down, as he was ordered—and began the story to my uncle Toby over again, in pretty near the same words.

I despaired at first, said the corporal, of being able to bring back any intelligence to your honor, about the lieutenant and his son; for when I asked where the servant was, from whom I made myself sure of knowing every thing that was proper to be asked- -That's a right distinction, Trim, said my uncle Toby—I was answered, an't please your honor, that he had no servant with him. That he had come to the inn with hired horses ;— which, upon finding himself unable to proceed (to join, I suppose, the regiment) he had dismissed the morning after he eame. If I get better, my dear, said he, as he gave his purse to his son to pay the man—we can hire horses from hence. But alas! The poor gentleman will never get from hence, said the landlady to me, for I heard the deathwatch all night long ;—and when

he dies, the youth hi* son 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 spoke of; but I will do it for my fa. ther myself, said the youth. Pray let me save you the trouble, young gentleman, said I, taking up a fork for the purpose, and offering him my chair to sit down upon by the fire, whilst I did it. I believe, Sir, said he, very modestly, I can please him best myself-I am sure, said I, his honor will not like the toast the worse for being toasted by an old soldier. The youth took hold of my hand, and instantly burst into tears. Poor youth! said my uncle Toby—he has been bred up from an infant in the army, and the name of a soklier, Trim, sounded in his ears, like the name of a friend. I wish I had him here.

—I never, in the longest march, said 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't please your honor? Nothing in the world, Trim, said my uncle Toby, blowing his nose—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 servant, and that your honor (though a stranger) was extremely concerned for his father; and that if there was any thing in your house or cellar (and thou mightest have added my purse too, said my uncle Toby)--he was heartily welcome to it: He made a very low bow (which was meant to your honor)—but no answer—for his heart was full—so he went up stairs with the toast; 1 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 wrong, added the corporal—I think so too, said my uncle Toby.

When the Lieutenant had taken his glass of sack and toast, he felt himself a little revived, and sent down into the kitchen, to let me know, that in about ten minutes,

he should be glad if I would step up stairs—I believe, said the landlord, he is going to say his prayers for there was a book laid upon the chair, by his bed side, and as I shut the door, I saw his son take up a cushion.

I thought, said the curate, that you gentlemen of the army, Mr. Trim, never said your prayers at all. 1 heard the poor gentleman say his prayers last night, said the landlady, very devoutly, and with my own ears, or I could not have believed it. Are you sure of it? replied the curate. A soldier, an't please your reverence, said 1, 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 honor too, he has the most reason to pray to God of any one in the whole world. 'Twas well said of thee. Trim said my uncle Toby. But when a soldier, said 1, an't please your reverence, has been standing for twelve hours together, in the trenches, up to his knees in cold wateu or engaged, said I, for months together, in long and dangerous marches; harassed, perhaps, in his rear today; harassing others tomorrow; —detached here—countermanded there—resting this night out upon his arms—beat up in his shirt the next --benumbed in his joints—perhaps without straw in his rent to kneel on—he must say his prayers how and when he can. I believe, said I—for I was piqued, quoth the corporal, for the reputation of the aimy—I believe, an't please your reverence, said I, that when a soldier gets time to pray—he prays as heartily as a par sop—though not with all his fuss and hypocrisy.— Thou shouldst not have said that, Trim, said 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 seen whs have done their duties in this world, and who have not and we shall be advanced, Trim, accordingly. I hope we shall, said Trim—it is in the scripture, said my uncle Toby; and I will show it thee, tomorrow :—In the mean time, we may depend upon it, Trim, for our comfort, said my uncle Toby, that God Almighty is so good aud 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, said the Corporal. But go on, Tiim, said my uncle Toby, with the story.

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 laying in his bed, with his head raised upon his hand, his elbows upon the pillow, and a clean white cambric handkerchief beside it : The youth was just stooping down to take up the cushion upon which 1 supposed 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 the book away at the same time. Let it remain there, my dear, said the Lieutenant.

He did not offer to speak to me, till I had walked up close to his bedside: If you are Captain Shandy's servant, said he, you must present my thanks to your master, with my little boy's thanks along with them, for his courtesey to me;—if he was of Leven's- said the Lieutenant. I told him your honor was- -then, said he, 1 served three campaigns with him in Flanders, and remember him; but 'tis most likely, as I had not the honor of any acquaintance with him, that he knows nothing of me. You will tell him, however, that the person his good nature has laid under obligations to him, Is Le Fever, a Lieutenant in Angus's-but he knows me not—said he a second time, musing ;—possibly he may my story-added he pray tell the Captain, 1 was the Ensign 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, a'nt please your honor, said I, very well. Do you so? said he, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief-then well may J. In saying this, be drew a little ring ou( of his bosom, which seemed tied with a black ribband about his neck, and kissed it twice.Here, Billy, said he—the, boy {jew across the room to the bed side, and falling down upon his knee, took the ring in his hand, and

T

kissed it too, then kissed his father, and sat down upon the bed and wept.

I wish, said my uncle Toby with a deep sigh—I wish, Trim, I was asleep.

Your honor, replied the Corporal, is too much concerned; shall I pour your honor out a glass of sack to your pipe? Doy Trim, said my uncle Toby.

I remember, said my uncle Toby, sighing again, the story of the Ensign and his wife, and particularly well, that he as well as she, upon some account or other, (I forget what) was universally pitied by the whole regi ment; but finish the story. 'Tis finished already, said the Corporal, for I could stay no longer, so wished his honor a good night; young Le Fever rose from off the bed, and saw me to the bottom of the stairs; 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! said the Corporal, the Lieutenant's last day's march is over. Then what is to become of his poor boy? cried my uncle Toby.

Thou hast left this matter short, said 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 mad'st an offer of my services to Le Fever, as sickness and travelling are both expensive, and thou knewest he was but a poor Lieutenant, with a son to subsist as well as himself out of his pay, that thou didst not make an offer to him of my purse; because, had he stood in need, thou knowest, Trim, he had been as welcome to it as myself. Your honor knows, said the Corporal, I had no orders: True, quoth my uncle Toby, thou didst very right, Trim, as a soldier, but certainly, very wrong

as a man.

In the second place, for which, indeed, thou hast the same excuse, continued my uncle Toby, when thou of feredst him whatever was in my house, thou shouldst have offered him my house too: A sick brother officer should have the best quarters, Trim, and if we had him with us, we could tend and look to him; thou art an excellent nurse thyself, Trim; and what with thy care ol him, and the old woman's, and his boy's, and mine togeth