-but finish, the ftory thou art upon : -'Tis finished already, faid the corporal, for I could ftay no longer,-fo wished his honour a good night; young Le Fever rose from off the bed, and saw 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 laft day's march is over. Then what is to become of his poor boy? cried my uncle Toby.

ain

CHA P. VIII.

The Story of LE FEVER continued.

T 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 themselves-That notwithstanding my uncle Toby was warmly engaged at that time in carrying on the fiege of Derdermond, 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 counterfcarp;-and bent his whole thoughts towards the private diftresses at the inn; and, except that he ordered the garden gate to be bolted up, by which he might be faid to have turned the fiege of Dendermond into a blockade, -he left Dendermond to itself,-to be relieved or not by the French king, as the French king thought good; and only confidered how he himself should relieve the poor lieutenant and his fon.

-That

That kind BEING, who is a

friend to the friend lefs, fhall recompence thee for this.

Thou haft left this matter fhort, faid my uncle Toby to the corporal, as he was

putting him to bed,

and I will tell In the first

thee in what, Trim. place, when thou madeft an offer of my fervices to Le Fever,-as fickness and travelling are both expenfive, and thou knoweft he was but a poor lieutenant, with a fon to fubfift 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 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 didst very right,

D 4

right, Trim, as a foldier,-but certainly

very wrong as a man.

In the second place, for which, indeed, thou haft the fame excufe, continued my

uncle Toby, whatever

when thou offeredft him

was in my house,-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 thyself, 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, fmiling,-he might march.He will never march,

an'

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 fhoe off:An' please your honour, faid the corporal, he will never march, but to his He fhall march, cried my grave: uncle Toby, marching the foot which had a fhoe on, though without advancing an inch, he shall march to his regiHe cannot ftand it, faid the

ment. corporal;

He fhall be fupported, said

my uncle Toby ;-He'll drop at laft, faid the corporal, and what will become of his boy?—He fhall not drop, faid my uncle Toby, firmly.-A-well-o'day, -do what we can for him, faid Trim, maintaining his point, the poor foul will die:He fhall not die, by G-, cried my uncle Toby.

-The