fuperadded, which eternally beckoned to the unfortunate to come and take shelter under him; so that before my uncle Toby had half finished the kind offers he was making to the father, had the fon infenfibly pressed up close to his knees, and had taken hold of the breast of his coat, and was pulling it towards him. - The blood and spirits of Le Fever, which were waxing cold and flow within him, and were retreating to their last citadel, the heart,rallied back, the film forsook his eyes for a moment, he looked up wishfully in my uncle Toby's face, then cast a look upon his boy, and that ligament, fine as it was, was never broken. Nature instantly ebb'd again, -the film returned to its place, the pulse fluttered-ftopp'd-went on-throbb'd-ftopp'd again-moved-ftopp'dshall I go on?-No. All that is necessary to be added is as follows That my uncle Toby, with young Le Fever in his hand, attended the poor Lieutenant, as chief mourners, to his grave. When my uncle Toby had turned every thing into money, and fettled all accounts betwixt the agent agent of the regiment and Le Fever, and betwixt Le Fever and all mankind, there remained nothing more in my uncle Toby's hands, than an old regimental coat and a fword; so that my uncle Toby found little or no opposition from the world in taking administration. The coat my uncle T'oby gave the Corporal; -Wear it, Trim, faid my uncle Toby as long as it will hold together, for the fake of the poor Lieutenant-And this, said my uncle Toby, taking up the sword in his hand, and drawing it out of the scabbard as he spoke-and this, Le Fever, I'll fave for thee-'tis all the fortune, continued my uncle Toby, hanging it up upon a crook, and pointing to it,-'tis all the fortune, my dear Le Fever, which God has left thee; but if he has given thee a heart to fight thy way with it in the world, and thou doeft it like a man of honour, 'tis enough for us. As foon as my uncle Toby had laid a foundation, he sent him to a public school, where, excepting Whitsuntide and Christmas, at which times the Corporal was punctually dispatched for him, he remained to the spring of the year, seventeen; when the stories of the Emperor's sending his army into Hungary against the Turks, kindling a spark of fire in his bosom, he left his Greek and Latin without without leave, and throwing himself upon his knees before my uncle Toby, begged his father's sword, and my uncle Toby's leave along with it, to go and try his fortune under Eugene.-Twice did my uncle Toby forget his wound, and cry out, Le Fever! I will go with thee, and thou shalt fight beside meAnd twice he laid his hand upon his groin, and hung down his head in forrow and difconfolation. My uncle Toby took down the fword from the crook, where it had hung untouched ever since the Lieutenant's death, and delivered it to the Corporal to brighten up; --and having detained Le Fever a fingle fortnight to equip him, and contract for his passage to Leghorn, he put the sword into his hand,-If thou art brave, Le Fever, faid my uncle Toby, this will not fail thee, -but Fortune, faid he, (musing a little) - Fortune may-And if she does,-added my uncle Toby, embracing him, come back again to me, Le Fever, and we will shape thee another course. The greatest injury could not have oppreffed the heart of Le Fever more than my uncle Toby's paternal kindness; - he parted from my uncle Toby, as the best of fons from the best of fathers-both dropped tears and as my uncle Toby gave him THE BEAUTIES OF STERNE. 21 his last kiss, he flipped fixty guineas, tied up in an old purse of his father's, in which was his mother's ring, into his hand, and bid God bless him. Le Fever got up to the Imperial army just time enough to try what metal his fword was made of, at the defeat of the Turks before Belgrade; but a series of unmerited mifchances had pursued him from that moment, and trod close upon his heels for four years together after: he had withstood these buffetings to the last, till fickness overtook him at Marseilles, from whence he wrote my uncle Toby word, he had lost his time, his services, his health, and, in short, every thing but his fword;and was waiting for the first ship to return back to him Le Fever was hourly expected; and was uppermost in my uncle Toby's mind all the time my father was giving him and Yorick a description of what kind of a perfon he would choose for a preceptor to me: but as my uncle Toby thought my father at first somewhat fanciful in the accomplishments he required, he forbore mentioning Le Fever's name,- till the character, by Yorick's interposition, ending unexpectedly, in one, who should be gentle tempered, and generous, and good, it impreffed pressed the image of Le Fever, and his interest upon my uncle Toby fo forcibly, he rose instantly off his chair; and laying down his pipe, in order to take hold of both my father's hands-I beg, brother Shandy, faid my uncle Toby, I may recommend poor Le Fever's fon to you-I beseech you, do, added Yorick-He has a good heart, faid my uncle Toby-And a brave one too, an' please your honour, faid the Corporal. |