FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308  
309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   >>   >|  
Chapter 3.LV. When my uncle Toby had turned every thing into money, and settled all accounts betwixt the 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 sword; so that my uncle Toby found little or no opposition from the world in taking administration. The coat my uncle Toby gave the corporal;--Wear it, Trim, said my uncle Toby, as long as it will hold together, for the sake 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 save 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 doest it like a man of honour,--'tis enough for us. As soon as my uncle Toby had laid a foundation, and taught him to inscribe a regular polygon in a circle, he sent him to a public school, where, excepting Whitsontide 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 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 me--And twice he laid his hand upon his groin, and hung down his head in sorrow and disconsolation.-- My uncle Toby took down the sword 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 single fortnight to equip him, and contract for his passage to Leghorn,--he put the sword into his hand.--If thou art brave, Le Fever, said my uncle Toby, this will not fail thee,--but Fortune, said 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 oppressed the heart of Le Fever more than my uncle
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   284   285   286   287   288   289   290   291   292   293   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   301   302   303   304   305   306   307   308  
309   310   311   312   313   314   315   316   317   318   319   320   321   322   323   324   325   326   327   328   329   330   331   332   333   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

corporal

 

fortune

 

remained

 

betwixt

 
taking
 

lieutenant

 

Fortune

 

forget

 
Hungary
 

kindling


throwing
 
oppressed
 

Eugene

 

father

 

begged

 

contract

 

embracing

 

single

 

fortnight

 

passage


Leghorn
 

musing

 

detained

 

untouched

 

greatest

 

sorrow

 
injury
 
disconsolation
 

brighten

 
delivered

administration

 

opposition

 
scabbard
 

drawing

 

regimental

 
turned
 
Chapter
 

settled

 

accounts

 

regiment


mankind

 

continued

 

Whitsontide

 
Christmas
 

excepting

 
school
 

circle

 

public

 

stories

 
emperor