with a peevish accent, "Pshaw! pshaw! brother, there's no occasion
to bowse out so much unnecessary gun; if you can't bring your
discourse to bear on the right subject, you had much better clap
a stopper on your tongue, and bring yourself up, d'ye see; I was
told you had something to deliver."--"Deliver!" cried the waggish
impostor, "odds heart! I have got something for you that will make
your very entrails rejoice within your body. Here's a letter from
a dear and worthy friend of yours. Take, read it, and be happy.
Blessings on his old heart! one would think he had renewed his
age, like the eagle's." Trunnion's expectation being thus raised,
he called for his spectacles, adjusted them to his eye, took
the letter, and being curious to know the subscription, no sooner
perceived his uncle's name, then he started back, his lip quivered,
and he began to shake in every limb with resentment and surprise;
eager to know the subject of an epistle from a person who had never
before troubled him with any sort of address, he endeavoured to
recollect himself, and perused the contents, which were these;--

"Loving Nephew,--I doubt not but you will be rejoiced to
hear of my welfare; and well you may, considering what a
kind uncle I have been to you in the days of your youth, and
how little you deserved any such thing; for yet, was always
a graceless young man, given to wicked courses and bad company,
whereby you would have come to a shameful end, had it not been
for my care in sending you out of mischief's way. But this is
not the cause of my present writing. The bearer, Mr. Timothy
Trickle, is a distant relation of yours, being the son of the
cousin of your aunt Margery, and is not over and above well as
to worldly matters. He thinks of going to London, to see for
some post in the excise or customs if so be that you will