Mrs. Bridget had pawn’d all the little stock of honour a poor chambermaid was worth in the world, that she would get to the bottom of the affair in ten days; and it was built upon one of the most concessible postulata in nature: namely, that whilst my uncle Toby was making love to her mistress, the corporal could find nothing better to do, than make love to her⸺“ And I’ll let him as much as he will , said Bridget , to get it out of him .”
Friendship has two garments; an outer and an under one. Bridget was serving her mistress’s interests in the one—and doing the thing which most pleased herself in the other; so had as many stakes depending upon my uncle Toby’s wound, as the Devil himself⸺ Mrs. Wadman had but one—and as it possibly might be her last (without discouraging Mrs. Bridget , or discrediting her talents) was determined to play her cards herself.
She wanted not encouragement: a child might have look’d into his hand⸺there was such a plainness and simplicity in his playing out what trumps he had⸺with such an unmistrusting ignorance of the ten-ace ⸺and so naked and defenceless did he sit upon the same sofa with widow Wadman , that a generous heart would have wept to have won the game of him.
Let us drop the metaphor.