The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Book 7, Chapter 21 Summary

  • The Abbess of Andoüillets had a sore leg. She tried everything—praying to the saints, touching it with relics, wrapping it in her rosary—but no luck.
  • She set off to try the hot baths at Bourbon, along with a novice who's gotten a sore finger from constantly sticking it in the Abbess's… bandages. (What did you think we were going to say?)
  • With the gardener leading the mules, they set off. Late in the day, the gardener sneaks off to an inn while the carriage continues on its way. He drinks and talks while the mules make their way up a hill, until, realizing that no one's there to make them walk, they stop.