Walter cannot decide which course to take and he would have "certainly sunk under this evil . . . had he not been rescued out of it . . . by a fresh evil." The matter is solved for him by the death of Bobby.
Pointing out that he is heir-apparent from this time forward because of Bobby's death, Tristram says that this is where his Life and Opinions should have begun. He renews his complaint about how many things have to be written about; therefore, he names this his Chapter of Things, and he promises a Chapter on Whiskers the very first chapter of his next volume — "in order to keep up some sort of connection in my works." He regrets that he has not yet been able to get to the "choicest morsel" of this work: the story of his Uncle Toby's "amours." He assures the reader, however, that when he finally does tell that story, it will redeem the entire book. He mentions his "dear Jenny" (that is, "the thing to be concealed"), and he reaffirms his earlier statement about the physiological value of his book: "True Shandeism . . . opens the heart and lungs, . . . forces the blood and other vital fluids of the body to run freely thro' its channels, and makes the wheel of life run long and chearfully round."
He takes his leave, promising to present the next installment in a year, "(unless this vile cough kills me in the mean time)." It will present a story "you little dream of."
