MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



47 



followed by three or more blue lines, the whole terminating in blue 

 spots about the size of fourpenny pieces at the points ; a once- 

 round blue silk tie, with white spots and flying ends. His coat 

 was a light, jackety sort of thing, with little pockets behind, some- 

 thing in the style of Mr. Sponge's (a docked dressing-gown), but 

 wanting the outside seaming, back strapping, and general strength, 

 that characterised Mr. .Sponge's. His waistcoat, of course, was a 

 worked one — heart's-ease mingled with foxes' heads, on a true blue 

 ground, the gift of — we'll not say who — his leathers were of the 

 finest doe-skin, and his long- topped, pointed-toed boots so thin as 

 to put all idea of wet or mud out of the question. 



Such was the youth who now cantered up and took off his cap 

 to the rank, beauty, and fashion, assembled at Whirleypool "Windmill. 

 He then proceeded to pay his respects in detail. At length, having 

 exhausted his "nothings," and said the same thing over again in 

 a dozen different ways to a dozen different ladies, he gave a slight 

 jerk of the head to Tom Towler, who forthwith whistled his hounds 

 together, and attended by the whips, bustled from the scene. 



CHAPTER X. 



Till: FIND, AXD THE FINISH. 



EPPIXG HUNT, in its most 

 palmy days could not equal 

 the exhibition that now took 

 place. Some of the more 

 lively of the horses, tired of 

 waiting, perhaps pinched by 

 the cold, for most of them 

 were newly clipped, evinced 

 their approbation of the 

 move, by sundry squeals and 

 capers, which being caught 

 by others in the neigh- 

 hourhood, the infection 

 quickly spread, and in less 

 than a minute there was 

 such a scene of rocking, 

 and rearing, and kicking, 

 and prancing, and neighing, 

 and shooting over heads, 

 and rolling over tails, and 

 hanging en by manes, mingled with such screamings from the 



U'lAlN GKI2A.TGI -. 



