52 JlTi?. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUB. 



as though "killing" was a matter of every-day occurrence with 

 them. 



"Have you, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Waffles, adopting the lie 

 with avidity. 



" Yes, sir," said Tom, gravely; "he was nearly heat afore he 

 got to the brook. Indeed, I thought Vanquisher would have had 

 him in it ; but, however, he got through, and the scent failed on 

 the fallow, which gave him a chance ; but I held them on to the- 

 hedgerow beyond, where they hit it off like wildfire, and they 

 never stopped again till they tumbled him over at the back of Mr. 

 Plummey's farm-buildings, at Shapwick. I've got his brush,'* 

 added Tom, producing a much tattered one from his pocket, " if 

 you'd like to have it ? " 



"Thank you, no — yes— no," replied "Waffles, not wanting to be 

 bothered with it; "yet stay," continued he, as his eye caught 

 Mr. Sponge, who was still on foot beside his vanquished friend ; 

 "' give it to Mr. What-de-ye-call-'em," added he, nodding towards- 

 our hero. 



" Sponge" observed Tom, in an undertone, giving the brush to 

 his master. 



" Mr. Sponge, will you do me the favour to accept the brush ? " 

 asked Mr. Waffles, advancing with it towards him ; adding, " I am 

 sorry this unlucky bather should have prevented your seeing the 

 end." 



Mr. Sponge was a pretty good judge of brushes, and not a bad 

 one of camphire ; but if this one had smelt twice as strong as it 

 did — indeed, if it had dropped to pieces in his hand, or the moths- 

 had flown up in his face, he would have pocketed it, seeing it paved 

 the way to w T hat he wanted — an introduction. 



" Fin very much obliged, I'm sure," observed he, advancing to- 

 take it — " very much obliged, indeed ; been an extremely good 

 run, and fast." 



"Very fair — very fair," observed Mr. Waffles, as though it were 

 nothing in their way ; seven miles in twenty minutes, I suppose,, 

 or something of that sort." 



" CW-and-twenty," interposed Tom, with a laudable anxiety for 

 accuracy. 



"Ah! one-and-twenty," rejoined Mr. Waffles. "I thought it 

 would be somewhere thereabouts. Well, I suppose we've all had 

 enough," added he ; " may as well go home and have some 

 luncheon, and then a game at billiards, or rackets, or something. 

 How's the old water-rat ? " added he, turning to Thornton, who 

 was now busy emptying his cap and mopping the velvet. 



The water-rat was as well as could be expected, but did not quite 

 iike the new aspect of affairs. He saw that Mr. Sponge was a 

 first-rate horseman, and also knew that nothing ingratiated one 



