MR. SPONGE'S SPOUTING TOUB 



81 



CHAPTER XVI. 



THE JAVv'LEYFORD ESTABLISHMENT. 



JAWLEYFORD OF JAWLEVFOKD COURT. 



THE loud peal of the Jawley- 

 ford Court door-bell, an- 

 nouncing' Mr. Sponge's 

 arrival, with which we closed 

 the last chapter, found the 

 inhabitants variously en- 

 gaged preparing for his 

 reception. 



Mrs. Jawleyford, with the 



aid of a very indifferent 



cook, was endeavouring to 



arrange a becoming dinner ; 



the young ladies, with the 



aid of a somewhat better 



sort of maid, were attractify- 



ing themselves, each looking 



with considerable jealousy 



on the efforts of the other ; 



and Mr. Jawleyford was 



trotting from room to room, 



eyeing the various pictures of himself, wondering which was now 



the most like, and watching the emergence of curtains, carpets, 



and sofas from their brown-holland covers. 



A gleam of sunshine seemed to reign throughout the mansion ; 

 the long-covered furniture appearing to have gained freshness by 

 its retirement, just as a newly done-up hat surprises the wearer by its 

 goodness ; a few days, however, soon restore the defects of either. 

 All these arrangements were suddenly brought to a close by the 

 peal of the door-bell, just as the little stage-tinkle of a theatre stops 

 preparation, and compels the actors to stand forward as they are. 

 Mrs. Jawleyford threw aside her silk apron, and took a hasty 

 glance of her face in the old eagle-topped mirror in the still-room ; 

 the young ladies discarded their coarse dirty pocket-handkerchiefs, 

 and gently drew elaborately-fringed ones through their taper 

 fingers to give them an air of use, as they took a hasty review of 

 themselves in the swing mirrors ; the housemaid hurried off with 

 a whole armful of brown holland ; and Jawleyford threw himself 

 into attitude in an elaborately-carved, richly-cushioned, easy chair, 

 with a Disraeli's " Life of Lord George Bentinck " in his hand. 



