MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 9«J 



This you'll know, I presume ? " observed Jawleyford, laying his 

 hand on a life-size bust of Diana, in Italian marble. 



" No, I don't," replied Sponge. 



" No ! " exclaimed Jawleyford ; " I thought everybody had 

 known this : this is my celebrated ' Diana,' by Noindon — one of 

 the finest things in the world. Louis Philippe sent an agent over 

 to this country expressly to buy it." 



" Why didn't you sell it him ? " asked Sponge. 



" Didn't want the money," replied Jawleyford, " didn't want the 

 money. In addition to which, though a king, he was a bit of a 

 screw, and Ave couldn't agree upon terms. This," observed 

 Jawleyford, " is a vase of the Cinque Cento period — a very fine 

 thing ; and this," laying his hand on the crown of a much frizzed, 

 barber's-window-looking bust, " of course you know ? " 



" No, I don't," replied Sponge. 



" No ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, in astonishment. 



" No," repeated Sponge. 



" Look again, my dear fellow ; you must know it," observed 

 Jawleyford. 



" I suppose it's meant for you," at last replied Sponge, seeing 

 his host's anxiety. 



" Meant! my dear fellow ; why, don't you think it like ? " 



"Why, there's a resemblance, certainly," said Sponge, "now that 

 one knows. But I shouldn't have guessed it was you." 



" Oh, my dear Mr. Sponge ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, in a tone of 

 mortification, " Do you really mean to say you don't think it like ?" 



" Why, yes, it's like," replied Sponge, seeing which way his host 

 wanted it ; " it's like, certainly ; the want of expression in the eye 

 makes such a difference between a bust and a picture." 



" True," replied Jawleyford, comforted — " true," repeated he, 

 looking affectionately at it ; "I should say it was very like — like 

 as anything can be. You are rather too much above it there, you 

 see ; sit down here," continued he, leading Sponge to an ottoman 

 surrounding a huge model of the column in the Place Vendome, 

 that stood in the middle of the room — " sit down here now, and 

 look, and say if you don't think it like ? " 



" Oh, very like," replied Sponge, as soon as he had seated 

 himself. " I see it now, directly ; the mouth is yours to a T." 



" And the chin ? It's my chin, isn't it ?" asked Jawleyford. 



" Yes ; and the nose, and the forehead, and the whiskers, and 

 the hair, and the shape of the head, and everything. Oh ! I see it 

 now as plain as a pikestaff," observed Sponge. 



" I thought you would," rejoined Jawleyford, comforted — " I 

 thought you would ; it's generally considered an excellent likeness 

 — so it should, indeed, for it cost a vast of money — fifty guineas ! 

 to say nothing of the lotus-leafed pedestal it's on. That's another 



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