Mn. SPONGE'S SPOUTING TOUR. 123 



" Is Lord Scamperdalc punctual ? " asked Sponge. 



"Tol-lol," replied Jaw ley ford, "tol-lol." 



" He'll wait for you, I suppose ? " observed Sponge, thinking to 

 try Jawlcyford on that infallible criterion of favour. 



" Why, if he knew I was coming, I dare say he would," replied 

 Jawleyford slowly and deliberately, feeling it was now no time 

 for flashing. " If he knew I was coming I dare say he would," 

 repeated he ; " indeed, I make no doubt he would : but one 

 doesn't like putting great men out of their way ; besides which, 

 it's just as easy to be punctual as otherwise. When I was in the 

 Bumperkin — " 



" But your horse is on, isn't it ? " interrupted Sponge ; " he'll 

 see your horse there, you know." 



"Horse on, my dear fellow!" exclaimed Jawlcyford, "horse 

 on ? No, certainly not. How should I get there myself, if my 

 horse was on ? " 



" Hack, to be sure," replied Sponge, striking a light for his 

 cigar. 



" Ah, but then I should have no groom to go with me," 

 observed Jawlcyford ; adding, " one must make a certain appear- 

 ance, you know. But come, my dear Mr. Sponge," continued he, 

 laying hold of our hero's arm, " let us get to the door, for that 

 cigar of yours will fumigate the whole house ; and Mrs. Jawleyford 

 hates the smell of tobacco." 



Spigot, with his attendants in livery? here put a stop to the 

 confab by hurrying past, drawing the bolts, and throwing back 

 the spacious folding doors, as if royalty or Daniel Lambert himself 

 were " coming out." 



The noise they made was heard outside ; and on reaching the 

 top of the spacious flight of steps, Sponge's piebald in charge of a 

 dirty village lad, and Jawleyford's steeds with a sky-blue groom, 

 were seen scuttling under the portico, for the owners to mount. 

 The Jawleyford cavalry was none of the best ; but Jawleyford 

 was pleased with it, and that is a great thing. Indeed, a thing 

 had only to be Jawleyford's, to make Jawlcyford excessively fond 

 of it. 



"There !" exclaimed he, as they reached the third step from the 

 bottom. "There!" repeated he, seizing Sponge by the arm, 

 " that's what I call shape. You don't see such an animal as that 

 every day," pointing to a not badly-formed, but evidently worn- 

 out, ovcr-knee'd bay, that stood knuckling and trembling for 

 Jawleyford to mouut. 



" One of the 'has boons,' I should say," replied Sponge, puffing 

 a cloud of smoke right past Jawleyford's nose ; adding, " It's a 

 pity but you could get him four new legs." 



" Faith, I don't see that ho wants anything of the sort," 



