14G MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



Frosty, ' I hope that Mr. Something's comfortable in his hath' — 

 meaning Gobblecow Bog, which he rode into. ' Why,' said Frosty, 

 ' it's no great odds what comes of such rubbage as that.' Now, 

 Frosty, you know, in a general way, is a most polite, fairspoken 

 man, specially before Christmas, when he begins to look for 

 the tips ; and as we are not much troubled with strangers, thanks 

 to your sensible way of handling them, I thought Froscy would 

 have made the most of this natural son of Dives, and been as 

 polite to him as possible. However, he was evidently no favourite 

 of Frosty's. So I jnst asked — not that one likes to be familiar 

 with servants, you know, but still this brown-booted beggar is 

 enough to excite one's curiosity and make any one go out of one's 

 way a little, — so I just asked Frosty what he knew about him. 

 ' All over the left,' said Frosty, jerking his thumb back over his 

 shoulder, and looking as knowing' as a goose with one eye ; 'all 

 over the left,' repeated he. 'What's over the left?' said I. 

 ' Why, this Mr. Sponge,' said he. ' How so ? ' asked I. 'Why,' 

 said Frosty, ' he's come gammonin' down here that he's a great 

 man — full of money, and horses, and so on ; but it's all my eye, 

 he's no more a great man than I am.' " 



" The deuce ! " exclaimed Jack, who had sat squinting and 

 listening intently as his lordship proceeded. "Well, now, hang 

 me, I thought he was a snob the moment I saw him," continued 

 he ; Jack being one of those clever gentlemen who know every- 

 thing after they are told. 



" ' Well, how do you know, Jack ? ' said I to Frosty. ' Oh I 

 Jcnows? replied he, as if he Avas certain about it. However, I 

 wasn't satisfied without knowing too ; and, as we kept jogging on, 

 we came to the old Coach and Horses, and I said to Jack, ' We 

 may as well have a drop of something to warm us.' So we halted, 

 and had glasses of brandy apiece, whips and all ; and then, as we 

 jogged on again, I just said to Jack, casually, ' Did you say it 

 was Mr. Blossomnose told you about old Brown Boots ? ' 'No — 

 Blossomnose — no? replied he, as if Blossom never had anything half 

 so good to tell ; ' it was a young woman,' said he, in an undertone, 

 ' who told me, and she had it from old Brown Boots's groom.' " 



" Well, that's good, observed Jack, diving his hands into the very 

 bottom of his great tartan trouser pockets, and shooting his legs 

 out before him ; " Well, that's good" repeated he, falling into a 

 sort of reverie. 



" Well, but what can we make of it ? " at length inqu/'red he, 

 after a long pause, during which he ran the facts through his mind, 

 and thought they could not be much ruder to Sponge than they 

 had been. " What can we make of it ? " said he. " The fellow 

 can ride, and we can't prevent him hunting ; and his having 

 nothing only makes him less careful of his neck." 



