170 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



on their heads. There was Fyle, and Fossick, and Blossomnose, 

 and Sparks, and Joyce, and Capon, and Dribble, and a few 

 others, but neither Washball nor Puffing-ton, nor any of the holi- 

 day birds. 



Precisely at ten, my lord, and his hounds, and his huntsman, 

 and his whips, and his Jack, trotted round Farmer Springwheat's 

 spacious back premises, and appeared in due form before the green 

 rails in front. " Pride attends us all," as the poet says ; and if 

 his lordship had ridden into the yard, and halloaed out for a glass 

 of home-brewed, Springwheat would have trapped every fox on his 

 farm, and the blooming Mrs. Springwheat would have had an 

 interminable poultry-bill against the hunt ; whereas, simply by 

 "making things pleasant," — that is to say, coming to breakfast 

 — Springwheat saw his corn trampled on, nay, led the way over it 

 himself, and Mrs. Springwheat saw her Dorkings disappear with- 

 out a murmur — unless, indeed, an inquiry when his lordship would 

 be coming could be considered in that light. 



Larkhall Hill stood in the centre of a circle, on a gentle eminence, 

 commanding a view over a farm whose fertile fields and well-trimmed 

 fences sufficiently indicated its boundaries, and looked indeed as 

 if all the good of the country had come up to it. It was green 

 and luxuriant even in winter, while the strong cane-coloured 

 stubbles showed what a crop there had been. Turnips as big as 

 cheeses swelled above the ground. In a little narrow dell, whose 

 existence was more plainly indicated from the house by several 

 healthy spindling larches shooting up from among the green gorsc, 

 was the cover — an almost certain find, with the almost equal 

 certainty of a run from it. It occupied both sides, of the sandy, 

 rabbit-frequented dell, through which ran a sparkling stream, and 

 it possessed the great advantage to foot-people of letting them see 

 the fox found. Larkhall Hill, was, therefore a favourite both with 

 horse and foot. So much good — at all events so much well-farmed 

 land would seem to justify a better or more imposing-looking house, 

 the present one consisting, exclusive of the projecting garret ones 

 in the Dutch tile roof, of the usual four windows and a door, that 

 so well tell their own tale ; passage in the middle, staircase in 

 front, parlour on the right, best ditto on the left, with rooms to 

 correspond above. To be sure, there was a great depth of house 

 to the back ; but this in no way contributed to the importance 

 of the front, from which point alone the Springwheats chose to 

 have it contemplated. If the back arrangements could have been 

 divided, and added to the sides, they would have made two very 

 good wings to the old red brick rose-entwined mansion. Having 

 mentioned that its colour was red, it is almost superfluous to add 

 that the door and rails were green. 



This was a busy morning at Larkhall Hill. It was the first day 



