MR. SPONGE'S SPOUTING TOUR. 223 



'"Glad if you would meet him,'" repeated his lordship, re- 

 turning to the letter, and reading as follows : " ' If you bring a 

 couple of nags or so we can put them up, and you may get a 

 wrinkle or two from Bragg.' A wrinkle or two from Bragg ! " 

 exclaimed his lordship, dropping the letter and rolling in his chair 

 with laughter. " A Avrinkle or two from Bragg ! — he — he — he — 

 he ! The idea of a wrinkle or two from Bragg ! — haw — haw — 

 haw — haw ! " 



" That beats cockfightin'," observed Jack, scpiinting frightfully. 



" Doesn't it ? " replied his lordship. " The man who's so brim- 

 ful of science that he doesn't kill above three brace of foxes in a 

 season." 



" Which Puff calls thirty," observed Jack. 



" Th-i-r-ty ! " exclaimed his lordship ; adding, " I'll lay he'll 

 not kill thirty in ten years." 



His lordship then picked the letter from the floor, and resumed 

 where he had left off. 



" 'I expect you will meet Tom Washball, Lumpleg, and Charley 

 Slapp.' " 



" A very pretty party," observed Jack ; adding, " Wouldn't be 

 seen goin' to a bull-bait with any on 'em." 



" Nor I," replied his lordship. 



"Birds of a feather," observed Jack. 



"Just so," said his lordship, resuming his reading. 



" ' I think I have a hound that may be useful to you — ' The 

 devil you have ! " exclaimed his lordship, grinding his teeth with 

 disgust. " Useful to me, you confounded haberdasher ! — you 

 hav'n't a hound in your pack that I'd take. ' I think I have a 

 hound that may be useful to you — ' " repeated his lordship. 



" A Beaufort Justice one, for a guinea ! " interrupted Jack ; 

 adding, " He got the name into his head at Oxford, and has been 

 harping upon it ever since." 



" ' I think I have a hound that may be useful to you — ' " re- 

 sumed his lordship, for the third time. "'It is Old Merriman, a 

 remarkably stout, true line hunting hound; but who is getting 

 slow for me — ' Slow for you, you beggar ! " exclaimed his lord- 

 ship ,- " I should have thought nothin' short of a wooden 'un would 

 have been too slow for you. ' He is a six-season hunter, and is by 

 Fitzwilliam's Singwell, out of his Darling. Singwell was by the 

 Rutland Rallywood, out of Tavistock's Rhapsody. Ptallywood was 

 by Old Lonsdale's—' Old Lonsdale's ! — the snob ! " sneered Lord 

 Scamperdale — " ' Old Lonsdale's Palafox, out of Anson's — ' 

 " Anson's ! — curse the fellow," again muttered his lordship — 

 " ' out of Anson's Madrigal. Darling was by Old Grafton's 

 Bolivar, out of Blowzy. Bolivar was by the Brocklesby ; that's 

 Yarborough's— ' That's Yarborough's ! " sneered his lordship. 



