Mil. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



277 



CHAPTEK XL. 



THE MORNING'S REFLECTIONS. 



HEN young 

 Pacey awoke 

 in the morn- 

 ing he had a 

 very bad head- 

 ache, and his 

 temples throb- 

 bed as if the 

 veins would 

 burst their 

 bounds. The 

 first thing that 

 recalled the 

 actual position 

 of affairs to his 

 mind was feel- 

 ing under the 

 pillow for his 

 watch : a fruit- 

 less search, 

 that ended in 

 recalling some- 

 thing of the 

 overnight's 

 proceedings. 



Pacey liked 

 a cheap flash, 

 and w T hen elated w T ith wine might be betrayed into indiscretions 

 that his soberer moments were proof against. Indeed, among 

 youths of his own age he was reckoned rather a sharp hand ; and 

 it was the vanity of associating with men, and wishing to appear 

 a match for them, that occasionally brought him into trouble. In 

 a general way, he was a very cautious hand. 



He now lay tumbling and tossing about in bed, and little by 

 little he laid together the outline of the evening's proceedings, 

 beginning with his challenging Mr. Sponge's chestnut, and 

 ending with the resignation of his watch and chain. He 

 thought he was wrong to do anything of the sort. He didn't want 

 the horse, not he. What should he do with him ? he had one 

 more than he wanted as it was. Then, paying for him seventy 



Mil I'LFl INGTuN. 



