308 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



" Why, no, not so much as if they went out," replied our friend, 

 thinking Mrs. Jog- was the one to side with. 



"Then you'd better (puff, wheeze, gasp) eat them between you," 

 replied Jog, getting up and strutting out of the room. 



Presently he appeared in front of the house, crowned in a pea- 

 green wide-awake, with a half-finished gibbcy in his hand ; and as 

 Mr. Sponge did not want to offend him, and moreover wanted to 

 get his horses billeted on him, he presently made an excuse for 

 joining him. 



Although Ins horses were standing "free gratis," as he called it, 

 at Mr. Piiilington's, and though he would have thought nothing of 

 making Mr. Leather come over with one each hunting morning, 

 still he felt that if the hounds were much on the other side of 

 Puddingpote Bower, it would not be so convenient as having them 

 there. Despite the egg controversy, he thought a judicious ap- 

 plication of soft sauder might accomplish what he wanted. At 

 all events, he would try. 



Jog had brought himself short up, and was standing glowering 

 with his hands in his coat-pockets, as if he had never seen the 

 place before. 



" Pretty look-out you have here, Mr. Jogglebury," observed Mr. 

 Sponge, joining him. 



"Very," replied Jog, still cogitating the egg question, and 

 thinking he wouldn't have so many boiled, the next day. 

 " Alf yours ? " asked Sponge, waving his hand as he spoke. 

 "My (puff) ter-ri-tory goes up to those (wheeze) firs in the 

 grass-field on the hill," replied Jogglebury, pompously. 



" Indeed," said Mr. Sponge, " they are fine trees ; " thinking 

 what a finish they would make for a steeple-chase. 



" My (puff) uncle, Crowdey, planted those (wheeze) trees," 

 observed Jog. " I observe," added he, " that it is easier to cut 

 down a (puff) tree than to make it (wheeze) again." 



" I believe you're right," replied Mr. Sponge ; " that idea has 

 struck me very often." 



" Has it ? " replied Jog, puffing voluminously into his frill. 

 Then they advanced a few paces, and, leaning on the iron 

 hurdles, commenced staring at the cows. 



"Where are the stables?" at last asked Sponge, seeing no 

 inclination to move on the part of his host. 



"Stables (wheeze) — stables (puff)," replied Jogglebury, recollect- 

 ing Sponge's previous day's proposal, — " stables (wheeze) are 

 behind," said he, "at the back there (puff); nothin' to see at them 

 (wheeze)." 



" There'll be the horse you drove yesterday ; won't you go to see 

 how he is ? " asked Mr. Sponge. 



