440 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



" I dare say, you never were at one before," observes his mother. 



" No, I never was at one before," replies Robert. 



And though last not least, here's Faccy Romford, with his arm 

 in a sling, on Mr. Hobler, come to look after that sivin-p'und-tcn, 

 which we wish he may get. 



Hark ! there's a row below the stand, and Viney is seen in a 

 state of excitement inquiring for Mr. Washball. Pacey has 

 objected to a gentleman rider, and Guano and Puffington have 

 differed on the point. A nice, slim, well-put-on lad (Buckram's 

 roughrider) has come to the scales and claimed to be allowed 3 lbs. 

 as the Honourable Captain Boville. Finding the point questioned, 

 he abandons the " handle," and sinks into plain Captain Boville. 

 Pacey now objects to him altogether. 



" S-c-e-u-s-e me, sir ; s-c-e-u-s-c me, sir," simpers our friend 

 Dick Bragg, sidling up to the objector with a sort of tendency of 

 his turn-back-wristed hand to his hat. " S-c-e-u-s-e me, sir ; 

 s-c-e-u-s-e me," repeats he, "but I think you was wrong, sir, in 

 objecting to Captain Boville, sir, as a gen'l'man rider, sir." 



" Why? " demands Pacey, in the full flush of victory. 



"Oh, sir — because, sir — in fact, sir — he is a gen'l'man, sir." 



" Is a gentleman ! How do you know ? " demands Pacey, in 

 the same tone as before. 



" Oh, sir, he's a gen'l'man — an undoubted gen'l'man. Every- 

 thing about him shows that. Does nothing — breeches by 

 Anderson — boots by Bartlcy ; besides which, he drinks wine every 

 day, and has a whole box of cigars in his bedroom. But don't 

 take my word for it, pray," continued Bragg, seeing Pacey 

 was wavering ; don't take my word for it, pray. There's a 

 genTman, a countryman of his somewhere about," added he, 

 looking anxiously into the surrounding crowd — " there's a 

 gen'l'man, a countryman of his somewhere about, if we could but 

 find him," Bragg standing on his tiptoes, and exclaiming, " Mr. 

 Buckram ! Mr. Buckram ! Has anybody seen anything of Mr. 

 Buckram ! " 



" Mere ! " replied a meek voice from beliiud ; upon which 

 there was an elbowing through the crowd, and presently a most 

 respectable, rosy-gilled, grey-haired hawbuck-looking man, attired 

 in a new brown cut-away, with bright buttons and a velvet collar, 

 with a buff waistcoat, came twirling an ash-stick in one hand, and 

 fumbling the silver in his drab trousers' pocket with the other, in 

 front of the bystanders. 



" Oh ! 'ere he is ! " exclaimed Bragg, appealiug to the stranger 

 with a hasty " You kuow Captain Boville, don't you ? " 



"Why, now, as to the matter of that," replied the gentleman, 

 gathering all the loose silver up into his hand, and speaking very 

 slowly, just as a country gentleman, who has all the livelong day 



