52 MB. SBONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



as though " killing " was a matter of every-day occurrence with 

 them. 



"Have you, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Waffles, adopting the lie 

 with avidity. 



"Yes, sir," said Tom, gravely; "he was nearly beat afore he 

 got to the brook. Indeed, I thought Vanquisher would have had 

 him in it ; but, however, he got through, and the scent failed on 

 the fallow, which gave him a chance ; but I held them on to the 

 hedgerow beyond, where they hit it off like wildfire, and they 

 never stopped again till they tumbled him over at the back of Mr. 

 Plummey's farm-buildings, at Shapwick. I've got his brush," 

 added Tom, producing a much tattered one from his pocket, " if 

 you'd like to have it ? " 



" Thank you, no — yes — no," replied Waffles, not wanting to be 

 bothered with it ; " yet stay," continued he, as his eye caught 

 Mr. Sponge, who was still on foot beside his vanquished friend ; 

 " give it to Mr. What-de-ye-call-'em," added he, nodding towards 

 our hero. 



" Sponge" observed Tom, in an undertone, giving the brush to 

 his master. 



" Mr. Sponge, will you do me the favour to accept the brush ? " 

 asked Mr. Waffles, advancing with it towards him ; adding, " I am 

 sorry this unlucky bather should have prevented your seeing the 

 end." 



Mr. Sponge was a pretty good judge of brushes, and not a bad 

 one of camphire ; but if this one had smelt twice as strong as it 

 did — indeed, if it had dropped to pieces in his hand, or the moths 

 had flown up in his face, he would have pocketed it, seeing it paved 

 the way to what he wanted — an introduction. 



" I'm very much obliged, I'm sure," observed he, advancing to 

 take it — "very much obliged, indeed; been an extremely good 

 run, and fast." 



" Very fair — very fair," observed Mr. Waffles, as though it were 

 nothing in their way ; seven miles in twenty minutes, I suppose, 

 or something of that sort." 



" 0/ie-and-twenty," interposed Tom, with a laudable anxiety for 

 accuracy. 



" Ah ! one-and-twenty," rejoined Mr. Waffles. " I thought it 

 would be somewhere thereabouts. Well, I suppose we've all had 

 enough," added he ; " may as well go home and have some 

 luncheon, and then a game at billiards, or rackets, or something. 

 How's the old water-rat ? " added he, turning to Thornton, who 

 was now busy emptying his cap and mopping the velvet. 



The water-rat was as well as could be expected, but did not quite 

 like the new aspect of affairs. He saw that Mr. Sponge was a 

 first-rate horseman, and also knew that nothing ingratiated one 



