MB. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUB. 57 



A little lower down in the scale comes the income derived from 

 the profession of a " go-between "— the gentleman who can buy 

 the horse cheaper than you can. This was Caingey Thornton's 

 trade. He was always lurking about people's stables talking to 

 grooms and worming out secrets — whose horse had a cough, whose 

 was a wind-sucker, whose was lame after hunting, and so on — and 

 had a price current of every horse in the place — knew what bad 

 been given, what the owners asked, and had a pretty good guess 

 what they would take. 



"Waffles would have been an invaluable customer to Thornton 

 if the former's groom, Mr. Figg, had not been rather too hard with 

 his " reg'lars." He insisted on Caingey dividing whatever he got 

 out of his master with him. This reduced profits considerably ; 

 but still, as it was a profession that did not require any capital to 

 set up with, Thornton could afford to be liberal, having only to 

 tack on to one end to cut off at the other. 



After the opening Sponge gave as they rode home with the 

 hounds, Thornton had no difficulty in sounding him on the 

 subject. 



" You'll not think me impertinent, I hope," observed Caingey, 

 in his most deferential style, to our hero, when they met at the 

 News'-room the next day — "you'll not think me impertinent, I 

 hope ; but I think you said as we rode home, yesterday, that you 

 didn't altogether like the brown horse you were on ? " 



" Did I? " replied Mr. Sponge, with apparent surprise ; " I think 

 you must have misunderstood me." 



" Why, no ; it wasn't exactly that," rejoined Mr. Thornton, 

 " but you said you liked him better than you did, I think ? " 



" All ! I believe I did say something of the sort," replied 

 Sponge, casually — " I believe I did say something of the sort ; but 

 he carried me so well that I thought better of him. The fact 

 was," continued Mr. Sponge, confidentially, "I thought him rather 

 too light-mouthed ; I like a horse that bears more on the hand." 



" Indeed !" observed Mr. Thornton ; " most people think a light 

 mouth a recommendation." 



" I know they do," replied Mr. Sponge, "I know they do ; but 

 I like a horse that requires a little riding. Now this is too 

 much of a made horse — too much of what I call an old man's 

 horse, for me. Bullfrog, whom I bought him of, is very fat — 

 eats a great deal of venison and turtle — all sorts of good things, 

 in fact — and can't stand much tewing in the saddle ; now, 

 I rather like to feel that I am on a horse, and not in an arm- 

 chair." 



"He's a fine horse," observed Mr. Thornton. 



" So he ought," replied Mr. Sponge ; " I gave a hatful of 

 money for him — two hundred and fifty golden sovereigns, and 



