MB. SPONGE'S SPOUTING TOUR. 



n 



CHAPTER XIV. 



A NEW SCHEME. 



SPONGE IN GOOD FEATHER. 



Our friend Soapey was now in good fe,ather ; be had got a large 

 price for his good-for-nothing horse, with a very handsome bonus 

 for not getting him back, making him better off than he had been 

 for some time. Gentleman of his calibre are generally extremely 

 affluent in everything except cash. They have bills without end — 

 bills that nobody will toucb, and book debts in abundance — book 

 debts entered with metallic pencils in curious little clasped pocket- 

 books, with such utter disregard of method that it would puzzle an 

 accountant to comb them into anything like shape. 



It is true, what Mr. Sponge got from Mr. Waffles were bills — 

 but they were good bills, and of such reasonable date as the most 

 exacting of the Jew tribe would " do " for twenty per cent. Mr. 



