86 



MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



every two or three years ; and his acquaintance were divided into 

 two classes — the best and the worst fellows under the sun. A 

 stranger revising Jawleyford after an absence of a year or two, 

 would very likely find the best fellows of former days transformed 

 into the worst ones of that. Thus, Parson Hobanob, that pet 

 victim of country caprice, would come in and go out of season like 

 lamb or asparagus ; Major Moustache and Jawleyford would be as 

 "thick as thieves" one day, and at daggers drawn the next ; Squire 

 Squaretoes, of Squaretoes House, and he, were continually kissing 

 or cutting ; and even distance — nine miles of bad road, and, of 

 course, heavy tolls— could not keep the peace between lawyer 

 Seedywig and him. What between rows and reconciliations, 

 Jawleyford was always at work. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE DINNER. 



TV T OTWITHSTANDING Jawley- 

 ford's recommendation to the 

 contrary, Mr. Sponge made 

 himself an uncommon swell. 

 He put on a desperately stiff 

 starchier, secured in front with 

 a large gold fox-head pin with 

 carbuncle eyes ; a fine, fancy- 

 fronted shirt, with a slight 

 tendency to pink, adorned with 

 mosaic-gold-tethered studs of 

 sparkling diamonds (or French 

 paste, as the case might be) ; 

 a white waistcoat with fancy 

 buttons ; a blue coat with 

 bright plain ones, and a velvet 

 collar, black tights, with broad 

 black - and - white Cranbourne- 

 alley-looking stockings (socks, 

 making light wime. rather), and patent leather 



pumps with gilt buckles- 

 Sponge was proud of his leg. The young ladies, too, turned out 

 rather smart ; for Amelia, finding that Emily was going to put on 

 her new yellow watered silk, instead of a dyed satin she had talked 

 of, made Juliana produce her broad-laced blue satin dress out of 



