MB. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 101 



' True,' replied his lordship, ' they are fine — very fine ; but you 

 have the Murillos. I'd like to give you a good round sum,' added 

 he, 'to pick out half-a-dozen pictures out of your gallery.' Do you 

 understand pictures ? " continued Jawleyford, turning short on his 

 friend Sponge. 



" A little," replied Sponge, in a tone that might mean either yes 

 or no — a great deal or nothing at all. 



Jawleyford then took him and worked him through his collec- 

 tion — talked of light and shade, and tone, and depth of colouring, 

 tints, and pencillings ; and put Sponge here and there and every- 

 where to catch the light (or rain, as the case might be) ; made him 

 convert his hand into an opera-glass, and occasionally put his head 

 between his legs to get an upside-down view — a feat that Sponge's 

 equestrian experience made him pretty well up to. So they looked, 

 and admired, and criticised, till Spigot's all-important figure 

 came looming up the gallery and announced that luncheon was 

 ready. 



" Bless me ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, pulling a most diminutive 

 Geneva watch, hung with pencils, pistol-keys, and other curiosities, 

 out of his pocket ; " Bless me, who'd have thought it ? One 

 o'clock, I declare ! Well, if this doesn't prove the value of a 

 gallery on a wet day, I don't know what does. However," said he, 

 " we must tear ourselves away for the present and go and see what 

 the ladies are about." 



If ever a man may be excused for indulging in luncheon, it 

 certainly is on a pouring wet clay (when he eats for occupation), or 

 when he is making love ; both which excuses Mr. Sponge had to 

 offer, so he just sat down and ate as heartily as the best of the 

 party, not excepting his host himself, who was an excellent hand 

 at luncheon. 



Jawleyford tried to get him back to the gallery after luncheon, 

 but a look from his wife intimated that Sponge was wanted 

 elsewhere, so he quietly saw him carried off to the music-room ; 

 and presently the notes of the " grand piano," and full clear voices 

 of his daughters, echoing along the passage, intimated that they 

 were trying what effect music would have upon him. 



When Mrs. Jawleyford looked in about an hour after, she found 

 Mr. Sponge sitting over the fire with his "Mogg" in his hand, 

 and the young ladies with their laps full of company-work, keeping 

 up a sort of cross-fire of conversation in the shape of question and 

 answer. Mrs. Jawleyford's company making matters worse, they 

 soon became tediously agreeable. 



In course of time, Jawleyford entered the room, with — 



" My dear Mr. Sponge, your groom has come up to know about 

 your horse to-morrow. I told him it was utterly impossible to 

 t hink of hunting, but he says he must have his orders from you. 



