154 MB. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUB. 



such little, vexatious, up-and-down, wavy dips as completely to do 

 away with all chance of expedition. The route was not along one 

 continuous trust, but here over a bit of turnpike and there over a 

 bit of turnpike, with ever and anon long interregnums of township 

 roads, repaired in the usual primitive style with mud and soft 

 field-stones, that turned up like flitches of bacon. A man would 

 travel from London to Exeter by rail in as short a time, and with 

 far greater ease, than he would drive from Lord Scamperdale's to 

 Jawleyford Court. His lordship being aware of this fact, and 

 thinking, moreover, it was no use trashing a good horse over such 

 roads, had desired Frosty face to put an old spavined grey mare, 

 that he had bought for the kennel, into the dog-cart, and out of 

 which, his lordship thought, if he could get a day's work or two, 

 she would come all the cheaper to the boiler. 



" That's a good-shaped beast," observed his lordship, as she now 

 came hitching round to the door ; " I really think she would make 

 a cover hack." 



" Sooner you ride her thau me," replied Jack, seeing his lord- 

 ship was coming the dealer over him — praising the shape when he 

 could say nothing for the action. 



" Well, but she'll take you to Jawleyford Court as quick as the 

 best of them," rejoined his lordship ; adding, " the roads are 

 wretched, and Jaw's stables are a disgrace to humanity — might as 

 well put a horse in a cellar." 



" Well," observed Jack, retiring from the parlour window to his 

 little den along the passage, to put the finishing touch to his 

 toilet — the green cut-away and buff waistcoat, which he further 

 set off with a black satin stock — " Well," said he, " needs must 

 when a certain gentleman drives." 



He presently re-appeared full fig, rubbing a fine new eight-and- 

 sixpenny flat-brimmed hat round and round with a substantial 

 puce-coloured bandana. 



" Now for the specs ! " exclaimed he, with the gaiety of a man 

 in his Sunday's best, bound on a holiday trip. " Now for the 

 silver specs ! " repeated he. 



" Ah, true," replied his lordship ; " I'd forgot the specs." (He 

 hadn't, only he thought his silver-mounted ones would be safer in 

 his keeping than in Jack's.) " I'd forgot the specs. However, 

 never mind, you shall have these," said he, taking his tortoise- 

 shell-rimmed, ones off" his nose and handing them to Jack. 



"You promised me the silver ones," observed our friend Jack, 

 who wanted to be smart. 



" Did I ? " replied his lordship ; " I declare I'd forgot. Ah, 

 yes, I believe I did," added he, with an air of sudden enlighten- 

 ment, — " the pair up stairs ; but how the deuce to get at them I 

 don't know, for the key of the Indian cabinet is locked in the old 



