176 MB. SPONGE'S SPOBTING TOUB. 



whites of Jack's eyes again settled upon him, on the latter's look- 

 ing up from his plateful of sausages. 



" Nicely. How are you ? " asked Jack. 



" Nicely too," replied Sponge, in the laconic way men speak 

 who have been engaged in some common enterprise— getting 

 drunk, pelting people with rotten eggs, or anything of that sort. 



" Jaw and the ladies well ? " asked Jack, in the same strain. 



" Oh, nicely," said Sponge. 



" Take a glass of cherry-brandy," exclaimed the hospitable Mr. 

 Springwheat : " nothing like a drop of something for steadying 

 the nerves." 



" Presently," replied Sponge, " presently ; meanwhile I'll trouble 

 the missis for a cup of coffee. Coffee without sugar," said Sponge, 

 addressing the lady. 



" With pleasure," replied Mrs. Springwheat, glad to get a little 

 custom for her goods. Most of the gentlemen had been at the 

 bottles and sideboard. 



Springwheat, seeing Mr. Sponge, the only person who, as a 

 stranger, there was any occasion for him to attend to, in the care 

 of his wife, now slipped out of the room, and mounting his five- 

 year-old horse, whose tail stuck out like the long horn of a coach, 

 as his ploughman groom said, rode off to join the hunt. 



" By the powers, but those are capital sarsingers ! " observed 

 Jack, smacking his lips and eating away for hard life. " Just 

 look if my lord's on his horse yet," added he to one of the 

 children, who had begun to hover round the table and dive their 

 fingers into the sweets. 



"No," replied the child ; "he's still on foot, playing with the dogs." 



" Here goes, then," said Jack, " for another plate," suiting the 

 action to the word, and running with his plate to the sausage-dish. 



" Have a hot one," exclaimed Mrs. Springwheat, adding, " it 

 will be done in a minute." 



" No, thank ye," replied Jack, with a shake of the head, adding, 

 " I might be done in a minute too." 



" He'll waitfor you, Isuppose?" observed Sponge, addressing Jack. 



" Not so clear about that," replied Jack, gobbling away ; " time 

 and my lord wait for no man. But it's hardly the half-hour yet," 

 added he, looking at his watch. 



He then fell to with the voracity of a hound after hunting. 

 Sponge, too, made the most of his time, as did two or three others 

 who still remained. 



" Now for the jumping-powder ! " at length exclaimed Sponge, 

 looking round for the bottle. " What shall it be, cherry or neat ?" 

 continued he, pointing to the two. 



" Cherry for me," replied Jack, squinting and eating away 

 without looking up. 



