184 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



" Why, it couldn't be less than twelve miles from point to point," 

 observed Jack, thinking it over. 



" Not a yard," replied his lordship, " not a yard, and from 

 fourteen to fifteen as the hounds ran." 



" It would be all that," assented Jack. " How long were you 

 in doing it ? " he asked. 



" An hour and forty minutes," replied his lordship ; " an hour 

 and forty minutes from the find to the finish ; " adding, " I'll 

 stick tbe brush and present it to Mrs. Springwheat." 



" It's to be hoped Springy's out of the brook," observed Jack. 



" To be hoped so," replied his lordship ; thinking if he wasn't, 

 whether he should marry Mrs. Springwheat or not. 



Well now, after all that, we fancy we hear our fair friends 

 exclaim, " Thank goodness, there's an end of Lord Scamperdale 

 and his hunting ; he has had a good run, and will rest quiet for a 

 time ; we shall now hear something of Amelia and Emily, and the 

 doings at Jawleyford Court." Mistaken lady ! If you are lucky 

 enough to marry an out-and-out fox-huuter, you will find that a 

 good run is only adding fuel to the fire, only making him anxious 

 for more. Lord Scamperdale 's sporting fire was in full blaze. His 

 bumps and his thumps, his rolls, and his scrambles, only brought 

 out the beauties and perfections of the thing. He cared nothing 

 for his hat-crown, no ; nor for his coat-lap either. Nay, he 

 wouldn't have cared if it had been made into a spencer. 



"What's to-day ? Monday," said his lordship, answering him- 

 self. " Monday," he repeated ; " Monday — bubble-and-squeak, I 

 guess — sooner it's ready the better, for I'm half famished — didn't 

 do half justice to that nice breakfast at Springy's. That nasty 

 brown-booted buffer completely threw me off my feed. By the way, 

 what became of the chestnut-booted animal ? " 



" Went home," replied Jack ; " fittest place for him." 



" Hope he'll stay there," rejoined his lordship. " No fear of his 

 being at the roads to-morrow, is there ? " 



"None," replied Jack. " I told him it was quite an impossible 

 distance from him, twenty miles at least." 



" That's grand ! " exclaimed his lordship ; " that's grand ! 

 Then we'll have a rare, ding-dong hey — away pop. There'll be 

 no end of those nasty, jealous, Puffington dogs out ; and if we 

 have half such a scent as we had to-day, we'll sew some of them 

 up, we'll show 'em what hunting is. Now," he added, " if you'll 

 go and get the bottle of port, I'll clean myself, and then we'll 

 have dinner as quick as we can." 



