382 MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 



voted himself heir to his uncle, Mr. Gilroy, of Queercove Hill, a 

 great cattle-jobber, with a " small independence of his own " — 

 three hundred a year, perhaps, which a kind world called six — 

 Facey thought he would just hang about until his uncle was done 

 with his shoes, and then be lord of Queercove Hill. 



Now, "me Oncle Gilroy," of whom Facey was constantly talking, 

 had a left-handed wife and a promising family in the sylvan retire- 

 ment of St. John's "Wood, whither he used to retire after his 

 business in " Smi'fier " was over ; so that Facey, for once, was out 

 in his calculations. Gilroy, however, being as knowing as " his 

 nevvey," as he called him, just encouraged Facey in his shooting, 

 fishing, and idle propensities generally, doubtless finding it more 

 convenient to have his fish and game for nothing than to pay for 

 them. 



Facey, having the apparently inexhaustible sum of a thousand 

 pounds, began life as a fox-hunter — in a very small way, to be 

 sure — more for the purpose of selling horses than anything else ; 

 but, having succeeded in "doing" all the do-able gentlemen, both 

 with the " Tip and Go " and Cranerfield hounds, his occupation 

 was gone, it requiring an extended field — such as our friend Sponge 

 roamed — to carry on cheating in horses for any length of time. 

 Facey was soon blown, his name in connection with a horse being 

 enough to prevent any one looking at him. Indeed, we question 

 that there is any less desirable mode of making, or trying to make 

 money, than by cheating or even dealing in horses. Many people 

 fancy themselves cheated, whatever they get ; while the man who 

 is really cheated never forgets it, and proclaims it to the end of 

 time. Moreover, no one can go on cheating in horses for any length 

 of time, without putting himself in the power of his groom ; and 

 let those who have seen how servants lord it over each other say 

 how they would like to subject themselves to similar treatment. — 

 But to our story. 



Facey Romford had now a splendid milk-white horse, well-known 

 in Mr. Nobbington's and Lord Leader's hunts as Mr. Hobler, but 

 who Facey kindly rechristened the " Nonpareil," which the now 

 rising price of oats, and falling state of his finances, made him 

 particularly anxious to get rid of, ere the horse performed the 

 equestrian feat of "eating its head off." He was a very hunter- 

 like looking horse, but his misfortune consisted in having such 

 shocking seedy toes that he couldn't keep his shoes on. If he got 

 through the first field with them on, they were sure to be off at the 

 fence. This horse Facey voted to be the very thing for Mr. Sponge, 

 and hearing that he had come into the country to hunt, it occurred 

 to him that it would be a capital thing if he could get him to take 

 Mother Overend's spare bed and lodge with him, twelve shillings 

 a-week being more than Facey liked paying for his rooms. Not 



