MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 21 



raytker difficult to ride, — tkat's to say, tke grey, tke neatest of tke 

 two, and ke may come back, and if so, you shall kave kim ; and a 

 safer, sweeter oss was never seen, or one more like to do credit to a 

 gent : but you knows wkat an oss is, Mr. Sponge, and can do justice 

 to me, and I skould like to put summut good into your kands — that I 

 should." 



Witk conversation, or ratker witk balderdasb, suck as tkis, Mr. 

 Buckram beguiled tke few minutes necessary for removing tke band- 

 ages, kiding tke bottles, and stirring up tke cripples about to be ex- 

 amined, and tke keavy flap of tke coack-kouse door announcing tkat 

 all was ready, ke fortkwitk led tke way tkrougk a door in tke brick 

 wall into a little three-sides of a square yard, formed of stables and 

 loose boxes, witk a dilapidated dove-cote above a pump in tke centre ; 

 Mr. Buckram, not growing corn, could afford to keep pigeons. 



CHAPTER III. 



PETER LEATHER. 



Nothing bespeaks tke ckaracter of a dealer's trade more tkan tke 

 servants and kangers-on of tke establiskment. Tke civiler in manner, 

 and tke better tbey are " put on," tke kigker tke standing of tke 

 master, and tke better tke stamp of tke korses. 



Tkose about Mr. Buckram's were of a very skady order. Dirty- 

 skirted, sloggering, baggy-breecked, slangey-gaitered fellows, witk tke 

 word " gin " indelibly imprinted on tkeir faces. Peter Leatker, tke 

 kead man, was one of tke fallen angels of servitude. He kad once 

 driven a Duke — tke Duke of Dazzleton — kaving notkino- wkatever to 

 do but dress kimself and climb into kis well- indented rickly- fringed 

 tkrone, witk a kelper at eack korse's kead to " let go " at a nod from 

 kis broad laced tkree-cornered kat. Then kaving got in kis cargo (or 

 rubbisk, as ke used to call tkem), ke would start off at a pace tkat 

 was truly terrific, cutting out tkis vekicle, skooting past tkat, all but 

 grazing a tkird, anatkematising tke 'busses, and abusing tke draymen. 

 We don't know kow ke migkt be witk tke queen, but ke certainly 

 drove as tkougk ke tkougkt nobody kad any business in tke street 

 wkile tke Duckess of Dazzleton wanted it. Tke Duckess liked going 

 fast, and Peter accommodated ker. Tke duke jobbed kis korses and 

 didn't care about pace, and so tbings migkt kave gone on very com- 

 fortably, if Peter one afternoon kadn't run kis pole into tke panel of 

 a very plain but very neat yellow baroucke, passing tke end of New 

 Bond-street, wkick kaving notking but a simple crest — a stag's kead 



