74 



ship off, who, I should tell you, is an uncommon fat 'un, he wouldn't 

 let him on again, and he 'ad to lead him the matter of I don't know 

 'ow many miles ; " Mr. Buckram letting go the whole balance of sil- 

 ver in a rush, as if to denote that it was no joke. 



" The brute ! " observed Mr. Waffles, in disgust, adding, " Well, 

 as you seem to have a pretty good opinion of him, suppose you buy 

 him ; I'll let you have him cheap." 



" Ord bless you, my lord — that's to say, sir ! " exclaimed Buck- 

 ram, shrugging up his shoulders, and raising his eyebrows as high as 

 they would go, " he'd be of no use to me, none votsomever — shouldn't 

 know wot to do with him — never do for 'arness — besides, I 'ave a 

 werry good machiner as it is — at least, he sarves my turn, and that's 

 everything, you know. No, sir, no," continued he, slowly and thought- 

 fully, dropping the silver to half-minute* time ; " no, sir, no ; if I 

 might make free with a gen'lman o' your helegance," continued 

 he, after a pause, " I'd say, sell 'm to a post-master or a buss-master, 

 or some sich cattle as those, but I doesn't think I'd put 'im into the 

 'ands of no gen'lman, that's to say if I were you, at least," added he. 



u Well, then, will you speculate on him yourself for the buss- 

 masters ? " asked Mr. Waffles, tired alike of the colloquy and the 

 quadruped. 



" Oh, vy, as to that," replied Mr. Buckram, with an air of the 

 most perfect indifference, " vy, as to that — not bein' nouther a post- 

 master nor a buss-master — but 'aving, as I said before, a little hinde- 

 pendence o' my own, vy, I couldn't in course give such a bountiful 

 price as if I could turn 'im to account at once ; but if it would be 

 any 'commodation to you," added he, working the silver up into full 

 cry, " I wouldn't mind givin' you the with (worth) of 'im — say, de- 

 ductin' expenses hup to town, and standin' at livery afore I finds a 

 customer — expenses hup to town," continued Mr. Buckram, mutter- 

 ing to himself in apparent calculation, " standin' at livery — three- 

 and-sixpence a night, grum, and so on — I wouldn't mind," continued 

 he, briskly, " givin' of you twenty pund for 'm — if you'd throw me 

 back a so v.," continued he, seeing Mr. Waffles' brow didn't contract 

 into the frown he expected at having such a sum offered for his three 

 hundred-guinea horse. 



Jn the course of an hour, that wonderful invention of modern 

 times, — the Electric Telegraph — conveyed the satisfactory words 

 " All right " to our friend Mr. Sponge, just as he was sitting down 

 to dinner in a certain sumptuously sanded coffee-room in Conduit 

 Street, who forthwith sealed and posted the following ready-written 

 letter : — 



Bantam Hotel, Bond Street. 



« Sir, 



" I have been greatly surprised and hurt to hear that you have 

 thought fit to impeach my integrity, and insinuate that I have taken 



