MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 81 



the terrace to peep in at the heavy-mullioned window. " Matter I " 

 repeated he, as though he had got his coup de grace ; " look there" 

 added he, handing over the letter. 



" Oh, my dear," rejoined Mrs Jawleyford, soothingly, as soon 

 as she saw it was not what she expected. " Oh, my dear, I'm sure 

 there's nothing to make you put yourself so much out of the way.'' 



" No ! " roared Jawleyford, determined not to be done out of his 

 grievance. " No ! " repeated he ; " do you call that nothing ? " 



" Why, nothing to make yourself unhappy about," replied Mrs. 

 Jawleyford, rather pleased than otherwise ; for she was glad it was 

 not from Rings, the Jeweller, and, moreover, hated the monotony of 

 Jawleyford Court, and was glad of anything to relieve it. If she 

 had had her own way, she would have gadded about at watering- 

 places all the year round. 



" Well," said Jawleyford, with a toss of the head and a shrug of 

 resignation, " you'll have me in gaol ; I see that." 



"Nay, my dear J.," rejoined his wife, soothingly; "I'm sure 

 you've plenty of money." 



" Have I ! " ejaculated Jawleyford. " Do you suppose if I had 

 I'd have left Laverick Wells without paying Miss Bustlebey, or 

 given a bill at three months for the house-rent ? " 



" Well, but my dear, you've nothing to do but tell Mr. Screwem- 

 tight to get you some money from the tenants." 



" Money from the tenants ! " replied Mr. Jawleyford. " Screwem- 

 tight tells me he can't get another farthing from any man on the 

 estate." 



" Oh, pooh ! " said Mrs. Jawleyford ; " you're far too good to them. 

 I always say Screwemtight looks far more to their interest than he 

 does to yours." 



Jawleyford, we may observe, was one of the rather numerous 

 race of paper-booted, pen-and-ink landowners. He always dressed 

 in the country as he would in St. James's-street, and his communica- 

 tions with his tenantry were chiefly confined to dining with them 

 twice a year in the great entrance-hall, after Mr. Screwemtight had 

 eased them of tKeir cash in the steward's-room. Then Mr. Jawleyford 

 would shine forth the very impersonification of what a landlord ought 

 to be. Dressed in the height of fashion, as if by his clothes to give the 

 lie to his words, he would expatiate on the delights of such meetings 

 of equality ; declare that, next to those spent with his family, the 

 only really happy moments of his life were those when he was sur- 

 rounded by his tenantry; he doated on the manly character of the 

 English farmer. Then he would advert to the great antiquity of the 

 Jawleyford family, many generations of whom looked down upon 

 them from the walls of the old hall ; some on their war-steeds, some 

 armed cap-a-pie, some in court-dresses, some in Spanish ones, one in 

 a white dress with gold brocade breeches and a hat with an enormous 

 4* 



