84 mr. sponge's sporting tour. 



" Oh, I beg pardon sir, replied the keeper, thinking he had made 

 a mistake ; " it was Mr. Sponge whose horses I had to bespeak stalls 

 for," touching his hat profusely as he spoke. 



" Well, this be Mr. Sponge," observed Leather, who had been 

 listening attentively to what passed. 



" 'Deed ! " said the keeper, again turning to our hero, with an " I 

 beg pardon, sir, but the stable is for you then, sir — for Mr. Sponge, 

 sir." 



" How do you know that ? " demanded our friend. 



" 'Cause Mr. Spigot, the butler, says to me, says he, ' Mr. 

 Watson,' says he — my name's Watson, you see," continued the 

 speaker, sawing away at his hat, " my name's Watson you see, and 

 I'm the head gamekeeper. ' Mr. Watson,' says he, ' you must go down 

 to the tavern and order a three-stall stable for a gentleman of the 

 name of Sponge, whose horses are a comin' to-day ; ' and in course 

 I've come 'cordingly," added Watson. 



" A three-stalVd stable ! " observed Mr. Sponge with an emphasis. 



" A three-stall'd stable," repeated Mr. Watson. 



" Confound him, but he said he'd take in a hack at all events," 

 observed Sponge, with a sideway shake of the head ; " and a hack he 

 shall take in, too," he added. " Are your stables full at Jawleyford 

 Court ? " he asked. 



" 'Ord bless you, no, sir," replied Watson with a leer ; " there's 

 nothin' in them but a couple of weedy hacks and a pair of old worn- 

 out carriage horses." 



" Then I can get this hack taken in, at all events," observed 

 Sponge, laying his hand on the neck of the piebald as he spoke. 



" Why, as to that," replied Mr. Watson, with a shake of the head, 

 " I can't say nothin'." 



" I must, though" rejoined Sponge, tartly; "he said he'd take 

 in my hack, or I wouldn't have come." 



" Well, sir," observed the keeper, " you know best sir." 



11 Confounded screw ! " muttered Sponge, turning away to give 

 his orders to Leather. " I'll work him for it," he added. " He sha'n't 

 get rid of me in a hurry — at least not unless I can get a better billet 

 elsewhere." 



Having arranged the parting with Leather, and got a cart to 

 carry his things, Mr. Sponge mounted the piebald, and put, himself 

 under the guidance of Watson to be conducted to his destination. 

 The first part of the journey was performed in silence, Mr. Sponge 

 not being particularly well pleased at the reception his request to 

 have his horses taken in had met with. This silence he might have 

 preserved throughout had it not occurred to him, that he might' 

 pump something out of the servant about the family he was going to 

 visit. 



" That's not a bad-like old cob of yours," he observed, drawing 

 rein so as to let the shaggy white come along side of him. 



