mr. sponge's sporting tour. 87 



striking four, as the horsemen rode under the Gothic portico, whose 

 notes re-echoed and reverberated, and at last lost themselves among 

 the towers and pinnacles of the building. Sponge, for a moment, was 

 awe-stricken at the magnificence of the scene, feeling that it was 

 what he would call " a good many cuts above him ; " but he soon re- 

 covered his wonted impudence. 



" He would have me," thought he, recalling the pressing nature of 

 the Jawleyford invitation. 



" If you'll hold my nag," said Watson, throwing himself off the 

 shaggy white, " I'll ring the bell," added he, running up a wide flight 

 of steps to the hall door. A riotous peal announced the arrival. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE JAWLEYFORD ESTABLISHMENT. 



The loud peal of the Jawleyford Court door-bell, announcing Mr. 

 Sponge's arrival, with which we closed the last chapter, found the in- 

 habitants variously engaged preparing for his reception. 



Mrs. Jawleyford, with the aid of a very indifferent cook, was en- 

 deavoring to arrange a becoming dinner ; the young ladies, with the 

 aid of. a somewhat better sort of maid, were attractifying themselves, 

 each looking with considerable jealousy on the efforts of the other ; 

 and Mr. Jawleyford was trotting from room to room, eyeing the various 

 pictures of himself, wondering which was now the most like, and 

 watching the emergence of curtains, carpets, and sofas from their 

 brown-holland covers. 



A gleam of sunshine seemed to reign throughout the mansion ; the 

 long-covered furniture appearing to have gained freshness by its re- 

 tirement, just as a newly done-up hat surprises the wearer by its good- 

 ness : a few days, however, soon restores the defects of either. 



All these arrangements were suddenly brought to a close by the peal 

 of the door-bell, just as the little stage-tinkle of a theatre stops prep- 

 aration, and compels the actors to stand forward as they are. Mrs. 

 Jawleyford threw aside her silk apron, and took a hasty glance of her 

 face in the old eagle-topped mirror in the still-room ; the young la- 

 dies discarded their coarse dirty pocket-handkerchiefs, and gently 

 drew elaborately-fringed ones through their taper fingers to give them 

 an air of use, as they took a hasty review of themselves in the swing 

 mirrors ; the housemaid hurried off with a whole armful of brown 

 holland ; and Jawleyford threw himself into attitude in an elaborately- 

 carved, richly-cushioned, easy chair, with a Disraeli's " Life of Lord 



