MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. 91 



and easy rise that an invalid might almost have been drawn up it in 

 a garden chair. 



Passing a short distance along a spacious corridor, Mr. Jawley- 

 ford presently opened a door to the right, and led the way into a 

 large gloomy room, with a little newly-lighted wood fire crackling in 

 an enormous grate, making darkness visible, and drawing the cold out 

 of the walls. We need scarcely say it was that terrible room — the 

 best; with three creaking, ill-fitting windows, and heavy crimson 

 satin-damask furniture, so old as scarcely to be able to sustain its 

 own weight. 



" Ah ! here you are," observed Mr. Jawleyford, as he nearly 

 tripped over Sponge's luggage as it stood by the fire. " Here you 

 are," repeated he, giving the candle a flourish, to show the size of the 

 room, and draw it back on the portrait of himself above the mantel- 

 piece. " Ah ! I declare here's an old picture of myself," said he, 

 holding the candle up to the face, as if he hadn't seen it for some 

 time, — " a picture that was done when I was in the Bumperkin yeo- 

 manry," continued he, passing the light before the facings. " That 

 was considered a good likeness at the time," said he, looking affec- 

 tionately at it, and feeling his nose to see if it was still the same 

 size : " ours was a capital corps — one of the best, if not the very 

 best in the service. The inspecting officer always spoke of it in the 

 highest possible terms — especially of my company, which really was 

 just as perfect as anything my Lord Cardigan, or any of your crack 

 disciplinarians, can produce. However, never mind," continued he, 

 lowering the candle, seeing Mr. Sponge didn't enter into the spirit 

 of the thing ; you'll be wanting to dress. You'll find hot water on 

 the table yonder," pointing to the far corner of the room, where the 

 outline of a jug might just be descried; " there's a bell in the bed if 

 you want anything ; and dinner will be ready as soon as you are 

 dressed. You needn't make yourself very fine," added he, as he re- 

 tired ; " for we are only ourselves : hope we shall have some of our 

 neighbours to-morrow or next day, but we are rather badly off for 

 neighbours just here — at least for short-notice neighbours." So say- 

 ing, he disappeared through the dark doorway. 



The latter statement was true enough, for Jawleyford, though ap- 

 parently such a fine open-hearted, sociable sort of man, was in reality 

 a very quarrelsome, troublesome fellow. He quarrelled with all his 

 neighbours in succession, generally getting through them every two 

 or three years ; and his acquaintance were divided into two classes — 

 the best and the worst fellows under the sun. A stranger revising 

 Jawleyford after an absence of a year or two, would very likely find 

 the best fellows of former days transformed into the worst ones 

 of that. Thus, Parson Hobanob, that pet victim of country caprice, 

 would come in and go out of season like lamb or asparagus ; Major 

 Moustache and Jawleyford would be as " thick as thieves " one day, 



