103 



you get as near the place you want as you can, if it isn't set down in 

 black and white to your hand in the book." 



" Just so," said Jawleyford, " just so. It must be a very useful 

 work indeed, very useful work. I'll get one — I'll get one. How 

 much did you say it was — a guinea ? a guinea ? " 



"A shilling," replied Sponge, adding, "you may have mine for a 

 guinea if you like." 



" By jove, what a day it is ! " observed Jawleyford, turning the 

 conversation, as the wind dashed the hard sleet against the window 

 like a shower of pebbles. " Lucky to have a good house over one's 

 head, such weather; and, by the way, that reminds me, I'll show you 

 my new gallery and collection of curiosities — pictures, busts, marbles, 

 antiques, and so on; there'll be fires on, and we shall be just as well 

 there as here." So saying, Jawleyford led the way through a dark, 

 intricate, shabby passage, to where a much gilded white door, with 

 a handsome crimson curtain over it, announced the entrance to 

 something better. " Now, " said Mr. Jawleyford, bowing as he 

 threw open the door, and motioned, or rather flourished, his guest to 

 enter — " now," said he, "you shall see what you shall see." 



Mr. Sponge entered accordingly, and found himself at the end of 

 a gallery fifty feet by twenty, and fourteen high, lighted by skylights 

 and small windows round the top. There were fires in handsome 

 Caen-stone chimney-pieced fireplaces on either side, a large timepiece 

 and an organ at the far end, and sundry white basins scattered about, 

 catching the drops from the skylights. 



" Hang the rain ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, as he saw it trickling 

 over a river scene of Van G-oyen's (gentlemen in a yacht, and figures 

 in boats), and drip, drip, dripping on to the head of an infant Bacchus 

 below. 



" He wants an umbrella, that young gentleman," observed Sponge, 

 as Jawleyford proceeded to dry him with his handkerchief. 



" Fine thing," observed Jawleyford, starting off to a side, and 

 pointing to it ; " fine thing — Italian marble — by Frere — cost a vast 

 of money — was offered three hundred for it. Are you a judge 

 of these things ?" asked Jawleyford; "are you a judge of these 

 things ? " 



" A little," replied Sponge, " a little ; " thinking he might as well 

 see what his intended father-in-law's personal property was like. 



" There's a beautiful thing ! " observed Jawleyford, pointing to 

 another group. " I picked that up for a mere nothing — twenty 

 guineas — worth two hundred at least. Lipsalve, the great picture- 

 dealer in Gammon Passage, offered me Murillo's ' Adoration of the 

 Virgin and Shepherds,' for which he showed me a receipt for a hun- 

 dred and eighty-five, for it." 



" Indeed ! " replied Sponge, " what is it ? " 



" It's a Bacchanal group, after Poussin, sculptured by Marin. I 



