104 MR. sponge's sporting tour. 



bought it at Lord Breakdown's sale ; it happened to be a wet day — 

 much such a day as this — and things went for nothing. This you'll 

 know, I presume ? " observed Jawleyford, laying his hand on a life- 

 sized bust of Diana, in Italian marble. 



" No, I don't," replied Sponge. 



11 No ! " exclaimed Jawleyford ; "I thought everybody had known 

 this : this is my celebrated ' Diana,' by Noindon — one of the finest 

 things in the world. Louis Philippe sent an agent over to this 

 country expressly to buy it." 



" Why didn't you sell it to him ? " asked Sponge. 



" Didn't want the money," replied Jawleyford, " didn't want the 

 money. In addition to which, though a king, he was a bit of a screw, 

 and we couldn't agree upon terms. This," observed Jawleyford, " is 

 a vase of the Cinque Cento period — a very fine thing ; and this," 

 laying his hand on the crown of a much-frizzed, barber's- window- 

 looking bust, " of course you know ? " 



" No, I don't," replied Sponge. 



" No ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, in astonishment. 



" No," repeated Sponge. 



" Look again, my dear fellow ; you must know it," observed 

 Jawleyford. 



" I suppose it's meant for you," at last replied Sponge, seeing his 

 host's anxiety. 



" Meant ! my dear fellow ; why, don't you think it like ? " 



" Why there's a resemblance, certainly," said Sponge, " now that 

 one knows. But I shouldn't have guessed it was you." 



" Oh, my dear Mr. Sponge ! " exclaimed Jawleyford, in a tone 

 of mortification. " Do you really mean to say you don't think it 

 like ? " 



11 Why, yes, it's like," replied Sponge, seeing which way his host 

 wanted it ; " it's like, certainly ; the want of expression in the eye 

 makes such a difference between a bust and a picture." 



" True," replied Jawleyford, comforted — " true," repeated he, 

 looking affectionately at it; "I should t^ay it was very like — like as 

 anything can be. You are rather too much above it there, you see ; 

 sit down here," continued he, leading Sponge to an ottoman surround- 

 ing a huge model of the column in the Place Vendume, that stood in 

 the middle of the room — " sit down here now, and look, and say if 

 you don't think it like ? " 



" Oh, very like," replied Sponge, as soon as he had seated him- 

 self. " I see it now, directly ; the mouth is yours to a T." 



" And the chin V It's my chin, isn't it V " asked Jawleyford. 



" Yes ; and the nose, and the forehead, and the whiskers, and the 

 hair, and the shape of the head, and everything. Oh! I see it now 

 as plain as a pikestaff," observed Sponge. 



" I thought you would," rejoined Jawlevford, comforted — " I 



