mr. sponge's SPORTING TOUR. 145 



buttoned their many-pocketed waistcoats and stuck out their legs, to 

 give it a fair chance of digesting. They seldom spoke much until his 

 lordship had had his nap, which he generally took immediately after 

 dinner ; but on this particular night he sat bending forward in his 

 chair, picking his teeth and looking at his toes, evidently ill at ease 

 in his mind. Jack guessed the cause but didn't say anything. Sponge, 

 he thought, had beat him. 



At length his lordship threw himself back in his chair, and 

 stretching his little queer legs out before him, began to breathe 

 thicker and thicker, till at last he got the melody up to a grunt. It 

 was not the fine generous snore of a sleep that he usually enjoyed, 

 but, short, fitful, broken naps, that generally terminated in spasmodic 

 jerks of the arms or legs. These grew worse, till at last all four 

 went at once, like the limbs of a Peter Waggey, when, throwing him- 

 self forward with a violent effort, he awoke ; and finding his horse 

 was not a-top of him, as he thought, he gave vent to his feelings in 

 the following ejaculations : — 



" Oh, Jack, I'm onhappy ! " exclaimed he. " I'm distressed ! " 

 continued he. "I'm ivr ■etched 1 ' " added he, slapping his knees. 

 " Fm perfectly miserable / "• he concluded, with a strong emphasis 

 on the " miserable." 



"What's the matter?" asked Jack, who was half asleep himself. 



" Oh, that Mr. Something ! — he'll be the death of me ! " observed 

 his lordship. 



" I thought so," replied Jack ; " what's the chap been after 

 now ? " 



"I dreamt he'd killed old Lablache — best hound I have," 

 replied his lordship. 



" He be — ," grunted Jack. 



" Ah, it's all very well for you to say ' he be this ' and ' he be 

 that,' but I can tell you what, that fellow is going to be a very awk- 

 ward customer — a terrible thorn in my side." 



"Humph! " grunted Jack, who didn't see how. 



" There's mischief about that fellow," continued his lordship, 

 pouring himself out half a tumbler of gin, and filling it up with 

 water. " There's mischief about the fellow. I don't like his looks 

 — I don't like his coat — I don't like his boots — I don't like any- 

 thing about him. I'd rather see the back of him than the front. 

 He must be got rid of," added his lordship. 



" Well, I did my best to-day, I'm sure," replied Jack. " I was 

 deuced near wanting the patent coffin you were so good as to promise 

 me." 



" You did your work well" replied his lordship; "you did your 

 work well ; and you shall have my other specs till I can get you a 

 new pair from town ; and if you'll serve me again, I'll remember 

 you in my will — I'll leave you something handsome." 

 7 



