152 MR. SPONGE'S 6P0RTING TOUR. 



of arms containing innumerable quarterings and heraldic devices. 

 Having then refreshed his memory by looking through a bundle of 

 bills, and selected the most threatening of the lawyers' letters to 

 answer the next day, he proceeded to keep up the delusion of sick- 

 ness, by retiring to sleep in his dressing,-room. 



Our readers will now have the kindness to accompany us to Lord 

 Scamperdale's : time, the morning after the foregoing. " Love me, 

 love my dog,"being a favourite saying of his lordship's, he fed himself, 

 his friends, and his hounds, on the same meal. Jack and he were 

 busy with two great basins full of porridge, which his lordship dilu- 

 ted with milk, while Jack stirred his up with hot dripping, when the 

 put-off note arrived. His lordship was still in a complete suit of the 

 great backgammon-board looking red-and-yellow Stunner tartan; 

 but as Jack was going from home, he had got himself into a pair of 

 his lordship's yellow-ochre leathers and new top-boots, while he 

 wore the Stunner jacket and waistcoat to save his lordship's Sunday 

 green cut-away with metal buttons, and canary-coloured waistcoat. 

 His lordship did not eat his porridge with his usual appetite, for he 

 had a disturbed night, Sponge having appeared to him in his dreams 

 in all sorts of forms and predicaments ; now jumping a-top of him 

 — now upsetting Jack — now riding over Frosty-face — now crashing 

 among his hounds ; and he awoke, fully determined to get rid of him 

 by fair means or foul. Buying his horses did not seem so good a 

 speculation as blowing his credit at Jawleyford Court, for, indepen- 

 dently of disliking to part with his cash, his lordship remembered 

 that there were other horses to get, and he should only be giving 

 Sponge the means of purchasing them. The more, however, he 

 thought of the Jawleyford project, the more satisfied he was that it 

 would do ; and Jack and he were in a sort of rehearsal, wherein his 

 lordship personated Jawleyford, and was showing Jack (who was only 

 a clumsy diplomatist) how to draw up to the subject of Sponge's 

 pecuniary deficiencies, when the dirty old butler came in with Jaw- 

 leyford's note. 



" What's here ? " exclaimed his lordship, fearing from its smart- 

 ress, that it was from a lady. " What's here ? " repeated he, as he 

 inspected the direction. " 0, it's for you / " exclaimed he, chucking 

 it over to Jack, considerably relieved by the discovery. 



"Me/" replied Jack. "Who can be writing to me?" said he, 

 squinting his eyes inside out at the seal. He opened it : " Jawley- 

 ford Court," read he. " Who the deuce can be writing to me from 

 Jawleyford Court when I'm going there ? " 



" A put-off, for a guinea ! " exclaimed his lordship. 



" Hope so," muttered Jack. 



" Hope not" replied his lordship. 



11 It is! " exclaimed Jack, reading, " Dear Mr. Spraggon," and 

 so on. 



