174 MR, 



" No hurry, gentlemen — no hurry," observed Mr. Springwheat, as 

 some of the keen ones were preparing to follow, and began sorting 

 their hats, and making the mistakes incident to their being all the 

 same shape. " No hurry, sir — no hurry, sir," repeated Springwheat, 

 addressing Mr. Sponge specifically ;- " his lordship will have a talk 

 to his hounds yet, and his horse is still in the stable." 



With this assurance, Mr. Sponge resumed his seat at the table, 

 where several of the hungry ones were plying their knives and forks 

 as if they were indeed breaking their fasts. 



" Well, old boy, and how are you ? " asked Sponge, as the whites 

 of Jack's eyes again settled upon him, on the latter's looking up 

 from his plateful of sausages. 



" Nicely. How are you ? " asked Jack. 



" Nicely too," replied Sponge, in the laconic way men speak who 

 have been engaged in some common enterprise — getting drunk, pelt- 

 ing people with rotten eggs, or anything of that sort. 



" Jaw and the ladies well ? " asked Jack, in the same strain. 



" Oh, nicely," said Sponge. 



" Take a glass of cherry-brandy," exclaimed the hospitable Mr. 

 Springwheat : " nothing like a drop of something for steadying the 

 nerves." 



" Presently," replied Sponge, " presently ; meanwhile I'll trouble 

 the missis for a cup of coffee. Coffee without sugar," said Sponge, 

 addressing the lady. 



" With pleasure," replied Mrs. Springwheat, glad to get a little 

 custom for her goods. Most of the gentlemen had been at the bottles 

 and sideboard. 



Springwheat, seeing Mr. Sponge, the only person who, as a 

 stranger, there was any occasion for him to attend to, in the care of 

 his wife, now slipped out of the room, and mounting his five-year-old 

 horse, whose tail stuck out like the long horn of a coach, as his 

 ploughman groom said, rode off to join the hunt. 



" By the powers, but those are capital sarsingers ! " observed 

 Jack, smacking his lips and eating away for hard life. " Just look 

 if my lord's on his horse yet," added he to one of the children, who 

 had begun to hover round the table and dive their fingers into the 

 sweets. 



" No," replied the child ; " he's still on foot, playing with the 

 dogs." 



" Here goes, then," said Jack, " for another plate," suiting the 

 action to the word, and running with his plate to the sausage-dish. 



" Have a hot one," exclaimed Mrs. Springwheat, adding, " it will 

 be done in a minute." 



" No, thank ye," replied Jack, with a shake of the head, adding, 

 "I might be done in a minute too." 



" He'll wait for you, I suppose ? " observed Sponge, addressing 

 Jack. 



