mr. sponge's sporting tour. 177 



were the hounds in at one end than out popped the fox at t'other. 

 Sich a whopper ! — biggest fox that ever was seen." 



" They are all the biggest foxes that ever were seen," snapped 

 Mr. Sponge. " I'll be bound he was not a bit bigger than common." 



" I'll be bound not, either," growled Mr. Spraggon, squinting 

 frightfully at the man, adding, " go, get me my hack, and don't be 

 talkin' nonsense there." 



Our friends then remounted their hacks and parted company in 

 very moderate humours, feeling fully satisfied that his lordship had 

 done it on purpose. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE FINEST RUN THAT EVER WAS SEEN. 



Hoo — ray, Jack ! Hco — ray ! " exclaimed Lord Scamperdale, 

 bursting into his sanctum, where Mr. Spraggon sat in his hunting 

 coat and slippers, spelling away at a second-hand copy of BelVs Life 

 by the light of a melancholy mould candle. " Hoo-vay, Jack ! hoo- 

 ray ! " repeated he, waving that proud trophy, a splendid fox's brush, 

 over his grizzly head. 



His lordship was the picture of delight. He had had a tremen- 

 dous run — the finest run that ever was seen ! His hounds had be- 

 haved to perfection ; his horse — though he had downed him three 

 times — had carried him well, and his lordship stood with his crown- 

 less fiat hat in his hand, and one coat lap in the pocket of the other 

 — a grinning, exulting, self-satisfied specimen of a happy English- 

 man 



" Lor ! what a sight you are ! " observed Jack, turning the light 

 of the candle upon his lordship's dirty person. " Why, I declare 

 you're an inch- thick with mud," he added : " mud from head to foot," 

 he continued, working the light up and down. 



" Never mind the mud, you old badger ! " roared his lordship, 

 still waving the brush over his head : " never mind the mud, you old 

 badger ; the mud '11 come off, or may stay on ; but such a run as 

 we've had does not come off every day." 



" We'll, I'm glad you have had a run," replied Jack. " I'm glad 

 you have had a run; " adding, " I was afraid at one time that your 

 day's sport was spoiled." 



" Well, do you know," replied his lordship, " when I saw that un- 

 righteous snob, I was near sick. If it were possible for a man to 

 faint, I should have thought I was going to do so. At first I thought 

 of going home, taking the hounds away too ; then I thought of going 



