mr. sponge's SPORTING TOUR. 197 



through his mind. His pressing invitation — his magnificent recep- 

 tion — the attention of the ladies — and now the sudden change every- 

 thing had taken. He couldn't make it out, somehow; but the 

 consequences were plain enough. " The fellow's a humbug," at 

 length said he, throwing the cigar-end away, and turning into bed, 

 when the information Watson the keeper gave him, on arriving, 

 recurred to his mind, and he was satisfied that Jawleyford was a 

 humbug. It was clear Mr. Sponge had made a mistake in coming ; 

 the best thing he could do now was to back out, and see if the fair 

 Amelia would take it to heart. In the midst of his cogitations Mr. 

 Puffignton's pressing invitation occurred to his mind, and it appeared 

 to be the very thing for him, affording him an immediate asylum 

 within reach of the fair lady, should she be likely to die. 



Next day he wrote to volunteer a visit. 



Mr. Pufiington, who was still in ignorance of our friend's real 

 character, and still believed him to be a second " Nimrod " out on a 

 u tour," was overjoyed at his letter ; and strange to relate, the same 

 post that brought his answer jumping at the proposal, brought a 

 letter from Lord Scamperdale to Jawleyford, saying that, " as soon 

 as Jawleyford was quite alone (scored under) he would like to pay 

 him a visit." His lordship, we should inform the reader, notwith- 

 standing his recent mishap, still held out against Jack Spraggon's 

 recommendation to get rid of Mr. Sponge by buying his horses, and 

 he determined to try this experiment first. His lordship thought at 

 one time of entering into an explanation, telling Mr. Jawleyford the 

 damage Sponge had done him, and the nuisance he was entailing upon 

 him by harbouring him ; but not being a great scholar, and several 

 hard words turning up that his lordship could not well clear in the 

 spelling, he just confined himself to a laconic ; which, as it turned 

 out, was a most fortunate course. Indeed, he had another difficulty 

 besides the spelling, for the hounds having as usual had a great run 

 after Mr. Sponge had floored him — knocking his right eye into the 

 heel of his left boot, as he said — in the course of which run his lord- 

 ship's horse had rolled over him on a road, he was like the railway 

 people — unable to distinguish between capital and income — unable to 

 say which were Sponge's bangs and which his own ; so, like a hard 

 cricket-ball sort of a man as he was, he just pocketed all, and wrote 

 as we have described. 



His lordship's and Puffington's letters diffused joy into a house 

 that seemed likely to be distracted with trouble. 



So then endeth our thirtieth chapter, and a very pleasant ending 



for we leave every one in perfect good humour and spirits. 



Sponge pleased at having got a fresh billet, Jawleyford delighted at 



the coming of the lord, and each fair lady pratising in private how 



to sign her christian name in conjunction with " Scamperdale." 



