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man who, first and last, has broken every bone in my skin — the man 

 who I hate the sight of, and detest afresh every time I see — the 'bom- 

 ination of all 'boniinations ; and then to call him onr friend Sponge ! 

 ' Our friend Sponge,' " continued his lordship, reading, " ' is coming 

 on a visit of inspection to my hounds, and I should be glad if you 

 would meet him.' " 



u Shouldn't wonder ! " exclaimed Jack. 



li Meet him! " snapped his lordship ; " I'd go ten miles to avoid 

 him." 



" ' Glad if you would meet him,' " repeated his lordship, return- 

 ing to the letter, and reading as follows : " ' If you bring a couple of 

 nags or so we can put them up, and you may get a wrinkle or two 

 from Bragg.' A wrinkle or two from Bragg! " exclaimed his lord- 

 ship, dropping the letter and rolling in his chair with laughter. " A 

 wrinkle or two from Bragg ! — he — he — he — he ! The idea of a 

 wrinkle or two from Bragg ! — haw — haw — haw — haw ! " 



" That beats cockfightin'," observed Jack, squinting frightfully. 



" Doesn't it ? " replied his lordship. " The man who's so brimful 

 of science that he doesn't kill above three brace of foxes in a season." 



" Which Puff calls thirty," observed Jack. 



"Th-i-r-ty!" exclaimed his lordship ; adding, " I'll lay he'll not 

 kill thirty in ten years." 



His lordship then picked the letter from the floor, and resumed 

 where he had left off. 



" < I expect you will meet Tom Washball, Lumpleg, and Charley 

 Slapp.' " 



" A very pretty part}'," observed Jack; adding, "Wouldn't be 

 seengoin' to a bull-bait with any on 'em." 



" Nor I," replied his lordship. 



" Birds of a feather," observed Jack. 



" Just so," said his lordship, resuming his reading. 



" ' I think I have a hound that may be useful to you — ' The 

 devil you have ! " exclaimed his lordship, grinding his teeth with dis- 

 gust. " Useful to me, you confounded haberdasher ! — you hav'n't a 

 hound in your pack that I'd take. ' I think I have a hound that may 

 be useful to you — ' " repeated his lordship. 



" A Beaufort Justice one, for a guinea ! " interrupted Jack , 

 adding, " He got the name into his head at Oxford, and has been 

 harping upon it ever since." 



" ' I think I have a hound that may be useful to you — ' " resumed 

 his lordship, for the third time. " ' It is Old Merriman, a remarkably 

 stout, true line hunting hound ; but who is getting slow for me — ' 

 Slow for you, you beggar ! " exclaimed his lordship ; "I should have 

 thought nothin' short of a wooden ? un would have have been too slow 

 for you. ' He is a six-season hunter, and is by Fitzwilliam's Sing- 

 well, out of his Darling. Singwell was by the Rutland Ilallywood, 



