MR. STONGe's SPORTING TOUR. 241 



" Just so," replied Sponge ; adding, " I dare say we shall want 

 all the quiet we can get." 



" Oh, no ! " said Jack; "the thing's simple enough — met at such 

 a place — found at such another — killed at so and so." 



" Well, I hope it will," said Sponge, riding into the stable-yard, 

 and resigning his steed to the care of his groom. 



Jack did the same by Sponge's other horse, which he had been 

 riding ; and in reply to Leather's enquiry (who stood with his right 

 hand ready, as if to shake hands with him), "how the horse had 

 carried him ? " replied — 



" Cursed ill," and stamped away without giving him anything. 



" Ah, youWe a gen'leman, you are," muttered Leather, as he led 

 the horse away. 



" Now, come ! " exclaimed Jack, to Sponge, " come ! let's get in 

 before any of those bothersome fellows come ; " adding, as he dived 

 into a passage, " I'll show you the back way." 



After passing a scullery, a root-house, and a spacious entrance- 

 hall, upon a table in which stood the perpetual beer-jug and bread- 

 basket, a green baize door let them into the regions of upper service, 

 and passing the dashed carpets of the housekeeper's room and butler's 

 pantry, a red baize door let them into the far side of the front en- 

 trance. Having deposited their hats and whips, they bounded up 

 the richly-carpeted staircase to their rooms. 



Hanby House, as we have already said, was splendidly furnished. 

 All the grandeur did not run to the entertaining rooms ; but each 

 particular apartment, from the state bed-room down to the smallest 

 bachelor snuggery, was replete with elegance and comfort. 



Like many houses, however, the bed-rooms possessed every imagi- 

 nable luxury, except boot-jacks and pens that would write. In 

 Sponge's room, for instance, there were hip-baths, and foot-baths, a 

 shower-bath, and hot and cold baths adjoining, and mirrors innume- 

 rable; an eight-day mantel-clock by Moline, of Geneva, that struck the 

 hours, half-hours, and quarters ; cut-glass toilet candlesticks, with 

 silver sconces ; an elegant zebra-wood cabinet ; also a beautiful Devon- 

 port of zebra-wood, with a plate-glass back, containing a pen rug 

 worked on silver ground, an ebony match box, a blue crystal, con- 

 taining a sponge pen-wiper, a beautiful envelope-case, a white-corne- 

 lian seal, with " Hanby House " upon it, wax of all colours, paper of 

 all textures, envelopes without end — every imaginable requirement of 

 correspondence except a pen that would write. There ivere pens, 

 indeed — there almost always are — but they were miserable apologies 

 of things ; some were mere crow-quills — sort of cover-hacks of pens, 

 while others were great, clumsy, heavy-heeled, cart-horse sort of 

 things, clotted up to the hocks with ink, or split all the way through 

 — vexatious apologies, that throw a person over just at the critical 

 moment, when he has got his sheet prepared and his ideas all ready 



