286 MR. sponge's sporting tour. 



and mutilated toys, — spotted horses without heads, soldiers without 

 arms, windmills without sails, and wheelbarrows without wheels. In 

 a corner were a bunch of " gibbies " in the rough, and alongside the 

 weather-glass hung Jog's formidable flail of a hunting-whip. 



Mr. Sponge found his portmanteau standing bolt upright in the 

 passage, with the bag alongside of it, just as they had been chucked 

 out of the phaeton by Bartholomew Badger, who having got orders 

 to put the horse right, and then to put himself right to wait at 

 dinner, Mr. Jogglebury proceeded to vociferate, — 



" Murry Ann ! — Murry Ann ! " in such a way that Mary Ann 

 thought either that the cat had got young Crowdey, or the house was 

 on fire. u Oh ! Murry Ann ! " exclaimed Mr. Jogglebury, as she 

 came darting into the passage from the back settlements, up to the 

 elbows in soap-suds; " I want you to (puff) up-stairs with me, and 

 help to get my (wheeze) gibbey sticks out of the best room ; there's 

 a (puff) gentleman coming to (wheeze) here." 



" 0, indeed, sir," replied Mary Ann, smiling, and dropping down 

 her sleeves — glad to find it was no worse. 



They then proceeded up-stairs together. 



All the gibbey sticks were bundled out, both the finished ones, 

 that were varnished and laid away carefully in the wardrobe, and 

 those that were undergoing surgical treatment, in the way of twist- 

 ings, and bendings, and tyings in the closets. As they routed them 

 out of hole and corner, Jogglebury kept up a sort of running recom- 

 mendation to mercy, mingled with an inquiry into the state of the 

 household affairs. 



" Now (puff), Murry Ann ! " exclaimed he ; " take care you don't 

 scratch that (puff,) Franky Burdett," handing her a highty-varnished 

 oak stick, with a head of Sir Francis for a handle ; " and how many 

 (gasp) haddocks d'ye say there are in the house ? " 



" Three, sir," replied Mary Ann. 



" Three ! " repeated he, with an emphasis. " I thought your 

 (gasp) missus told me there were but (puff) two; and, Murry Ann, 

 you must put the new (puff) quilt on the (gasp) bed, and (puff) just 

 look under it (gasp), and you'll find the (puff) old Truro rolled up 

 in a dirty (puff) pocket hankercher; and, Murry Ann, d'ye think 

 the new (wheeze) purtaters came that I bought of (puff) Billy 

 Bloxom ? If so, you'd better (puff) some for dinner, and get the 

 best (wheeze) decanters out ; and Murry Ann, there are two gibbeys 

 on the (puff) surbase at the back of the bed, which you may as well 

 (puff) away. Ah ! here he is," added Mr. Jogglebur}^, as Mr. 

 Sponge's voice rose now from the passage into the room above. 



Things now looked pretty promising. Mr. Sponge's attentions to 

 the children generally, and to Gustavus James in particular, coupled 

 with his free-and-easy mode of introducing himself, made Mrs. 

 Crowdey feel far more at her ease with regard to entertaining him 



