304 mr. sponge's sporting tour. 



would be as good as a couple of thousand pounds a-piece ; sometimes 

 he thought more, but never less. Mr. Sponge, on the other hand, 

 brooded over the loss of the run ; indulged in all sorts of speculations 

 as to the splendour of the affair ; pictured the figure he would have 

 cut on the chestnut, and the price he might have got for him in the 

 field. Then he thought of the bucketing Leather would give him; 

 the way he would ram him at everything ; how he would let him go 

 with a slack rein in the deep — very likely making him over-reach — 

 nay, there was no saying but he might stake him. 



Then he thought over all the misfortunes and mishaps of the day. 

 The unpropitious toilet; the aggravation of " Obin and Ichard^." 

 the delay caused by Jog being sick with his cigar ; the divergence 

 into Hackberry Dean ; and the long protracted wait at the toll-bar. 

 Reviewing all the circumstances fairly and dispassionately, Mr. 

 Sponge came to the determination of having nothing more to do 

 with Mr. Jogglebury Crowdey in the hunting way. These, or simi- 

 lar cogitations and resolutions were, at length, interrupted by their 

 arriving at home, as denoted by an outburst of children rushing from 

 the lodge to receive them, — Gustavus James, in his nurse's arms, 

 bringing up the rear, to whom our friend could hardly raise the 

 semblance of a smile. 



It was all that little brat ! thought he. 



CHAPTER XLIX. 



COUNTRY QUARTERS. 



Sir Harry Scattercash's were only an ill-supported pack of hounds; 

 they were not kept upon any fixed principles. We do not mean to 

 say that they had not plenty to eat, but their management was only 

 of the scrimmaging order. Sir Harry was, what is technically called, 

 "going it." Like our noble friend, Lord Hardup, now Earl of 

 Scamperdale, he had worked through the morning of life without 

 knowing what it was to be troubled with money ; but, unlike his 

 lordship, now that he had unexpectedly come into some, he seemed 

 bent upon trying how fast he could get through it. In this laudable 

 endeavour he was ably assisted by Lady Scattercash, late the lovely 

 and elegant Miss Spangles, of the " Theatre Royal, Sadler's Wells." 

 Sir Harry had married her before his windfall made him a baronet, 

 having, at the time, some intention of trying his luck on the stage, 

 but he always declared that he never regretted his choice; on the 

 contrary, he said, if he had gone among the " duchesses," he could 



