307 



ing the quantity. Mr. Jog, however, was not to be moved. Thus 

 time crawled heavily on. 



Mr. and Mrs. Jog had a long confab one night on the expediency 

 of getting rid of Mr. Sponge. Mrs. Jog wanted to keep him on till 

 after the christening ; while Jog combated her reasons by represent- 

 ing the improbability of its doing Gustavus James any good having 

 him for a god-papa, seeing Sponge's age, and the probability of his 

 marrying himself. Mrs. Jog, however, was very determined ; rather 

 too much so, indeed, for she awakened Jog's jealousy, who lay toss- 

 ing and tumbling about all through the night. 



He was up very early, and as Mrs. Jog was falling into a com- 

 fortable nap, she was aroused by his well-known voice hallooing as 

 loud as he could in the middle of the entrance-passage. 



" BxRTHo-LO-me-e-w ? " the last syllable being pronounced or pro- 

 longed like the mew of a cat. 



" BARTiioLO-me-e-w / " repeated he, not getting an answer to the 

 first shout. 



" Murry Ann ! " shouted he, after another pause. 



" Murry Ann ! " exclaimed he, still louder. 



Just then, the iron latch of a door at the top of the house opened, 

 and a female voice exclaimed hurriedly over the banisters — 



" Yes, sir ! here, sir ! comin', sir ! comin' ! " 



" Oh, Murry Ann (puff), that's (wheeze) you, is it ? " asked Jog, 

 still speaking at the top of his voice. 



" Yes, sir," replied Mary Ann. 



" Oh ! then, Murry Ann, I wanted to (puff) — that you'd better 

 get the" (puff) breakfast early, I think Mr. (gasp) Sponge will be 

 (wheezing) away to-day." 



" Yes, sir," replied Mary Ann. 



All this was said in such a tone as could not fail to be heard all 

 over tne house ; certainly into Mr. Sponge's room, which was mid- 

 way between the speakers. 



What prevented Mr. Sponge wheezing away, will appear in the 

 next chapter. 



