MR. sponge's sporting touk. 349 



servants do nothing. " Mr. Bottleends be gone to bed," observed 

 the woman. 



" Mr. Bottleends ? " repeated Mr. Sponge ; " who's he ? " 



" The butler, to be sure," replied she, astonished that any person 

 should have to ask who such an important personage was. 



" Can't you call him ? " asked Mr. Sponge, still fumbling in his 

 pocket. 



" Couldn't, if it was ever so," replied the dame, smoothing her 

 dirty blue-checked apron with her still dirtier hand. 



" Why not ? " asked Mr. Sponge. 



" Why not ? " repeated the woman ; " why, 'cause Mr. Bottle- 

 ends won't be disturbed by no one. He said when he went to bed 

 that he hadn't to be called till to-morrow." 



" Not called till to-morrow !" exclaimed Mr. Sponge-, "then is 

 Sir Harry from home ? " 



" From home, no ; what should put that i' your head ? " sneered 

 the woman. 



" Why, if the butler's in bed, one may suppose the master's 

 away." 



"Houtf" snapped the woman; "Sir Harry's i' bed — Captin 

 Seedeybuck's i' bed — Captin Quod's i' bed — Captin Spangle's i' bed 

 — Captin Bouncey's i' bed — Captin Cutitfat's i' bed — they're all i' 

 bed 'cept me, and I've got the house to clean and right, and high 

 time it was cleaned and righted, for they've not been i' bed these 

 three nights any on 'em." So saying, she flourished her duster as if 

 about to set-to again. 



' r Well, but tell me," exclaimed Mr. Sponge, " can I see the foot- 

 man, or the huntsman, or the groom, or a helper, or anybody ? " 



" Deary knows," replied the woman, thoughtfully, resting her 

 chin on her hand. " I dare say they'll be all i' bed too." 



& But they are going to hunt, arn't they ? " asked our friend. 



" Hunt ! " exclaimed the woman ; " what should put that i' your 

 head ? " 



" Why, they sent me word they were." 



" It'll be i' bed, then," observed she, again giving symptoms of a 

 desire to return to her dusting. 



Mr. Sponge, who still kept his hand in his pocket, sat on his 

 horse in a state of stupid bewilderment. He had never seen a case 

 of this sort before — a house shut up, and a master of hounds in bed 

 when the hounds were to meet before the door. It couldn't be the 

 case ; the woman must be dreaming, or drunk, or both. 



" Well, but my good woman," exclaimed he, as she gave a pun- 

 ishing cut at the chair, as if to make up for lost time ; " well, but 

 my good woman, I wish you would try and find somebody who can 

 tell me something about the hounds. I'm sure they must be going 



