MR. sponge's SPORTING TOUR. - 359 



might snap his fingers at Jog and his hints. He'd take the high 

 hand, and give Jog up. 



" Tm your man / " said Sponge, in high glee. 



" When will you come ?" asked Romford. 



" To-morrow ! " replied Sponge, firmly. 



" So be it," rejoined his proffered host ; and, with another hearty 

 swing of the arm, the newly-made friends parted. 



Charley Romford, or Facey, as he was commonly called, from 

 his being the admitted most impudent man in the country, was a 

 great, round-faced, coarse-featured, prize-fighting sort of fellow, 

 who lived chiefly by his wits, which he exercised in all the legitimate 

 lines of industry — poaching, betting, boxing, horse-dealing, cards, 

 quoits — anything that came uppermost. That he was a man of en- 

 terprise, we need hardly add, when he had formed a scheme for doing 

 our Sponge — a man that we do not think any of our readers would 

 trouble themselves to try a " plant " upon. 



This impudent Facey, as if in contradiction of terms, was origin 

 ally intended for a civil engineer ; but having early in life voted 

 himself heir to his uncle, Mr. Gilroy, of Queercove Hill, a great 

 cattle-jobber, with a " small independence of his own " — three hun- 

 dred a year, perhaps, which a kind world called six — Facey thought 

 he would just hang about until his uncle was done with his shoes, 

 and then be lord of Queercove Hill. 



Now, "me Oncle Gilroy," of whom Facey was constantly talking, 

 had a left-handed wife and promising family in the sylvan retirement 

 of St. John's Wood, whither he used to retire after his business in 

 " Smi'fiel' " was over ; so that Facey, for once, was out in his calcu- 

 lations. Gilroy, however, being as knowing as " his nevvy," as he 

 called him, just encouraged Facey in his shooting, fishing, and idle 

 propensities generally, doubtless finding it more convenient to have 

 his fish and game for nothing than to pay for them. 



Facey, having the apparently inexhaustible sum of a thousand 

 pounds, began life as a fox-hunter — in a very small way to be sure — 

 more for the purpose of selling horses than anything else; but, having 

 succeeded in " doing " all the do-able gentlemen, both with the " Tip 

 and Go " and Cranerfield hounds, his occupation was gone, it requiring 

 an extended field — such as our friend Sponge roamed — to carry on 

 cheating in horses for any length of time. Facey was soon blown, his 

 name in connection with a horse being enough to prevent any one 

 looking at him. Indeed, we question that there is any less desirable 

 mode of making, or trying to make money, than by cheating or even 

 dea'ing in horses. Many people fancy themselves cheated, whatever 

 they get; while the man who is really cheated never forgets it, and 

 proclaims it to the end of time. Moreover, no one can go on cheat- 

 ing in horses for any length of time, without putting himself in the 

 power of his groom ; and let those who have seen how servants lord 



