Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour

lthy commoner, Mr. Waffles, who appeared to entertain all the world at dinner after each day's hunting made Mr. Sponge think it would be a very likely place to suit him. Ac

s 'sheers,' as Mr. Buckram calls them, with as little trouble, and in as short a time almost, as it

ce, warm brown woollen rugs, below broadly bound, blue-and-white-striped sheeting, with richly braided lettering, and blue and white cordings. A good saddle and bridle makes a difference of ten pounds in the looks of almost any ho

hem, for he had bought them second-hand of a pad groom in distress. His hands were encased in cat's-skin sable gloves, showing that he was a gentleman who liked to be comfortable. Thus accoutred, he rode down Broad Street at Laverick Wells, looking like a fine, faithful old family servant, with a slight scorbutic aff

rges from their respective admirers and the dreaded night air, leaving the streets to the gaslight men and youths 'who love the moon.' The girls having been withdrawn,

asked another, as Leather hove in sight. 'That's not a bad looking horse,

e quadrupeds belong to?' asked one, t

he best of them at a tournament of slang, being on his preferment, thought it bes

ed wrapper.' My father married his aunt. Give my love to him, and

hasn't got all his shoes on before,' squeaked

ow splendidly lit up streets, the large plate-glass windowed shops, radiant with gas, exhibiting rich, many-coloured velvets, silver gauzes, ribbons without end, fancy flowers, e

as it is generally called, where he enacted the character of stud-groom to perfection, doing nothing himse

radiance of his glass-blown wigged prosperity as body-coachman to the Duke of Dazzleton, and who knew nothing of the treadmill, or his subsequent career. This introduction served with his own easy assurance, and the deference country servants always pay to London ones, at once to give him standin

, and said he had been obliged to give him 'hup' at last, 'bein' quite an unpossible man to live with; indeed, his only wonder was, that he had been able to put hup with hi

twenty hunters under his care. These, he said, were planted all over the kingdom; some at Melton, to ''unt with the Quorn'; some at Northampton, to ''unt with the Pytchley'; some at Lincoln, to ''unt with Lord 'Enry'; and some at Louth, to ''unt with'-he didn't know who. What a fine flattering, well-spoken world this is, when the speaker can raise his own consequence by our elevation! One would think that 'envy, hat

all the way,' and so on. Now nothing 'aggrawates' other grooms so much as this sort of threat, and few things travel quicker than these sort of vapourings to their masters' ears. Indeed, we can only excuse the lengths to which Leather went, on the ground of his previous coach

room in the midst of a full gathering, who were looking on at a grand game of poule, 'Ord dash it! t

laimed the cool, coatless Captain Mace

nking of play-it's hunting I'm talking of.' bringing hi

been flattered into riding rather harder than he l

from his mouth as he sat on the bench, dressed as a racket-playe

gey Thornton, Mr. Waffles's premie

at work, adding: 'his old brandy-nosed, frosty-whiskered trumpeter of a groom says he's coming do

g down his cue and putting on his coat, adding, 'I should like to see a

bserved Captain Macer, who

to, now,' continued he, pointing to the timepiece above the fire; whereupon there was a putting away of cues, hurr

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