lease, sir,' said he, riding up to Mr. Sponge, with a touch of the old
hat, 'I've got you a capital three-stall stable at the Railway Tavern,
here,' pointing to a newly built brick house standing on the rising ground.

'Oh! but I'm going to Jawleyford Court,' responded our friend, thinking the
man was the 'tout' of the tavern.

'Mr. Jawleyford don't take in horses, sir,' rejoined the man, with another
touch of the hat.

'He'll take in _mine_,' observed Mr. Sponge, with an air of authority.

'Oh, I beg pardon, sir,' replied the keeper, thinking he had made a
mistake; 'it was Mr. Sponge whose horses I had to bespeak stalls for,'
touching his hat profusely as he spoke.

'Well, _this_ be Mister Sponge,' observed Leather, who had been listening
attentively to what passed.

''Deed!' said the keeper, again turning to our hero with an 'I beg pardon,
sir, but the stable _is_ for you then, sir--for Mr. Sponge, sir.'

'How do you know that?' demanded our friend.

''Cause Mr. Spigot, the butler, says to me, says he, "Mr. Watson," says
he--my name's Watson, you see,' continued the speaker, sawing away at his
hat, 'my name's Watson, you see, and I'm the head gamekeeper. "Mr. Watson,"
says he, "you must go down to the tavern and order a three-stall stable for
a gentleman of the name of Sponge, whose horses are a comin' to-day"; and
in course I've come 'cordingly,' added Watson. 'A _three_-stall'd stable!'
observed Mr. Sponge, with an emphasis.

'A three-stall'd stable,' repeated Mr. Watson.

'Confound him, but he said he'd take in a hack at all events,' observed
Sponge, with a sideway shake of the head; 'and a hack he _shall_ take in,
too' he added. 'Are your stables full at Jawleyford Court?' he asked.

''Ord bless you, no, sir,' replied Watson with a leer; 'there's nothin' in
them but a couple of weedy hacks and a pair of old worn-out
carriage-horses.'

'Then I can get this hack taken in, at all events,' observed Sponge, laying
his hand on the neck of the piebald as he spoke.

'Why, as to that,' replied Mr. Watson, with a shake of the head, 'I can't
say nothin'.'

'I must, though,' rejoined Sponge, tartly; 'he _said_ he'd take in my hack,
or I wouldn't have come.'

'Well, sir,' observed the keeper, 'you know best, sir.'

'Confounded screw!' muttered Sponge, turning away to give his orders to
Leather. 'I'll _work_ him for it,' he added. 'He sha'n't get rid of _me_ in
a hurry--at least, not unless I can get a better