s in
the Bumperkin--'

'But your horse is on, isn't it?' interrupted Sponge; 'he'll see your horse
there, you know.'

'Horse on, my dear fellow!' exclaimed Jawleyford, 'horse on? No, certainly
not. How should I get there myself, if my horse was on?'

'Hack, to be sure,' replied Sponge, striking a light for his cigar.

'Ah, but then I should have no groom to go with me,' observed Jawleyford,
adding, 'one must make a certain appearance, you know. But come, my dear
Mr. Sponge,' continued he, laying hold of our hero's arm, 'let us get to
the door, for that cigar of yours will fumigate the whole house; and Mrs.
Jawleyford hates the smell of tobacco.'

Spigot, with his attendants in livery, here put a stop to the confab by
hurrying past, drawing the bolts, and throwing back the spacious folding
doors, as if royalty or Daniel Lambert himself were 'coming out.'

The noise they made was heard outside; and on reaching the top of the
spacious flight of steps, Sponge's piebald in charge of a dirty village
lad, and Jawleyford's steeds with a sky-blue groom, were seen scuttling
under the portoco, for the owners to mount. The Jawleyford cavalry was none
of the best; but Jawleyford was pleased with it, and that is a great thing.
Indeed, a thing had only to be Jawleyford's, to make Jawleyford excessively
fond of it.

'There!' exclaimed he, as they reached the third step from the bottom.
'There!' repeated he, seizing Sponge by the arm, 'that's what I call shape.
You don't see such an animal as that every day,' pointing to a not badly
formed, but evidently worn-out, over-knee'd bay, that stood knuckling and
trembling for Jawleyford to mount.

'One of the "has beens," I should say,' replied Sponge, puffing a cloud of
smoke right past Jawleyford's nose; adding, 'It's a pity but you could get
him four new legs.'

'Faith, I don't see that he wants anything of the sort,' retorted
Jawleyford, nettled as well at the smoke as the observation.

'Well, where "ignorance is bliss," &c.,' replied Sponge, with another
great puff, which nearly blinded Jawleyford. 'Get on, and let's see how he
goes,' added he, passing on to the piebald as he spoke.

Mr. Jawleyford then mounted; and having settled himself into a military
seat, touched the old screw with the spur, and set off at a canter. The
piebald, perhaps mistaking the portico for a booth, and thinking it was a
good place to exhibit it, proceeded to die in the most approved form; and
not a