l at ease in his
mind. Jack guessed the cause, but didn't say anything. Sponge, he thought,
had beat him.

At length his lordship threw himself back in his chair, and stretching his
little queer legs out before him, began to breathe thicker and thicker,
till at last he got the melody up to a grunt. It was not the fine generous
snore of a sleep that he usually enjoyed, but short, fitful, broken naps,
that generally terminated in spasmodic jerks of the arms or legs. These
grew worse, till at last all four went at once, like the limbs of a Peter
Waggey, when, throwing himself forward with a violent effort, he awoke;
and finding his horse was not a-top of him, as he thought, he gave vent to
his feelings in the following ejaculations:

'Oh, Jack, I'm onhappy!' exclaimed he. 'I'm distressed!' continued he. 'I'm
wretched!' added he, slapping his knees. 'I'm perfectly _miserable_!' he
concluded, with a strong emphasis on the 'miserable.'

'What's the matter?' asked Jack, who was half-asleep himself.

[Illustration: HIS LORDSHIP AND JACK]

'Oh, that Mister Something!--he'll be the death of me!' observed his
lordship.

'I thought so,' replied Jack; 'what's the chap been after now?'

'I dreamt he'd killed old Lablache--best hound I have,' replied his
lordship.

'He be ----,' grunted Jack.

'Ah, it's all very well for you to say "he be this" and "he be that," but I
can tell you what, that fellow is going to be a very awkward customer--a
terrible thorn in my side.'

'Humph!' grunted Jack, who didn't see how.

'There's mischief about that fellow,' continued his lordship, pouring
himself out half a tumbler of gin, and filling it up with water. 'There's
mischief about the fellow. I don't like his looks--I don't like his coat--I
don't like his boots--I don't like anything about him. I'd rather see the
back of him than the front. He must be got rid of,' added his lordship.

'Well, I did my best to-day, I'm sure,' replied Jack. 'I was deuced near
wanting the patent coffin you were so good as to promise me.'

'You did your work well,' replied his lordship; 'you did your work well;
and you shall have my other specs till I can get you a new pair from town;
and if you'll serve me again, I'll remember you in my will--I'll leave you
something handsome.'

'I'm your man,' replied Jack.

'I never was so bothered with a fellow in my life,' observed his lordship.
'Captain Topsawyer was bad enough, and always pressed far too close