served Jack.

The old lady being thus got rid of, and Jawleyford disposed of--apparently
for the night--Mr. Spraggon felt more comfortable, and presently yielded to
Amelia's entreaties to come near the fire and thaw himself. Spigot brought
candles, and Mr. Sponge sat moodily in his chair, alternately studying
_Mogg's Cab Fares_--'Old Bailey, Newgate Street, to or from the Adelphi,
the Terrace, 1_s._ 6_d._; Admiralty, 2_s._'; and so on; and hazarding
promiscuous sidelong sort of observations, that might be taken up by Jack
or not, as he liked. He seemed determined to pay Mr. Jack off for his
out-of-door impudence. Amelia, on the other hand, seemed desirous of making
up for her suitor's rudeness, and kept talking to Jack with an assiduity
that perfectly astonished her sister, who had always heard her speak of
him with the utmost abhorrence.

Mrs. Jawleyford found her husband in a desperate state of excitement, his
influenza being greatly aggravated by Harry having returned very drunk,
with the mare's knees desperately broken 'by a fall,' as Harry hiccuped
out, or by his 'throwing her down,' as Jawleyford declared. Horses _fall_
with their masters, servants _throw_ them down. What a happiness it is when
people can send their servants on errands by coaches or railways, instead
of being kept on the fidget all day, lest a fifty-pound horse should be the
price of a bodkin or a basket of fish!

Amelia's condescension quite turned Jack's head; and when he went upstairs
to dress, he squinted at his lordship's best clothes, all neatly laid out
for him on the bed, with inward satisfaction at having brought them.

'Dash me!' said he, 'I really think that girl has a fancy for me.' Then he
examined himself minutely in the glass, brushed his whiskers up into a
curve on his cheeks, the curves almost corresponding with the curve of his
spectacles above; then he gave his bristly, porcupine-shaped head a
backward rub with a sort of thing like a scrubbing-brush. 'If I'd only had
the silver specs,' thought he, 'I should have done.'

He then began to dress; an operation that, ever and anon was interrupted by
the outburst of volleys of smoke from the little spluttering, smouldering
fire in the little shabby room Jawleyford insisted on having him put into.

Jack tried all things--opening the window and shutting the door, shutting
the window and opening the door; but finding that, instead of curing it, he
only produced the different degrees