ost that brought
his answer jumping at the proposal, brought a letter from Lord Scamperdale
to Jawleyford, saying that, 'as soon as Jawleyford was _quite alone_
(scored under) he would like to pay him a visit.' His lordship, we should
inform the reader, notwithstanding his recent mishap, still held out
against Jack Spraggon's recommendation to get rid of Mr. Sponge by buying
his horses, and he determined to try this experiment first. His lordship
thought at one time of entering into an explanation, telling Mr.
Jawleyford the damage Sponge had done him, and the nuisance he was
entailing upon him by harbouring him; but not being a great scholar, and
several hard words turning up that his lordship could not well clear in the
spelling, he just confined himself to a laconic, which, as it turned out,
was a most fortunate course. Indeed, he had another difficulty besides the
spelling, for the hounds having as usual had a great run after Mr. Sponge
had floored him--knocked his right eye into the heel of his left boot, as
he said--in the course of which run his lordship's horse had rolled over
him on a road, he was like the railway people--unable to distinguish
between capital and income--unable to say which were Sponge's bangs and
which his own; so, like a hard cricket-ball sort of a man as he was, he
just pocketed all, and wrote as we have described.

His lordship's and Mr. Puffington's letters diffused joy into a house that
seemed likely to be distracted with trouble.

So then endeth our thirtieth chapter, and a very pleasant ending it is, for
we leave everyone in perfect good humour and spirits, Sponge pleased at
having got a fresh billet, Jawleyford delighted at the coming of the lord,
and each fair lady practising in private how to sign her Christian name in
conjunction with 'Scamperdale.'

CHAPTER XXXI

MR. PUFFINGTON; OR THE YOUNG MAN ABOUT TOWN

Mr. Puffington took the Mangeysterne, now the Hanby hounds, because he
thought they would give him consequence. Not that he was particularly
deficient in that article; but being a new man in the county, he thought
that taking them would make him popular, and give him standing. He had no
natural inclination for hunting, but seeing friends who had no taste for
the turf take upon themselves the responsibility of stewardships, he saw
no reason why he should not make a similar sacrifice at the shrine of
Diana. Indeed, Puff was not bred for a sportsman. His father, a most