s, you know; I'm from
Woodmansterne.'

'We'll go and see if he's come,' observed Puffington, opening a door in the
garden-wall, into which he had manoeuvred Jack, communicating with the
courtyard of the stable.

'Here are his horses,' observed Puffington, as Mr. Leather rode through the
great gates on the opposite side, with the renowned hunters in full
marching order.

'Monstrous fine animals they are,' said Jack, squinting intently at them.

'They are that,' replied Puffington.

'Mr. Sponge seems a very pleasant, gentlemanly man,' observed Mr.
Puffington.

'Oh, he is,' replied Jack.

'Can you tell me--can you inform me--that's to say, can you give me any
idea,' hesitated Puffington, 'what is the usual practice--the usual
course--the usual understanding as to the treatment of those sort of
gentlemen?'

'Oh, the best of everything's good enough for them,' replied Jack, adding,
'just as it is with me.'

'Ah, I don't mean in the way of eating and drinking, but in the way of
encouragement--in the way of a present, you know?' adding--'What did my
lord do?' seeing Jack was slow at comprehension.

'Oh, my lord bad-worded him well,' replied Jack, adding, 'he didn't get
much encouragement from him.'

'Ah, that's the worst of my lord,' observed Puffington; 'he's rather
coarse--rather too indifferent to public opinion. In a case of this sort,
you know, that doesn't happen every day, or, perhaps, more than once in a
man's life, it's just as well to be favourably spoken of as not, you know';
adding, as he looked intently at Jack--'Do you understand me?'

Jack, who was tolerably quick at a chance, now began to see how things
were, and to fathom Mr. Puffington's mistake. His ready imagination
immediately saw there might be something made of it, so he prepared to keep
up the delusion.

'Wh-o-o-y!' said he, straddling out his legs, clasping his hands together,
and squinting steadily through his spectacles, to try and see, by
Puffington's countenance, how much he would stand. 'W-h-o-o-y!' repeated
he, 'I shouldn't think--though, mind, it's mere conjectur' on my part--that
you couldn't offer him less than--twenty or five-and-twenty punds; or, say,
from that to thirty,' continued Jack, seeing that Puff's countenance
remained complacent under the rise.

'And that you think would be sufficient?' asked Puff, adding--'If one does
the thing at all, you know, it's as well to do it handsomely.'

'True,' replied Jack, sticking