The captain
raising his saucer, to discharge it at his opponent's head.

'Gently with the cheney!' exclaimed Lady Scattercash, who was too much used
to such scenes to care about the belligerents. Bob Spangles caught
Ladofwax's arm at the nick of time, and saved the saucer.

'Hout! you (hiccup) fellows are always (hiccup)ing,' exclaimed Sir Harry.
'I declare I'll have you both (hiccup)ed over to keep the peace.'

They then broke out into wordy recrimination and abuse, each declaring that
he wouldn't stay a day longer in the house if the other remained; but as
they had often said so before, and still gave no symptoms of going, their
assertion produced little effect upon anybody. Sir Harry would not have
cared if all his guests had gone together. Peace and order being at length
restored, the conversation again turned upon Mr. Sponge.

'I suppose we must have another (hiccup) hunt soon,' observed Sir Harry.

'In course,' replied Bob Spangles; 'it's no use keeping the hungry brutes
unless you work them.'

'You'll have a bagman, I presume,' observed Captain Seedeybuck, who did not
like the trouble of travelling about the country to draw for a fox.

'Oh yes,' replied Sir Harry; 'Watchorn will manage all that. He's always
(hiccup) in that line. We'd better have a hunt soon, and then, Mr. (hiccup)
Bugles, you can see it.' Sir Harry addressing himself to a gentleman he was
as anxious to get rid of as Mr. Jogglebury Crowdey was to get rid of Mr.
Sponge.'

'No; Mr. Bugles won't go out any more,' replied Lady Scattercash
peremptorily. 'He was nearly killed last time'; her ladyship casting an
angry glance at her husband, and a very loving one on the object of her
solicitude.

'Oh, nought's never in danger!' observed Bob Spangles.

'Then _you_ can go, Bob,' snapped his sister.

'I intend,' replied Bob.

'Then (hiccup), gentlemen, I think I'll just write this Mr. (hiccup)
What's-his-name to (hiccup) over here,' observed Sir Harry, 'and then he'll
be ready for the (hiccup) hunt whenever we choose to (hiccup) one.'

The proposition fell still-born among the party.

'Don't you think we can do without him?' at last suggested Captain
Seedeybuck.

'_I_ think so,' observed the elder Spangles, without looking up from his
plate.

'Who is it?' asked Lady Scattercash.

'The man that was here the other morning--the man in the queer
chestnut-coloured boots,' replied Mr. Orlando Bugles.

'Oh, I think he's rather good-looking; I