monin' down here that he's a
great man--full of money, and horses, and so on; but it's all my eye, he's
no more a great man than I am."'

'The deuce!' exclaimed Jack, who had sat squinting and listening intently
as his lordship proceeded. 'Well, now, hang me, I thought he was a snob the
moment I saw him,' continued he; Jack being one of those clever gentlemen
who know everything after they are told.

'"Well, how do you know. Jack?" said I to Frosty. "Oh, I knows," replied
he, as if he was certain about it. However, I wasn't satisfied without
knowing too; and, as we kept jogging on, we came to the old Coach and
Horses, and I said to Jack, "We may as well have a drop of something to
warm us." So we halted, and had glasses of brandy apiece, whips and all;
and then, as we jogged on again, I just said to Jack casually, "Did you say
it was Mr. Blossomnose told you about old Brown Boots?"
"No--Blossomnose--no," replied he, as if Blossom never had anything half so
good to tell; "it was a young woman," said he, in an undertone, "who told
me, and she had it from old Brown Boots's groom."'

'Well, that's good,' observed Jack, diving his hands into the very bottom
of his great tartan trouser pockets, and shooting his legs out before him;
'well, that's good,' repeated he, falling into a sort of reverie.

'Well, but what can we make of it?' at length inquired he, after a long
pause, during which he ran the facts through his mind, and thought they
could not be much ruder to Sponge than they had been. 'What can we make of
it?' said he. 'The fellow can ride, and we can't prevent him hunting; and
his having nothing only makes him less careful of his neck.'

'Why, that was just what I thought,' replied Lord Scamperdale, taking
another tumbler of gin; 'that was just what I thought--the fellow can ride,
and we can't prevent him; and just as I settled that in my sleep, I thought
I saw him come staring along, with his great brown horse's head in the air,
and crash right a-top of old Lablache. But I see my way clearer with him
now. But help yourself,' continued his lordship, passing the gin-bottle
over to Jack, feeling that what he had to say required a little
recommendation. 'I think I can turn Frosty's information to some account.'

'I don't see how,' observed Jack, replenishing his glass.

'_I_ do, though,' replied his lordship, adding, 'but I must have your
assistance.'

'Well, anything in moderation,' replied Jack, who had had to t