ches; and so they had, but not with
Leather's legs in them, for he had bought them second-hand of a pad groom
in distress. His hands were encased in cat's-skin sable gloves, showing
that he was a gentleman who liked to be comfortable. Thus accoutred, he
rode down Broad Street at Laverick Wells, looking like a fine, faithful old
family servant, with a slight scorbutic affection of the nose. He had
everything correctly arranged in true sporting marching order. The
collar-shanks were neatly coiled under the headstalls, the clothing tightly
rolled and balanced above the little saddle-bags on the led horse, 'Multum
in Parvo's' back, with the story-telling whip sticking through the roller.

Leather arrived at Laverick Wells just as the first shades of a November
night were drawing on, and anxious mammas and careful _chaperons_ were
separating their fair charges from their respective admirers and the
dreaded night air, leaving the streets to the gaslight men and youths 'who
love the moon.' The girls having been withdrawn, licentious youths linked
arms, and bore down the broad _pave_, quizzing this person, laughing at
that, and staring the pin-stickers and straw-chippers out of countenance.

'Here's an arrival!' exclaimed one. 'Dash my buttons, who have we here?'
asked another, as Leather hove in sight. 'That's not a bad looking horse,'
observed a third. 'Bid him five pounds for it for me,' rejoined a fourth.

'I say, old Bardolph! who do them 'ere quadrupeds belong to?' asked one,
taking a scented cigar out of his mouth.

Leather, though as impudent a dog as any of them, and far more than a match
for the best of them at a tournament of slang, being on his preferment,
thought it best to be civil, and replied, with a touch of his hat, that
they were 'Mr. Sponge's.'

'Ah! old sponge biscuits!--I know him!' exclaimed a youth in a Tweed
wrapper.' My father married his aunt. Give my love to him, and tell him to
breakfast with me at six in the morning--he! he! he!'

'I say, old boy, that copper-coloured quadruped hasn't got all his shoes on
before,' squeaked a childish voice, now raised for the first time.

'That's intended, gov'nor,' growled Leather, riding on, indignant at the
idea of any one attempting to 'sell him' with such an old stable joke. So
Leather passed on through the now splendidly lit up streets, the large
plate-glass windowed shops, radiant with gas, exhibiting rich,
many-coloured velvets, silver gauzes, ribbons