establishment, did not like to peril Gustavus James's prospects by
appearing displeased; so she smilingly said she would see and do what they
could.

Mr. Sponge then procured a messenger to take a note to Hanby House, for Mr.
Leather, and having written it, amused himself for a time with his cigars
and his _Mogg_ in his bedroom, and then turned out to see the stable got
ready, and pick up any information about the hounds, or anything else, from
anybody he could lay hold of. As luck would have it, he fell in with a
groom travelling a horse to hunt with Sir Harry Scattercash's hounds,
which, he said, met at Snobston Green, some eight or nine miles off, the
next day, and whither Mr. Sponge decided on going.

Mr. Jogglebury's equanimity returning at dinner time, Mr. Sponge was
persuasive enough to induce him to accompany him, and it was finally
arranged that Leather should go on with the horses, and Jog should drive
Sponge to cover in the phe-_a_-ton.

CHAPTER XLVII

A FAMILY BREAKFAST ON A HUNTING MORNING

[Illustration]

Mrs. Jogglebury Crowdey was a good deal disconcerted at Gustavus James's
irreverence to his intended god-papa, and did her best, both by promises
and entreaties, to bring him to a more becoming state of mind. She promised
him abundance of good things if he would astonish Mr. Sponge with some of
his wonderful stories, and expatiated on Mr. Sponge's goodness in bringing
him the nice comfits, though Mrs. Jogglebury could not but in her heart
blame them for some little internal inconvenience the wonder had
experienced during the night. However, she brought him to breakfast in
pretty good form, where he was cocked up in his high chair beside his
mamma, the rest of the infantry occupying the position of the previous day,
all under good-behaviour orders.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sponge, not having been able to get himself up to his
satisfaction, was late in coming down; and when he did make his appearance,
the unusual sight of a man in a red coat, a green tie, a blue vest, brown
boots, &c., completely upset their propriety, and deranged the order of the
young gentleman's performance. Mr. Sponge, too, conscious that he was late,
was more eager for his breakfast than anxious to be astonished; so, what
with repressing the demands of the youngster, watching that the others did
not break loose, and getting Jog and Mr. Sponge what they wanted, Mrs.
Crowdey had her hands full. At last, having got them set a-g