Altogether, Mr. Sponge determined to try it, especially considering that if he didn’t get Tuesday, there would be nothing till Thursday; and he was not the man to keep a hack hunter standing idle.

Accordingly he sought Mr. Leather, whom he found busily engaged in the servants’ apartment, with a cold round of beef and a foaming flagon of ale before him.

‘Leather,’ he said, in a tone of authority, ’I’ll hunt to-morrow—­ride the horse I should have ridden to-day.’

‘Where at?’ asked Leather, diving his fork into a bottle of pickles, and fishing out an onion.

‘The cross-roads,’ replied Sponge.

‘The cross-roads be fifty miles from here!’ cried Leather.

‘Nonsense!’ rejoined Sponge; ’I’ve just measured the distance.  It’s nothing of the sort.’

‘How far do you make it, then?’ asked Leather, tucking in the beef.

’Why, from here to Hardington is about six, and from Hardington to Bewley, four—­ten in all,’ replied Sponge.  ’You can stay at Bewley all night, and then it is but a few miles on in the morning.’

‘And whativer am I to do for clothin’?’ asked Leather, adding, ’I’ve nothin’ with me—­nothin’ nouther for oss nor man.’

‘Oh, the ostler’ll lend you what you want,’ replied Sponge, in a tone of determination, adding, ‘you can make shift for one night surely?’

‘One night surely!’ retorted Leather.  ’D’ye think an oss can’t be ruined in one night?—­humph!’

‘I’ll risk it,’ said Sponge.

‘But I won’t,’ replied Leather, blowing the foam from the tankard, and taking a long swig at the ale.  ’I thinks I knows my duty to my gov’nor better nor that,’ continued he, setting it down.  ’I’ll not see his waluable ‘unters stowed away in pigsties—­not I, indeed.’

The fact was.  Leather had an invitation to sup with the servants at Jawleyford Court that night, and he was not going to be done out of his engagement, especially as Mr. Sponge only allowed him two shillings a day for expenses wherever he was.

[Illustration:  MR. LEATHER AND SPONGE HAVE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION]

‘Well, you’re a cool hand, anyhow,’ observed Mr. Sponge, quite taken by surprise.

’Cool ’and, or not cool ‘and,’ replied Leather, munching away, ’I’ll do my duty to my master.  I’m not one o’ your coatless, characterless scamps wot ‘ang about livery-stables ready to do anything they’re bid.  No sir, no,’ he continued, pronging another onion; ’I have some regard for the hinterest o’ my master.  I’ll do my duty in the station o’ life in which I’m placed, and won’t be ‘fraid to face no man.’  So saying, Mr. Leather cut himself a grand circumference of beef.