‘Oh, partly in one place, and partly in another,’ was the answer.

‘I should think so,’ replied Pacey, with a look of compassion, adding, in an undertone, ‘a good deal with your mother, I should think.’

‘If you could get that horse at a moderate figure,’ whispered Jack to his neighbour, and squinting his eyes inside out as he spoke, ’he’s well worth having.’

‘The beggar won’t sell him,’ muttered Pacey, who was fonder of talking about buying horses than of buying them.

‘Oh yes, he will,’ replied Jack; ’he didn’t understand what you meant.  Mr. Sponge,’ said he, addressing himself slowly and distinctly up the table to our hero—­’Mr. Sponge, my friend Mr. Pacey here challenges your chestnut.’

Sponge still stared in well-feigned astonishment.

‘It’s a custom we have in this country,’ continued Jack, looking, as he thought, at Sponge, but, in reality, squinting most frightfully at the sideboard.

‘Do you mean he wants to buy him?’ asked Sponge.

‘Yes,’ replied Jack confidently.

‘No, I don’t,’ whispered Pacey, giving Jack a kick under the table.  Pacey had not yet drunk sufficient wine to be rash.

‘Yes, yes,’ replied Jack tartly, ‘you do,’ adding, in an undertone, ’leave it to me, man, and I’ll let you in for a good thing.  Yes, Mr. Sponge,’ continued he, addressing himself to our hero, ’Mr. Pacey fancies the chestnut and challenges him.’

‘Why doesn’t he ask the price?’ replied Sponge, who was always ready for a deal.

‘Ah, the price must be left to a third party,’ said Jack.’  The principle of the thing is this,’ continued he, enlisting the aid of his fingers to illustrate his position:  ‘Mr. Pacey, here,’ said he, applying the forefinger of his right hand to the thumb of the left, looking earnestly at Sponge, but in reality squinting up at the chandelier—­’Mr. Pacey here challenges your horse Multum-in-somethin’—­I forget what you said you call him—­but the nag I rode to-day.  Well, then,’ continued Jack, ‘you’ (demonstrating Sponge by pressing his two forefingers together, and holding them erect) ’accept the challenge, but can challenge anything Mr. Pacey has—­a horse, dog, gun—­anything; and, having fixed on somethin’ then a third party’ (who Jack represented by cocking up his thumb), ’any one you like to name, makes the award.  Well, having agreed upon that party’ (Jack still cocking up the thumb to represent the arbitrator), ’he says, “Give me money.”  The two then put, say half a crown or five shillin’s each, into his hand, to which the arbitrator adds the same sum for himself.  That being done, the arbitrator says, “Hands in pockets, gen’lemen."’ (Jack diving his right hand up to the hilt in his own.) ’If this be an award, Mr. Pacey’s horse gives Mr. Sponge’s horse so much—­draw.’ (Jack suiting the action to the word, and laying his fist on the table.) ’If each person’s hand contains money, it is an award—­it is a deal; and the arbitrator gets the half-crowns, or whatever it is, for his trouble; so that, in course, he has a direct interest in makin’ such an award as will lead to a deal. Now do you understand?’ continued Jack, addressing himself earnestly to Sponge.