’I remain, dear Waffles,

    ’Yours sincerely,

    ‘H.  SPONGE.’

    ’To W. WAFFLES, Esq.,
      ‘Imperial Hotel, Laverick Wells.’

    ’LAVERICK WELLS.

    ’DEAR SPONGE,

’I’m afraid Bullfrog will have to make himself happy without his horse, for I hav’n’t the slightest idea where he is.  I sold him to a cockneyfied, countryfied sort of a man, who said he had a small “hindependence of his own”—­somewhere, I believe, about London.  He didn’t give much for him, as you may suppose, when I tell you he paid for him chiefly in silver.  If I were you, I wouldn’t trouble myself about him.

    ’Yours very truly,

    ’W.  WAFFLES.

    ‘To H. SPONGE, Esq.’

Our hero addressed Mr. Waffles again, in the course of a few days, as follows: 

’DEAR WAFFLES,

’I am sorry to say Bullfrog won’t be put off without the horse.  He says I insisted on his taking him back, and now he insists on having him.  I have had his lawyer, Mr. Chousam, of the great firm of Chousam, Doem, and Co., of Throgmorton Street, at me, who says his lordship will play old gooseberry with us if we don’t return him by Saturday.  Pray put on all steam, and look him up.

    ’Yours in haste,

    ’H.  SPONGE.

    ‘To W. WAFFLES, Esq.’

Mr. Waffles did put on all steam, and so successfully that he ran the horse to ground at our friend Mr. Buckram’s.  Though the horse was in the box adjoining the house, Mr. Buckram declared he had sold him to go to ‘Hireland’; to what county he really couldn’t say, nor to what hunt; all he knew was, the gentleman said he was a ‘captin,’ and lived in a castle.

Mr. Waffles communicated the intelligence to Sponge, requesting him to do the best he could for him, who reported what his ‘best’ was in the following letter: 

’DEAR WAFFLES,

’My lawyer has seen Chousam, and deuced stiff he says he was.  It seems Bullfrog is indignant at being accused of a “do”; and having got me in the wrong box, by not being able to return the horse as claimed, he meant to work me.  At first Chousam would hear of nothing but “l—­a—­w.”  Bullfrog’s wounded honour could only be salved that way.  Gradually, however, we diverged from l—­a—­w to L—­s.—­d.; and the upshot of it is, that he will advise his lordship to take L250 and be done with it.  It’s a bore; but I did it for the best, and shall be glad now to know your wishes on the subject.  Meanwhile, I remain,

    ’Yours very truly,

    ’H.  SPONGE.

    ‘To W. WAFFLES, Esq.’